[Poetry Chaikhana] Marguerite Porete - Beloved, what do you want of me?

December 12, 2008

A Poem from Ivan to welcome the week end. His notes at the foot are always well worth reading.--- On Fri, 12/12/08, Poetry Chaikhana <ivan wrote:

Poetry Chaikhana <ivan[Poetry Chaikhana] Marguerite Porete - Beloved, what do you want of me?alanadamsjacobsDate: Friday, 12 December, 2008, 6:11 PM

Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana --

Beloved, what do you want of me?

By Marguerite Porete(1260? - 1310)

English version by Peter Drunke

Beloved, what do you want of me?I contain all that was, and that is, and shall be,I am filled with the all.Take of me all you please --if you want all of myself, Iâ€™ll not say no.Tell me, beloved, what you want of me --I am Love, who am filled with the all:what you want,we want, beloved --tell us your desire nakedly

-- from Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, Edited by Jane Hirshfield

Amazon.com / Photo by Hulagway /

============

Thought for the Day:

Each step is a step intothe unknown.

============

Here's your Daily Music selection --

Levi Chen

Liquid Gardens

Listen - Purchase

More Music Selections

Hi Alan -I was going to pick a gentle poem today. Something gentle and soothing. I don't know what happened! :-)---Take of me all you please --if you want all of myself, Iâ€™ll not say no.This is the way of it -- the terrifying, shattering, exhilarating, total yielding that opens us to true union with the Eternal.This is the fierce courage that every saint and sage has found. "Take anything, everything, even my very life, but give me Yourself!" This is the daring prayer of the great peaceworkers and social healers, and of every lover of God.To reach out this way while remaining free from fear, requires both subtle balance and iron determination, for it throws us into direct conflict with the ego-self's constant assertion that it is the most important thing in the universe. We are forced to step beyond such an impoverished sense of

ourselves. Before we can let go of our littleness, we must recognize our immensity:I am Love, who am filled with the all...Only then can we say honestly, and with total confidence to that Eternal Presence--what you want,we want, beloved --tell us your desire nakedly---Not much is known about the life of Marguerite Porete (also known as Marguerite of Hainaut) other than what is recorded of her heresy trial in Paris -- which eventually led to her death by being burned at the stake.Marguerite Porete may have been a Beguine, like Hadewijch of Antwerp and Mechthild of Magdeburg, but this is questionable. Her accusers called her a Beguine, but apparently meant it as an insult. In her own writings, Marguerite lists the Beguines as being among her critics.Her book, The Mirror of Simple Souls (or The Mirror of Simple Annihilated Souls, a reference to ecstatic annihilation in God),

survived her death and was translated into many European languages, attributed initially to "an unknown French mystic." The book is a collection of poetry and prose that suggests a profound experience of mystical union which resulted in a complete loss of personal identity in which only the Divine remains.Marguerite wrote: â€œGod has nowhere to put his goodness, if not in meâ€¦no place to put himself entire, if not in me. And by this means I am the exemplar of salvation, and what is more, I am the salvation itself of every creature, and the glory of Godâ€¦â€ (tr. by Peter Dronke).IvanThank YouWhat a week! The full moon more than accomplished her discomfiting tasks this week.I want to thank the several people who sent in donations this past week in response to my request for help. I know many more of you would like to send in donations but can't right now -- your thoughtful notes also mean a lot to

me.Bright blessings to you all!

Donations to the Poetry ChaikhanaA sincere thank you to those of you who sent a donation this past week:- Patricia (IL), Janice (NY), Wayne (WV), Margit (CA), Beki (TX), Nancy (FL), Sandra (UT), Maura (NC), Gloria (WV), Jennifer (CA), Sylvia (NSW, Australia)Thank you also to the new voluntary rs:- Wendy, KoshinEach and every contribution makes a big difference in maintaining the Poetry Chaikhana.And I don't want to forget to thank Juanita, Fay, and David from Sattwa Chai in Oregon www.sattwa.com for the excellent, very spicy chai. Mm! ---A few reasons to consider making a donation of your own...

Tech support! When technical problems arise with the Poetry Chaikhana, Ivan has to drop his income-producing job in order to keep those "pen-wielding poets" happy.

Ivan supports himself and his family through part-time work. Your contribution helps him to cover his expenses and dedicate more time to the Poetry Chaikhana.

The daily poem can bring fresh perspectives to your contemplation or prayer practice.

The Poetry Chaikhana opens pathways for interfaith dialog and exploration.

A monthly donation with PayPal is easy -- just set it up once and then the work is done for you.

Support the Poetry Chaikhana

Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you!

Click here

You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Click here

A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo.

Click here

Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo.

www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com

Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306

============

Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel".