Guest guest Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 A week end poem from Ivan for contemplation. His notes at the foot are always helpful.--- On Fri, 13/3/09, Poetry Chaikhana <ivan wrote: Poetry Chaikhana <ivan[Poetry Chaikhana] John of the Cross - The FountainalanadamsjacobsDate: Friday, 13 March, 2009, 4:29 PM Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- The Fountain By John of the Cross(1542 - 1591) English version by Willis Barnstone How well I know that flowing spring in black of night.The eternal fountain is unseen.How well I know where she has been in black of night.I do not know her origin.None. Yet in her all things begin in black of night.I know that nothing is so fairand earth and firmament drink there in black of night.I know that none can wade insideto find her bright bottomless tide in black of night.Her shining never has a blur;I know that all light comes from her in black of night.I know her streams converge and swelland nourish people, skies and hell in black of night.The stream whose birth is in this sourceI know has a gigantic force in black of night.The stream from but these two proceedsyet neither one, I know, precedes in black of night.The eternal fountain is unseenin living bread that gives us being in black of night.She calls on all mankind to startto drink her water, though in dark, for black is night.O living fountain that I crave,in bread of life I see her flame in black of night. -- from To Touch the Sky: Poems of Mystical, Spiritual & Metaphysical Light, Translated by Willis Barnstone Amazon.com / Photo by www.ericcastro.biz / ============ Thought for the Day: One day all effort will ceaseand the Earth shall recognizeits inherent heavenly nature. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Stefano Pando Sanctum Listen - Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -Something for you today by the great Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross...In this poem, John of the Cross is speaking of a secret fountain as if it is a divine, living being -- and it is. This isn't merely a poetic metaphor, it is a description of actual mystical experience rendered into the language of poetry.Mystics throughout the world and in all traditions describe an awareness of a flowing of water, a water that is alive. Coming into contact with that water, touching it, drinking it, feeling it flow inside you and all around you, quickens a new sense of life within. Everything, yourself included, is suddenly seen as radically alive in a way that could not have been imagined before. It is this water that is the foundational "stuff" of the manifest world, all things are formed of it and exist within it.Accompanying this is a sense of a rising up and overflowing of energy -- a fountain. This is felt as originating in the seat, beginning to spread out in the solar plexus, flowing generously in the heart, and anointing the crown with a glistening light.John of the Cross refers to this fountain as "she," equating it with the Holy Spirit in Catholic theology.And why is this fountain always discovered "in black of night"? Night, the dark night of the soul, is fundamental to the mystical language developed by John of the Cross. One way to understand it is as the disorienting space of initiation, when the awareness has released its identification with material creation, and waits uncertainly for the Divine. Understood this way, the night is the spiritual threshold. It is within this psychic desert that we discover the fountain.Have a wonderful weekend!Ivan Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary... New on the Poetry Chaikhana BlogIn addition to the daily poem, other recent blog posts include: Video - Breathe - Comments (1) A reminder that our breath is part of the planet's breath. More Mailing List Milestone - Comments (3) We now have more than 4,000 people on the Poetry Chaikhana email list... More Iranian Painter Iman Maleki - Comments (3) One moment you're convinced you're looking at a photograph, then a switch is flipped in your brain, and you see a painting. But then you notice the fine filaments of each strand of hair, the delicate veins traced out beneath the skin, the caress of daylight upon a curving cheek, and you start to question again... More Donations to the Poetry ChaikhanaI want to send out a sincere thank you to each one of you who contributed some of your hard-earned money in the last week:- Margot (IL), Linda (CA)-No new voluntary rs this weekI am so grateful for each and every contribution. 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Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Video Channel www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ 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". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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