Guest guest Posted August 5, 2009 Report Share Posted August 5, 2009 A native american verse sent in by Ivan Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- The Creation of the Earth By Pima (Anonymous)(18th Century) English version by Frank Russell Earth Magician shapes the world. Behold what he can do!Round and smooth he molds it. Behold what he can do!Earth Magician makes the mountains. Heed what he has to say!He it is that makes the mesas. Heed what he has to say.Earth Magician shapes the world; Earth Magician makes its mountains;Makes all larger, larger, larger. Into the earth the Magician glances,Into its mountains he may see. -- from The Sky Clears: Poetry of the American Indians, Edited by A. Grove Day Amazon.com / Photo by LifeHouseDesign / ============ Thought for the Day: Don't take your joys and suffering personally.We are all of us storiestold by Godto himselfto illuminate himself. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Various Artists The Heart of Percussion Listen / Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -My college years in the late 1980s were a time of searching and confusion for me. I attended three different universities in three years, with as many majors, before I dropped out of school and bumped through jobs and life until somehow I stumbled my way into adulthood.I mention this because one of the schools I attended briefly was the University of Arizona. And while there I first became aware of the Pima people of Arizona...Something about this shamanic chant is really striking to me.Earth Magician shapes the world.Behold what he can do!"Earth Magician" sounds so tangible, like the name of a person. Yet this "person" is the shaper of the world, the maker of mountains and mesas. The formation of the world, it is an act of magic! It is an act of power and wonderment!This song is really an invitation to truly see the majesty of creation, the vast natural world that is our home. Seeing the beauty and immensity of the earth, we can't help but be reminded of that which shaped it, the formless "magician" that gave form. The natural world is always telling us -- Behold!And my favorite lines --Into the earth the Magician glances,Into its mountains he may see.Notice that this great Magician isn't looking at the creation; no, he is looking "into" it. He sees into the earth and into the mountains. For this Magician, the apparently tangible world is not a realm of solidity and impenetrable surfaces. That doesn't seem to be what interests him. His sight seems to flow effortlessly into the heart of all things, and that seems to be the only reality that draws his glance.Have a beautiful day!IvanPS - The link to "share your thoughts" should now be working. Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary... 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: Music & Video - One Love Around the World - More Video: Interview with David Whyte - The central work of my life is to get poetry to as many people as possible in whatever world they live in because it's such a life saver It gives you a language that makes you able for the world, large enough for it, and not to hide from it. - David Whyte More Music: Tabla & Taiko - Comments (3) The great tabla player, Zakir Hussain, accompanied by Japanese taiko drums. Hope you enjoy. More 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. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter 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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