The Holy Longing, Goethe

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mat james
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Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by mat james »

...a desire for higher love-making sweeps you upward.

Distance does not make you falter.
Now, arriving in magic, flying,
and finally, insane for the light,
you are the butterfly and you are gone.
"...and something that they are stammering leaves me dying." (Cruz)

Thanks for the Poem, Diane. 8)

Mat.

Boss, buy a box of tissues, you're dribb'lin', not stammerin'.
"Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart." San Juan de la Cruz.
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Boss
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Location: Kookaburra

Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by Boss »

mat james wrote:Boss, buy a box of tissues, you're dribb'lin', not stammerin'.
So little do you know, ‘Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected’.

Doesn’t your Messiah say that it’s harder for a rich man to get into heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle? There are a lot of people (and I assume many on this Forum) who won’t be passing through any pearly gates!

Wake up, Triple C, open your eyes…Where’s the fire in your belly, mate??

The Boss
'In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer' - Albert Camus
imaginary friend
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Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 5:09 am
Location: Vancouver, Canada

Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by imaginary friend »

Dear Boss,

Your post recalled all the distrust I had as a kid for that god who seemed so stern and full of anger and vengeance. I pictured him perpetually frowning with his unibrow – Blake's Urizen! I much preferred Jesus' example, blessing the peacemakers and forgiving his enemies and turning the other cheek. Sure there are rich people who are selfish and greedy, there are also many who are the opposite, just as there are poor people with the same problems/qualities. The main thing is, whoever we are, and whatever our circumstances, we have a choice.

Carlos Casteneda articulated it best for me:
One day, Don Juan, the Man of Power and Carlos, his 'apprentice' were hiking a rugged path in rural Mexico. They were walking through a deep, narrow ravine, single file. Don Juan was a few steps ahead, when Carlos, noticing that his shoelace was undone, knelt for a moment to tie it. Suddenly, a large boulder dislodged above him, and came crashing down a few inches in front of Carlos. Shaken, he climbed over the boulder and joined Don Juan, who told him: 'Today you cheated death, because you stopped to tie your shoelaces at the right moment, and that act saved your life. Tomorrow you may be walking in another ravine, stop to tie your shoelaces at the wrong moment, and a boulder comes crashing down on top of you and crushes you. You have absolutely no control over this, neither today nor tomorrow. The only thing you have control of in either situation, is the tying of your shoelaces. Be sure you tie them impeccably.'
Diane

Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by Diane »

mat james wrote: "...and something that they are stammering leaves me dying." (Cruz)


'bless the continuous stutter'!

Hi Mat. Glad you like. Death by poetry is a fine thing isn't it.

"I’m tired of facts, I’m tired of speculations, I want to be consumed by unreason. I want to be swept along." Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers.

Let's be consumed by unreason, any chance we get.
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mat james
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Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by mat james »

"Death by poetry" sounds like a fun way to disembark life, Diane :).
Let's be consumed by unreason, any chance we get.
Carlos Casteneda articulated it best for me:
Yes, I love your poem (Goethe's). A very sharp bloke.
My favorite Casteneda quote (from his book "A Separate Reality") is, as I remember it,
"Life is folly, but the wise man chooses his folly".

Now Boss, mate; if Carlos is right and Life is folly, then why not choose happiness as your folly?
Nelson Mandela is 92 today. His folly was freedom. And look where that choice got him 8) .

8) :neutral: :idea: (Cool, calm and collected) Mat Quixote.
"Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart." San Juan de la Cruz.
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Boss
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Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by Boss »

imaginary friend wrote:Dear Boss,

Your post recalled all the distrust I had as a kid for that god who seemed so stern and full of anger and vengeance. I pictured him perpetually frowning with his unibrow – Blake's Urizen! I much preferred Jesus' example, blessing the peacemakers and forgiving his enemies and turning the other cheek. Sure there are rich people who are selfish and greedy, there are also many who are the opposite, just as there are poor people with the same problems/qualities. The main thing is, whoever we are, and whatever our circumstances, we have a choice.

Carlos Casteneda articulated it best for me:
One day, Don Juan, the Man of Power and Carlos, his 'apprentice' were hiking a rugged path in rural Mexico. They were walking through a deep, narrow ravine, single file. Don Juan was a few steps ahead, when Carlos, noticing that his shoelace was undone, knelt for a moment to tie it. Suddenly, a large boulder dislodged above him, and came crashing down a few inches in front of Carlos. Shaken, he climbed over the boulder and joined Don Juan, who told him: 'Today you cheated death, because you stopped to tie your shoelaces at the right moment, and that act saved your life. Tomorrow you may be walking in another ravine, stop to tie your shoelaces at the wrong moment, and a boulder comes crashing down on top of you and crushes you. You have absolutely no control over this, neither today nor tomorrow. The only thing you have control of in either situation, is the tying of your shoelaces. Be sure you tie them impeccably.'
Imaginary Friend, there is a four year old boy in Malawi orphaned because his parents died of AIDS. He doesn’t have any fucken shoes to do up the laces! And there’s a homeless eleven year old girl in Bangkok selling herself on the streets tonight to some fat Western tourist. She too goes barefoot. What can these kids ‘choose’? To fly to Ireland and watch Leonard?

As we write our sweet poetry or suck the guts out of Goethe or speak of cute stories about Don Juan and Carlos or indeed are intoxicated in Leonard Cohen’s mind, the whole world burns. Don’t give me this rubbish about rich people being nice – if they were nice they’d eradicate poverty. We are hypocrites! And you know it - talking of justice and honour and such. Karl Marx once wrote that the more you have, the more alienated you become from your real self; the less you are.

He was right. In our obscene wealth, what ‘are’ we? A bunch of critics wondering who said it best, who is intelligent or clever or talented? Are we happy getting drunk every night on red wine? Aren’t we sick of looking for the perfect orgasm, the perfect kitchen table, the perfect life? We are deluded, we are bored, we are greedy, we are lost.

We could be so much more.
'In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer' - Albert Camus
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lorcamaria
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Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by lorcamaria »

Hi Boss,

I thought Leonard was bankrupt?
Maria

Ring the bell that still can ring, forget your perfect offering,
There is a crack in everything, that's how the Light gets in.
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lorcamaria
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Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:27 pm
Location: UK

Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by lorcamaria »

To our detriment, little is sacred today. We poison the air, burn-off the forests, pollute the
oceans. Oh, we try this and that, we talk; but nothing works when greed leads. When Christ
wrecked the stalls in the temple he was protecting the 'sacred' from greed. Did anyone listen?
How much does The Vatican 'make' from tourism? It's all greed. You know, I notice people's
signatures on this Forum. Some people have gone to see Leonard 10 times or more. If you have
that sort of money, see him once and give the rest to the people of Haiti. I wonder what
Leonard does with his millions?? I still believe, one day, Justice will prevail.

In peace,
Boss

Sorry, I meant to past this as well.
Maria

Ring the bell that still can ring, forget your perfect offering,
There is a crack in everything, that's how the Light gets in.
lonndubh
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Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by lonndubh »

Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.


If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.


Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.


Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.


Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.


Strive to be happy.


--- Max Ehrmann, 1927
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Jean Fournell
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Location: Provence

Re: The Holy Longing, Goethe

Post by Jean Fournell »

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote this poem on 31st July 1814. It was first published in 1817 as "Vollendung" (Fulfillment), then renamed "Selbstopfer" (Self-sacrifice), and eventually published in "West-östlicher Divan" (1819) as "Selige Sehnsucht" (Blissful longing).

Selige Sehnsucht

Sagt es niemand, nur den Weisen,
Weil die Menge gleich verhöhnet,
Das Lebend'ge will ich preisen
Das nach Flammentod sich sehnet.

In der Liebesnächte Kühlung,
Die dich zeugte, wo du zeugtest,
Ueberfällt dich fremde Fühlung
Wenn die stille Kerze leuchtet.

Nicht mehr bleibest du umfangen
In der Finsterniß Beschattung,
Und dich reißet neu Verlangen
Auf zu höherer Begattung.

Keine Ferne macht dich schwierig,
Kommst geflogen und gebannt,
Und zuletzt, des Lichts begierig,
Bist du Schmetterling verbrannt,

Und so lang du das nicht hast,
Dieses: Stirb und werde!
Bist du nur ein trüber Gast
Auf der dunklen Erde.

Blissful longing

Don't tell any but the sages,
for the crowd is prompt at sneering,
it's the Living I'll be praising
that which longs for death in fire.

In the cooling of the love-nights,
which begat you, where you begat
you're assailed by some strange presence
when the quiet candle's shining.

No more you remain encircled
in the gloom casting its shadows,
and a new desire sweeps you
up to higher copulation.

Distance cannot make you weighty,
you come flying and enthralled,
and at last, for light so eager,
butterfly, you've burnt to ash,

and as long as that's not yours,
this: "Die and become!", you'll
merely be a dreary guest
on the Earth in darkness.
___________________________________________________
Therefore know that you must become one with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the target
to say nothing of the horse.

... for a while
... for a little while...

(Just a filthy beggar blessing / What happens to the heart)
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