One's not half two. It's two are halves of one.

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st theresa
Posts: 430
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2006 7:24 pm
Location: Edmonton Alberta

spirituality and poetry

Post by st theresa »

Both Cummings and TS Eliot are poets who are not easily forgotten--My friend Victor, sent me a cd and book of the four quartets and it is hard to describe how beautiful it was to hear it so well read. I have strayed far from my early love of poetry but my interest in things spirtual has led me back again to where I started with some of the early influences. Lovely to find a site where these things are being talked about. At the heart of TS eliot's poetry, as with Shakespeare's is such spirtiual wisdom as is only dreamt of in this world. And of course Leonard's poetry has spoken to that deeper self all along. I used to wonder what it was... and now I understand.
Karellin
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon May 04, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: One's not half two. It's two are halves of one.

Post by Karellin »

Sorry to have showed up so late on this board (Spring, 2015), just happened on it following e.e. cummings' links. Here is my take on cummings' poem:

one’s not half two. It’s two are halves of one: **** Look for unity in relationships: two hearts beating as one.
which halves reintegrating,shall occur **** If two people truly get together, as one . . .
no death and any quantity;but than **** . . . their unity will yield them a kind of timeless immortality, a merging with the eternal, if you will.
all numerable mosts the actual more **** Most people don't understand . . .

minds ignorant of stern miraculous **** this kind of unity at all . . . this supreme truth . . .
this every truth-beware of heartless them **** but watch out for these people . . .
(given the scalpel,they dissect a kiss; **** . . . hyprocrites, with no love of self or others:
or,sold the reason,they undream a dream) **** they will suck the life out of you.

one is the song which fiends and angels sing: **** Unity--oneness--is understood by those who aspire to the highest levels of being,
all murdering lies by mortals told make two. **** but most common folk are hypocrites and deeply divided in themselves.
Let liars wilt,repaying life they’re loaned; **** But forget these people anyway; they are living on borrowed time.
we(by a gift called dying born)must grow **** The fact that we must die is crucial: Because of this fact we know our time is limited and we must . . .

deep in dark least ourselves remembering **** . . . seek deep within ourselves to find a unifying love--which will only last . . .
love only rides his year. **** . . . the short time of our lives, but such is life.
All lose,whole find **** If we can give up our divided, lying nature, our tendency to see others as "me and them," then we can embrace the humanity which we all share, and truly become whole (one).

To me, the poem is both an exaltation of a unifying love between two people, and a spiritual quest for unity of ourselves and all that surrounds us. Is cummings correct? I have no idea. But to me his ideas are beautiful and provoking.

All lose, whole find,

Steve (steve@edmicro.com)
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