Friday, June 26, 2009

Poetry Friday: How surely gravity's law

I didn't find this poem; it found me, wandering about, searching far and wide for something to post. "What are you doing, way out here and alone?" it scolded me.  So I came back and sat inside it for awhile.

From Rilke's Book of Hours
(as translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy)

How surely gravity's law,
strong as an ocean current,
takes hold of the smallest thing
and pulls it toward the heart of the world.

Each thing---
each stone, blossom, child---
is held in place.
Only we, in our arrogance,
push out beyond what we each belong to
for some empty freedom.

If we surrendered
to earth's intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.

Instead we entangle ourselves
in knots of our own making
and struggle, lonely and confused.

So like children, we begin again
to learn from the things,
because they are in God's heart;
they have never left him.

This is what the things can teach us:
to fall,
patiently to trust our heaviness.
Even a bird has to do that
before he can fly.


Poetry Friday is hosted today by its founder, Kelly Herold,  at her new blog, Crossover.  So glad you're back, Kelly!

12 comments:

  1. Wow, this is beautiful! I need this reminder too! Thank you! You and your family have been in my prayers this week.

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  2. I've had a week or two of being pulled down. Even before this poem, I had decided to just go ahead and fall. This is a keeper, a good reminder that after I'm down, I WILL be up again.

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  3. To patiently trust our heaviness.
    Wow. That is... complex.

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  4. Exquisite. Glad this poem found you, and now us!

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  5. Beautiful. Leave it to Rilke.

    That fifth verse slays me. I believe that.

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  6. The poem found you,and now me :) :)

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  7. I was reading my print copy of The Book of Hours this week, looking for a FP thing to post. LOL We are on the same wave again. Thanks for pulling out this particular poem and sharing it! I am going to try to practice trusting my heaviness.

    We have a family of house wrens nesting in the birdhouse on our front porch. The babies are going to learn to fly some day soon and I am planning to watch.

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  8. Great choice. Thanks for posting it.

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  9. "Trust our heaviness" Yes. I like that line a lot. Thanks for sharing this poem, Sara.

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  10. Love this, Sara. Really can't go wrong with Rilke, can you? (And I love that it found you, and that you sat inside it for a while.)

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  11. Just thought I'd comment on your post - as I thought you might be interested that I've released an album called "Widening Circles". I have become totally smitten by Rilke and so the album features the english translation of a handful of the poems (including how surely gravitys law) from the Book of Hours set to my compositions.
    You can watch a short film of the recording process
    here ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIkfYDRLuls
    You can have a listen to the album to see if you like it
    here ==> http://www.thepoatinatree.com.au
    thanks
    Spike

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  12. yes rooted, and trusting earth intelligence (wow!!!) instead of spinning:

    If we surrendered
    to earth's intelligence
    we could rise up rooted, like trees.

    Instead we entangle ourselves
    in knots of our own making
    and struggle, lonely and confused.

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