POEMS GROUP 25: YOGA
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES I:SONNET VIII
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES II:POETRY IN TIMES OF GENOCIDE(DODECALOGY, PART EIGHT OF TWELVE)
Corvallis, December 24th, 2022 - P#795
should poetry be written still
are we alive just to exist?
if this existence 's just bare life,
do live we
for life is the purpose
let poets write
for poetry
for what we know of life
and all we do as art
let life not be bare
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES III:TIME STANDS STILL
Corvallis, December 25th, 2022 - P#796
time stands still
this end of time
so let us now
let time stand still
so now
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES IV:PEACE ON EARTH(DODECALOGY, PART NINE OF TWELVE)
Corvallis, December 26th, 2022 - P#797
peace on Earth
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES V:LIFE AS WAR OR PEACE(DODECALOGY, PART TEN OF TWELVE)
Corvallis, December 27th, 2022 - P#798
life is war
these days
thus agonize I endless hours
so that
so that this day
so that instead of the darkness
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES VI:ПУТИН, ИДИОТ
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES VII:SYLLOGY L:
Corvallis, December 31st, 2022-... - P#800
in lieu of an introduction: EXPOSITION:
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xay.k nfr m Axt nt pt
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You rise beautiful from the horizon on heaven,
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pA itn anx SAa anx
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O Aten, living disk, origin of life.
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iw.k wbn.ti m Axt
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You are arisen from the horizon,
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mH.n.k tA nb m nfrw.k
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you have filled every land with your beauty.
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iw.k an.ti wr.ti THn.ti qA.ti Hr-tp tA nb
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You are fine, great, radiant, lofty over and above every land.
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stwt.k inH.sn tAw r r-a irt.n.k nb
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Your rays bind the lands to the limit of all you have made,
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iw.k m ra in.k r r-a.sn
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you are as Re, the sun, you have reached their limits.
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waf.k sn (n) sA-mr.k
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You bind them (for) your beloved son.
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iw.k wA.ti stwt.k Hr tA
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You are distant, but your rays are on earth,
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tw.k m Hr.sn nw Smw.k
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You are in their sight, but your movements are hidden.
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| aSA.wy siry.k iw.w StAw m Hr | How numerous are your works, though hidden from sight. | ||
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pA nTr wa nn ky Hr-xw.f
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Unique god, there is none beside him.
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(Great Hymn of the Aten; 2-3; 7-8)
of all the goddesses and gods,
a pantheon of entities and demons,
of powers, principalities, dominions celestial,
of heroes, demigods, and kings become gods,
what distinguishes all these
from us mere mortals,
mere creations?
what power lies there
within this strangest pantheon of divinities,
if reflected it all
in nature
herself?
See I the sun, do see a god or goddess I?
See I the moon, do see a god or goddess I?
See I the Earth, do see a god or goddess I?
Whence cometh thunder, rain or warmth?
Whence cometh darkness, whence does light?
Are not the powers that we see
a mere reflection
of the universe itself?
Is not divinity
that which transcends us all?
How could attribute we
this transcendental power
to all these different entities and beings?
What gives us life? What gives us death?
What is it that we feel around, within, beyond us so?
A living thing, this world, this all,
this universe, these universes all:
and us, mere mortals,
claim to understand it all?
so let us see
the one
behind the many
the one source
behind all the appearances
the one
within
the one
without
the one
beyond life and death
the idea
behind all ideas
the form
behind all forms:
see we the shape
the mere disk of the sun:
and see we
what we can see
with our own eyes:
see we the sun
surrounded by planets
as our science has shown;
see we all our sun's planetary children
surrounded by others
in the galaxy;
see we our galaxy
within galaxies
in the universe;
and maybe, we'll see
this universe
in a universe of universes:
the very greatness
the very grandeur
the very scope
of this all:
are tiny we
and yet, we matter:
for that which reigns beyond us
has given us life
has given us form
has given us meaning
beyond meaning:
and as this holiness of holies
this transcendental sense of being
envelops us all
in our most triumphant days
in our darkest, most starkest nights:
mere parts we are
of this grander scheme
and seeing it all
connected
related
quite intimately so:
then what is death
but merely a bridge
to more life?
and as we see
the holiness around us,
shall see we also
the holiness inside of us:
this sanctity of sanctities,
this holiest of holies,
this unity
between mortality and infinity:
as we are one
and we are all
this holy father,
this holy mother,
this holy creator,
this holy sustainer,
this holy maintainer
this holy connection
between all that exists:
submit we now
to the mystery
around us all:
as it has submitted to us
and given us life
so that we may cherish it
in us and in all
بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ
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Bismillah
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in the name of God
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ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ
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ir-Rahman
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the Most Gracious
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ٱلرَّحِيمِ
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ir-Rahim
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the Most Merciful
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(Basmala)
that one
which cannot be named
which cannot be seen
which cannot be heard
which cannot be shown
which cannot be painted
which cannot be quite understood:
that one
not even a person
not even a being
but being itself:
not even alive
but life itself:
that one
we seek
that one
we call
that one
we praise
the one
the real
the idea
the Holy one
that
which cannot be defined
which cannot be delimited
which resists all definition
which has no limits
that
which dwarfs us
makes us realize
our smallness
our limits
our finality
that
which is being
before being
time
before time
real
before reality
that
which was in the beginning
which is in the now
will be in the end
the end of all
the essence of all
the beginning of all
this one
and only
in which
and through which
and for which
we live:
the one
the principle
of grace
the principle
of mercy
this
which just is
its own beginning
and its own purpose, end:
beyond our expectations
of good and of evil
bow we now
in the presence
and spirit
and essence
of life:
so that we may share in it
that we may honor it
and be absolved in it
in the end of our days
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל
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Sh'ma Yisrael
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Hear, O Israel:
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יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד
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Adonai Eloheinu |
the Lord is our God, the Lord is One
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יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא
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Yitgaddal veyitqaddash shmeh rabba
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Exalted and sanctified be His great name
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/
the one
who is
life
itself
//
not an outsized human on a throne
neither on the earth
nor in the sky
nor on a mountaintop
or in caverns below
nor skulking away in animal form
no superstition
nor strangest magic
no attributes
no human desires
nothing
that is like us
the one
or simply that
before the beginning
before
anything
and anyone
what name
or pronoun even
could possibly convey
such a concept?
and should you desire
to make an image
of the-one-who-is:
you still
have not understood
that there cannot be an image
there cannot be a comprehension
of what even an idea
for such an image
could be:
and you
and we
cannot name
what cannot be named:
for if we could name a thing
we could understand
we could categorize
stereotypize
develop connections
develop abstractions
develop assumptions
that shall not be assumed
that shall not be abstracted
that shall not be connected:
and the stereo-typical view
(the one we may tolerate children to have)
(but only then)
(if at all)
(but what do we know)
(if know we can at all):
the simplistic view
should not be the one
persisting into adulthood:
yet our will to understand
is a will, in the end, for nothing else
but power
and might
and control:
our will to power,
our will to name:
for what we can name
and what we can picture
we can control,
or so some believe:
for we are able to name all nature
we are able to name all animals and plants
all human things
all rocks and waterways and mountains high
all stars and planets and moons we may see
for all of that
is a given
in the creation
in the beginning
when the-one-that-is began to create
our little world
when the eternal
created mortality
when that which always is
created that which is only for a limited time
when out of eternity
came limitation:
so that in limitation
we may strive for eternity
in the little time
we have:
this limited time
on this little world:
but of others
we know not
(yet)
(but we shall?)
///
there may be universes there
beyond our own
and for all I know
there's a red wheelbarrow
floating somewhere
in its own universe
as a divine gift to William Carlos Williams
and next door,
we might actually take
Trout Fishing in America to an actual fishing site
if Mr. Brautigan will allow it to sit
next to Douglas Adam's number 42
but none of that would happen
without the initial act
of creation
of beginning
with a telos, a view to an end,
a purpose,
a destiny:
or maybe,
there never needed to be a beginning
as energy is never created, only transformed,
and then,
we are pondering
that which is
as a telos in itself,
a beginning without a beginning:
pondering all this,
how could we not
exalt
all that is
even if it means
that we could not even think of a name
nor of controlling
that which is:
the eternal
needs no name comprehensible to us:
that which is
needs no further name
than to embrace all that is:
the pleasure and pain all
all existence and non-existence
all your dreams, hopes, and faintest desires
projected
as prayers
onto life itself:
for a prayer
is an attempt to reach out
to the unreachable
to trust
in the universe itself:
and to realize
the magnitude
of our predicament:
// //
in all our smallness
we come from greatness
and carry it
within:
in all our limitations
we carry the essence
of the eternal
within:
in all our pain, our loss, our suffering,
there too, is joy, is hope, underneath
pointing
to the simple glory of mere existence:
thus exalt we again
what should be exalted,
thus sanctify we
what is already holy,
thus praise we a name
that is just mere approximation:
for without this recognition,
this acceptance,
this sense of humility,
it would be much harder
to live this life
for we are not God
and once we see this,
once only we see this,
only then
can we fully value life
in all its limitations
situated within the eternal
and life itself:
and death
is the gift
creating meaning
for us all
in our valley of tears,
our mountain of joys
בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ
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Beʻalma di vra khir'uteh
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In the world which He created according to His will
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וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ |
Veyamlikh malkhuteh
|
May He establish His kingdom
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בְּעָלְמָא דְהוּא עָתִיד לְאִתְחַדָּתָא |
B'ʻal'ma d'hu ʻatid l'ithaddata
|
In the world which will be renewed
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וּלְאַחֲיָאָה מֵתַיָא |
Ulʼaḥaya metaya
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And where He will give life to the dead
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וּלְאַסָּקָא יָתְהוֹן לְחַיֵּי עָלְמָא |
Ulʼassaqa yathon l'ḥayye ʻal'ma
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And raise them to eternal life
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וּלְמִבְנֵא קַרְתָּא דִירוּשְׁלֵם |
Ul'mivne qarta dirush'lem
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And rebuild the city of Jerusalem
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וּלְשַׁכְלָלָא הֵיכְלֵהּ בְּגַוַּהּ |
Uleshakhlala hekhlehh b'gavvah
|
And complete His temple there
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וּלְמֶעְקַר פֻּלְחָנָא נֻכְרָאָה מְאַרְעָא |
Ulmeʻqar pulḥana nukhraʼa m'arʻa
|
And uproot foreign worship from the earth
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וּלַאֲתָבָא פֻּלְחָנָא דִשְׁמַיָּא לְאַתְרֵהּ |
Ulaʼatava pulḥana dishmayya l'ʼatreh
|
And restore Heavenly worship to its position
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וְיַמְלִיךְ קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא |
V'yamlikh qudsha b'rikh hu
|
And may the Holy One, blessed is He,
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בְּמַלְכוּתֵהּ וִיקָרֵהּ |
B'malkhuteh viqareh
|
Reign in His sovereign splendor
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וְיַצְמַח פֻּרְקָנֵהּ וִיקָרֵב(קיץ) מְשִׁיחֵהּ |
Veyatzmaḥ purqaneh viqarev (qetz) meshiḥeh
|
And may His salvation blossom and His anointed be near
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(Kaddish, Lines 2-3, Burial Kaddish: 37-45, 4)
/
powers, principalities, thrones and dominions
all will rise, all will fall
nothing stays
and all's in flux:
for those
are earthly things
and everything
is transient
//
we may have desires
of worldly aims
and worldly needs
that are required
in the here and now:
but in the hereafter
in the beyond
in the eternal
may well be the only place
where needs are met
and wishes come true
and justice may reign
supreme
as much as we wish it,
there may be no justice,
there may be no peace,
there may be no truth,
there may be no love
in this, our lifetime,
in spite of all hopes
in spite of all dreams
in spite of all prayers:
and yet
we shall believe
in the idea of justice
in the idea of peace
in the idea of truth
in the idea of love:
we may not have anything
we may not be anything
and may not change anything
for power
is elusive
and we certainly
may lack it:
but we must have hope
as we can always create hope:
we must have faith
as we can always create faith:
we must have charity
as we can always create charity:
for these
are the things in our heart
and these
are within our control:
and these
can be re-created by us:
for these
are the gifts
of the Eternal
thus in the darkest valleys of despair
we must not give in
and we must cherish the life
we are given
and cherish the lives
of those all around us
and keep but close
those who have died
within our hearts
to eventually accompany us
to the heavenly Jerusalem,
the place of peace
and holiness
///
and thus we live
and thus we die
and thus we witness
in the presence of the Eternal
all around us:
and as the Eternal is holy
this holiness
is transferred to us
given to us
and we are anointed
by the Eternal
for all eternity to come,
time without end
בְּחַיֵּיכוֹן וּבְיוֹמֵיכוֹן
|
Beḥayeikhon uvyomeikhon
|
During your lifetime and during your days
| ||
וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל (בֵּית) יִשְׂרָאֵל |
Uvḥaye dekhol (bet) yisrael
|
And during the lifetimes of all the House of Israel,
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בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן |
Baʻagala uvizman qariv veʼimru amen
|
Speedily and very soon! And say, Amen.
|
wish we now
all those blessings to happen
during our lifetime
and all our days:
but we need not wait
we need to seek out
whether something special is happening:
our own holiness
as given to us by the Eternal,
guide us it will
and make present in us
all that is true, all that is good, all that is just:
if we let it
thus holy, holy, holy is the Eternal,
is life itself,
but blessed are we
if live we in its presence and name
thus confirm we shall this: Amen
יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ
|
Yehei shmeih rabba mevorakh
|
May His great name be blessed
| ||
לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא |
Leʻalam ulʻalme ʻalmaya
|
For ever, and to all eternity!
| ||
יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרוֹמַם |
Yitbarakh veyishtabbaḥ veyitpa'ar veyitromam
|
Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted,
| ||
וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל |
Veyitnasse veyithaddar veyitʻalleh veyithallal
|
Extolled and honoured, adored and lauded
| ||
שְׁמֵהּ דְקֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. |
Shmeh dequdsha berikh hu
|
Be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
| ||
לְעֵלָּא (לְעֵלָּא מִכָּל) מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא |
Leʻella (lʻella mikkol) min kol birkhata
|
Above and beyond all the blessings,
| ||
וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא |
Veshirata tushbeḥata veneḥemata
|
Hymns, praises and consolations
| ||
דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן |
Da'amiran beʻalma veʼimru amen
|
That are uttered in the world! And say, Amen.
|
the one that is
the one that was
the one that will be
the name
unlike other names
a clear indication
that all those other gods
(who all have names
who we have named
who we can know)
are not
and cannot be
like the one that is
the one that is life
the one that is eternal
the Lord of Lords
who exceeds
our understanding
for that
which is eternal
exceeds the mere temporal
and that
which is all-knowing
exceeds the ignorant
just as
the creative force
exceeds creation itself
we may have 99 names
but no limit can be put
on eternity
as the idea of the divine
becomes more important
than all those little gods
of times now past,
seek we not
to please
a human-made lord
but the Lord of Lords
the Adonai:
El
Elohim
Allah:
the God of Gods
transcending all names
transcending
the need for a name:
and all the attributes
merely aid us
in understanding
an inkling merely
of what constitutes,
in the end,
in the beginning,
eternity
and life
תִּתְקַבַּל צְלוֹתְהוֹן וּבָעוּתְהוֹן
|
Titqabbal tzelotehon uvaʻutehon
|
May the prayers and supplications
| ||
דְכָל (בֵּית) יִשְׂרָאֵל |
D'khol (bet) yisrael
|
Of all Israel
| ||
קֳדָם אֲבוּהוֹן דִּי בִשְׁמַיָּא וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן |
Qodam avuhon di bishmayya, vʼimru amen
|
Be accepted by their Father who is in Heaven; And say, Amen.
|
we ask the most gracious, most merciful
the one who guides us, loves us, teaches us,
the one who knows us
as we do not know our selves:
and in this our spirit
of not-knowing,
of our awareness
of need,
desires,
and of imperfection,
now turn we
in our humility
to that which is greater
to see:
there is something
greater than us
greater than every living, dying thing:
and all our hopes, dreams, desires,
all our ambitions,
all our workings,
all our scheming, achieving, and building,
comes it to naught
one day,
this day of days
when earth and heavens are moved
by our mortality:
we are not gods
we are mere mortals
with limited insight
limited knowledge
limited wisdom
limited power
limited life:
and yet,
we like to pretend
that we are more than that
and that this little spark of divinity
somehow
transcends us
to be more than we are:
and yet,
only with humility
can truly we see
and truly we live:
for in order to live,
need we to strive
towards that which is highest:
and put our minds
and put our souls
to truly see
that from the realization of our limitations
can truly we see
the greatness of divinity:
we can only pray
in this way:
no "quid pro quo,"
no "do ut des,"
for we cannot wager
with the divine
and thus we pray
in the realization
of our smallness
and our connectedness
with everyone else:
for have we not empathy,
have we not love
for all but around us,
how could we even believe
to understand
the divinity
of love?
the divinity
of grace?
the divinity
of mercy?
and thus,
more important than our own prayer
is our awareness of the prayers of others:
more important than our own needs
is our awareness of the needs of others:
and more important than our own self
is our awareness of the connection of all
within the divine
עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל רַבָּנָן וְעַל תַּלְמִידֵיהוֹן
|
ʻal yisrael veʻal rabbanan veʻal talmideihon
|
To Israel, to the Rabbis and their disciples
| ||
וְעַל כָּל תַּלְמִידֵי תַלְמִידֵיהוֹן |
V'ʻal kol talmidei talmideihon
|
To the disciples of their disciples,
| ||
וְעַל כָּל מָאן דְּעָסְקִין בְּאוֹרַיְתָא |
Veʻal kol man deʻos'qin b'orayta
|
And to all those who engage in the study of the Torah
| ||
דִּי בְאַתְרָא (קַדִישָא) הָדֵין וְדִי בְּכָל אֲתַר וַאֲתַר |
Di b'atra (qadisha) haden vedi bekhol atar v'atar
|
In this (holy) place or in any other place,
|
faith should not be blind
belief should not be childish:
only from knowledge
only from concrete devotion to study
can come some awareness
of the one that is:
need be we disciples,
need be we but students,
need we
to be on a mission
to study, to learn, and to strive:
and be humble:
for if you think you know,
you don't
and if you believe you know,
all you demonstrate
is arrogance
in ignorance:
seekers
we need to be:
never certain,
never finished,
never too sure
about what we think we may know:
divinity
then
is not about answers,
but about questions,
not about faith
but about learning,
not about certainty
but the experience of life
itself
יְהֵא לְהוֹן וּלְכוֹן שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא
|
Y'hei lehon ul'khon sh'lama rabba
|
May there come abundant peace
| ||
חִנָּא וְחִסְדָּא וְרַחֲמֵי וְחַיֵּי אֲרִיכֵי |
Hinna v'ḥisda v'raḥamei v'ḥayyei arikhei
|
Grace, loving kindness and compassion, long life
| ||
וּמְזוֹנֵי רְוִיחֵי וּפוְּרְקָנָא |
Um'zone r'viḥe ufurqana
|
Ample sustenance and salvation
| ||
מִן קֳדָם אֲבוּהוּן דְבִשְׁמַיָּא (וְאַרְעָא) |
Min qodam avuhon di vishmayya (v'ʼarʻa)
|
From the Father who is in heaven (and earth);
| ||
וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן |
V'ʼimru amen
|
And say, Amen.
| ||
יְהֵא שְׁלָמָה רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא |
Yehe shelama rabba min shemayya
|
May there be abundant peace from heaven,
| ||
(וְ) (טוֹבִים) חַיִּים |
(Ve)hayyim (tovim)
|
(And) (good) life
| ||
וְשָֹבָע וִישׁוּעָה וְנֶחָמָה וְשֵׁיזָבָה |
Vesava vishuʻa veneḥama veshezava
|
Satisfaction, help, comfort, refuge,
| ||
וּרְפוּאָה וּגְאֻלָּה וּסְלִיחָה וְכַפָּרָה |
Urfuʼa ugʼulla usliha v'khappara
|
Healing, redemption, forgiveness, atonement,
| ||
וְרֵוַח וְהַצָּלָה |
Verevaḥ vehatzala
|
Relief and salvation
| ||
(לָנוּ וּלְכָל עַמּוֹ) עׇלֵינוּ וְעַל כׇּל יִשְֹרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן |
(Lanu ulkhol ʻammo) ʻalainu v'al kol yisrael v'ʼimru amen
|
(For us and for all his people) upon us and upon all Israel; |
/
dream we of lives
lived in harmony and peace
for our fullest enjoyment
of all
which life
and the universe
have to offer:
and yet:
it's not quite guaranteed
nor are you ever prepared
for your world
to be tumbling down
falling
ever wider
falling into the abyss
of human a making
Cain and Abel,
Romulus, Remus,
us humans, we're quite the warring bunch
you seek here
grace
loving kindness
and compassion
even a long life
a good life
salvation even
from a child-like invention
of a gentle father in the sky
or a loving mother in her gentle embrace:
//
indeed, children we are
impatient children
daring to know, to discover the world -
and yet, our discovery
has led us out of the Garden,
out of the harmony
with all that is
and ever shall be:
grown up we have
and arrogant
we have become:
as believe we
that we know
and can know
all there is:
and once we know everything
just like a god we will be
and in our peace
we'll be remaking the world
and the universe:
///
we should indeed dream
we should indeed hope
we should indeed build:
and yet
in our desire
to remake the world
we cannot be at war
with the world
we cannot be at war
with the universe
we cannot be at war
with whatever god is:
// //
the ideal of peace
the ideal of love
the ideal of hope
the ideal of life
and the source of it all:
this
we must not forget
and must not abandon
even in our darkest moments
in our deepest despair
our harshest suffering
and world-ending pain,
we must not forget:
we must not forget
that we are one
we must not forget
that we all are together
we must not forget
that the universe
is in all of us
that we cannot wage war
against ourselves
and hope to be building
the best of all worlds
whatever god is
is a reminder
and ideal
a path
that keeps us tied to paradise
even if in the desert we're stuck
עוֹשֶֹה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו
|
ʻoseh shalom bimromav
|
May He who makes peace in His high places
| ||
הוּא (בְּרַחֲמָיו) יַעֲשֶֹה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ |
Hu (berakhamav) yaʻase shalom ʻalenu
|
Grant (in his mercy) peace upon us
| ||
וְעַל כָּל (עַמּוֹ) יִשְֹרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן |
V'ʻal kol (ammo) yisra'el, v'ʼimru amen
|
And upon all (his nation) Israel; and say, Amen.
|
peace we want
and peace we need
and yet
so difficult to find it is,
so difficult sometimes
to know
what is the calmness of a life lived in peace
what is simply the calmness of a cemetery
I would like to live in peace
but without justice, how can there be peace?
without compassion, how can there be peace?
without recognition, how can there be peace?
we need to recognize
each other
as our selves:
and realize
we need to be at peace
with ourselves
at peace
with each other
at peace
with the universe
at peace
with the eternal:
and we need to stand against
the enemies of peace
the brutes
the murderers
the genociders
the givers of orders
the poisoners of minds
of souls
and of hearts:
the sanctity of life
cannot abide
violation:
and peace
is the opposite of violation:
the defense
of sanctity
the defense
of life
the defense
of eternity,
of divinity,
of God
we may ask God for peace
if that helps us collect our thoughts
but the work
will be up to us
the work
will have to be
quite own our doing
the work
will be
unending
thus peace everlasting
is work everlasting
to make it, protect it, and live it:
in principle, around us, within our selves:
and "peace be with you"
becomes "God be with you",
pax vobis
שלום עליכם | shalom aleichem
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ | As-salamu alaykum
it all means the same,
so say we all:
Amen – آمين – אָמֵן
we think we know
we think we control
we think that our lives
and those of our loved ones
will flow
as we'd like them to flow:
thus live we lives
too much in strangest a conviction
that life goes on
that all 'll be well
and that we matter
in this world
of ours:
and yet
this is not our world
these may well be our lives
and yet
like pawns in a game
on an unknown board
with unknown rules
we move
till we cannot
any more
we can enjoy life
and certainly should:
for what else is there for us to know:
where we came from? immaterial
where we are going? dust, hopes and dreams
where we are now: our time to live
and live we
from beginning to end
but how and when we begin
is not chosen by us
and whether at our end, we've achieved our story
we can only hope
we can only strive:
through hope and strife,
despair and salvation,
we amble,
we try,
we attempt,
all too erratically,
to make this world
remember us somehow,
to let our voice
be heard a bit longer,
to have our face
be seen
to have our soul
be known
to have our life
brought meaning
to us
and those around us
so that we, also,
can grasp a bit of immortality
from death's kind cruelty:
as grasp we, finally,
the impossibility
of such a task:
and hopefully,
we'll do so
in peace
eternal
Κύριε, ἐλέησον
|
Kyrie eleison,
|
Lord, have mercy
| |||||||||||
Χριστέ, ἐλέησον
|
Christe eleison,
|
Christ, have mercy
| |||||||||||
Κύριε, ἐλέησον
|
Kyrie eleison
|
Lord, have mercy
| |||||||||||
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine:
|
Eternal rest provide them, O Adonai:
| |
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
|
and may perpetual light shine for them:
| |
Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion,
|
A song may be song to you, God, in Zion,
| |
et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem:
|
and a vow fulfilled for you in Jerusalem:
| |
exaudi orationem meam,
|
hear out my prayer,
| |
ad te omnis caro veniet. |
to you, all flesh will go: | |
Absolve, Domine,
|
Absolve, O Adonai,
| |
animas omnium fidelium defunctorum
|
the souls of all those departed in faith
| |
ab omni vinculo delictorum.
|
from every failure that held them back.
| |
Et gratia tua illis succurrente,
|
And thanks to your helping grace for them,
| |
mereantur evadere iudicium ultionis.
|
they deserve to evade the final judgement.
| |
Et lucis æternae beatitudine perfrui.
|
And the beauty of eternal light they may enjoy.
|
(Requiem: Introitus & Tractus)
whatever your life has been
no matter your beginning
no matter your path
the destination - our destination -
is always the same
at the end of our days,
awaits us the end,
shall come we to rest
everlasting:
with hopes though, maybe,
that maybe, just maybe,
or hopefully, expectantly,
that this shall not be an end
but another beginning
we know
deep down
that faith
is not knowledge
that belief
can't guarantee fact
and yet
do we hope
do we pray
do we assume
and based on this assumption
await we
that nothing here
will have been in vain
that remembered we'll be
and finally see
a sense
a meaning
a belonging
which this world
so frequently is hiding from us
eternal rest, not eternal pain
eternal grace, not eternal cruelty
eternal trust, not eternal fear
eternal hope, not eternal despair
eternal love, not eternal indifference
eternal joy, not eternal agony
eternal belonging, not eternal distance
eternal home, not eternal exile
eternal peace, not eternal war
eternal life, not eternal death
Dies iræ, dies illa,
|
Day of ire, this day,
| |
Solvet sæclum in favilla:
|
When he world falls into ashes:
| |
Teste David cum Sibylla.
|
As testified by David with Sibyl.
| |
Liber scriptus proferetur,
|
A book of writing is brought fourth
| |
In quo totum continetur,
|
Containing everything
| |
Unde mundus iudicetur.
|
With which to judge the world
| |
Iuste Iudex ultionis,
|
Just Judge of final judgement
| |
Donum fac remissionis
|
Grant your gift of grace, forgiveness
| |
Ante diem rationis.
|
Before this day of deciding.
| |
Qui Mariam absolvisti,
|
As you absolved Mary,
| |
Et latronem exaudisti,
|
As you listened to the thief,
| |
Mihi quoque spem dedisti.
|
You have given hope to me as well.
| |
Lacrimosa dies illa,
|
This tearful day,
| |
Qua resurget ex favķlla
|
When arises from the flames
| |
Iudicandus homo reus:
|
The rueful human to be judged:
| |
Huic ergo parce, Deus:
|
Spare him therefore, Adonai:
| |
Pie Iesu Domine,
|
Dearest pious Lord Jesus,
| |
Dona eis requiem. Amen.
|
Give them rest. Amen.
|
(Requiem: Sequence / Dies Irae I, V, VI, XIII, XVIII, XIX)
the justice we seek in life
too often it fails
too often its failure
betrays but our hopes
betrays it this very
idea of justice
on Earth:
oh, how we long
to change this,
oh, how we long
for the passage to the afterworld
be contingent
on justice
restored
is your heart
as heavy only
as a feather?
is your soul
free at all times
from sinful desires?
can you respond
to the seductions of the fallen one
with sincere a "no, thank you"?
are your thoughts
clear from all avarice,
vengeance, and spite?
do you reject, in your heart of hearts,
meticulous lists
about those who have wronged you?
do you recoil
at the thought of an enemy
punished, destroyed?
have you learnt, finally,
to love everyone,
and see your self in them?
or
does the image
of somehow justified pain
to those you believe to deserve it
excite you?
do you see
your self
elevated
by the role of executioner?
do you feel
you're better suited
to mete out justice
than the almighty?
do you feel
you should, in your prayers,
correct the potential leniency and grace
of the almighty judge?
are you so certain
that the book to be opened,
containing it all, right and wrong,
looks at you with justified kindness?
or do you feel, knowing yourself,
that bargaining with the divinity
is a path to success,
or to minimize pain?
or do you, in the ending of a life,
see less of a chance of retribution
but the necessity of mourning,
the shedding of tears
for every single one we've lost -
no matter what judgement may once then befall them -
do you feel
finally,
do you feel,
do you mourn,
but do you trust
in the love,
the forgiveness,
the grace,
and the sovereignty
of that
which is greater than us?
for we, in our puny ways to imagine
the deity is beyond all our constructions
whatever "god" is,
it transcends
our erratic attempts
at life
at judgement
at reason
at faith
and teaches us -
if only we'd let it -
humility
in the face of something bigger,
but also agency
to take charge of what we very much can:
to do as much as we can during life
to make the spectacle of death
not have to compensate
for any justice
we withheld from each other
while we had a chance
to make it right
so I shall celebrate this day,
dies illa,
in which our human judgement
can be upheld
and sees us all
as we all
with love
and patience
and kindness,
forgiveness:
so that the spirit of god
is present amongst us
always
and not only
at the very last day,
and certainly not
as dies irae,
a day of wrath
but a day
in which we reject that wrath
and welcome peace
instead
אֵלִ֣י אֵ֖לִי לָמָ֣ה עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי
|
eli, eli, lama azavtani
|
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
|
(
oh highest order
how hast though forsaken me?
how can sense so disappear,
all my thoughts are filled with fear?
where meaning was supposed to be
there's tears now, death and cruelty
I saw a path once for my life
and now, I can no longer tell
what stable seemed, on quicksand built,
what built to last, they're tearing down
is that the end, or its beginning,
a sliding down from step to step
the steps are growing larger now,
like ledges now, the falls are harder
it seems, I see them grow again
till close I'll stand at the abyss
just one more fall, one day, far? soon?
what shall I do, shall I give in?
I feel forsaken, lost, and falling:
why is there no one here to catch me?
Θεοτόκε Παρθένε, χαῖρε,
|
Theotoke parthene, chaire,
|
God-bearing Virgin, rejoice,
| ||
κεχαριτωμένη Μαρία,
|
kecharitômenê Maria
|
Grace-filled Mary,
| ||
ὁ Κύριος μετὰ σοῦ.
|
ho kyrios meta sou.
|
The Lord is with you.
| ||
εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξί,
|
eulogêmenê sou en gynaixi
|
Praised you are among women,
| ||
καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου,
|
kai eulogêmenos ho karpos tês koilias sou,
|
And praised is the fruit of your womb,
| ||
ὅτι Σωτῆρα ἔτεκες τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.
|
hoti Sôtêra etekes tôn psychôn hêmôn.
|
For you bore the Savior of our souls.
|
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
|
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
| |
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
|
Pray for us who are fallible
| |
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
|
Now and in the hour of our death. Amen.
|
(
/
asked we are
to carry within us
that which is bigger,
which is beyond us,
a burden so large,
we're never quite sure
we can bear it
at all
we may well believe
such a call
will only be made to the few:
and yet
it's been within us
it's been upon us
ever since we've been born
how do we nurture
this spirit within?
how do we carry
this burden, this gift?
how do we answer
a call such as this?
//
to carry divinity
within
to carry the universe
within
to carry life
within:
and to cherish it
nurture it
work to increase it
work to enhance it
work to enliven it
work to encourage it
work to well honor it
work to protect it
within and without
///
the maternal all
the paternal all
the nurturing all
the sisterly, brotherly, neighborly all:
and above all
kindness
and love
and always forgiveness
and always
full of grace
Salve, Regina,
|
Hail, holy queen,
| |
Mater misericordię,
|
Mother of mercy and compassion,
| |
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
|
our life, sweetness and our hope, hail to you.
| |
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Evę,
|
to you we cry out, exiled children of Eve,
| |
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
|
to you we sigh, mourning and weeping
| |
in hac lacrimarum valle.
|
in this valley of tears.
| |
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra,
|
now, then, our advocate,
| |
illos tuos misericordes oculos
|
your merciful eyes
| |
ad nos converte;
|
turn toward us;
| |
Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
|
and Jesus, blessed fruit of your womb,
| |
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
|
show us after our exile.
| |
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
|
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
|
// //
need a mother we, a queen,
full of compassion, of mercy, of love:
when cry we out
as children
in this world
of misery and pain,
of suffering and fear,
of imperfection and failed hopes
need a sympathetic voice we,
need a heart, a soul to bond with,
need a listener, a healer we,
in all those days
of suffering
and pain
of devastation
and of loss
// / //
for this life
in all its possibilities,
in all its beauty, all its joys,
a life quite unto death it is:
thus live we will
and life we'll see
and death, and death, and death once more:
there's nothing here that is immortal
no one here that lasts for ever
and your closest, dearest friends,
you'll see them disappear and fade
to nothingness all here is doomed -
we may but well remember them,
but memory is fragile too,
as we go on and on and on,
there's something in us, filled with pain,
filled with growing nothingness,
filled with sorrow all and all:
a heart of tears and desperation,
in need, so deeply, for salvation,
and even if it's just for seconds but:
in all our misery and darkness
need some light we, need some hope still
that we are closer than we think
to the greater whole, that we matter still;
that we are closer than we feel
to divinity itself, the force that connects us;
and that we are closer than we fear
to life itself, in its everlasting return
/// ///
oh, but we are afraid,
we have entered the circle of life
and are seeing the circles of hell
dragging us down in our hearts:
"lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate," said well the poet:
"let go of all hope, you who shall enter":
indeed, quite a comedy divine,
and yes, it may be quite so, as the playwright responds:
"life is a tale,
told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing"
but what shall we say,
what can we respond?
have looked into the abyss we now,
how could we possibly
in all our reality
reclaim this hope, any hope,
any will, any desire to live?
/// / ///
in the face of death,
we see life's end,
the end of dreams, the end of hopes,
the end of someone we held dear:
and after some time,
our eyes will stay dry,
the absence won't surprise us any longer,
and in our dreams,
we may not talk to them again
this second death, this cynical healing,
this cruelest denial of a life once held dear:
when death is no longer disruption, but fact;
when hope is so easily seen as all empty,
when love has filed away a loss as normal:
then, please, then remind us
of our tears,
our suffering,
our love,
and our lives
for otherwise, we'll be forsaken
and would have given in
to emptiness and death
Maria, breit den Mantel aus,
|
O Mary, please extend your coat,
| |
mach Schirm und Schild für uns daraus;
|
let it be screen and shield for us;
| |
lass uns darunter sicher stehn,
|
let safely all beneath it stay,
| |
bis alle Stürm vorübergehn.
|
till all the storms shall go away.
| |
Patronin voller Güte,
|
O patroness, do always
| |
uns allezeit behüte.
|
protect us in your mercy.
| |
O Mutter der Barmherzigkeit,
|
O mother of sweet mercy now,
| |
den Mantel über uns ausbreit;
|
do place your coat here over us all;
| |
uns all darunter wohl bewahr
|
do keep us safe beneath it well
| |
zu jeder Zeit in aller Gfahr.
|
through all the times and misery.
| |
Patronin voller Güte,
|
O patroness, do always
| |
uns allezeit behüte.
|
protect us in your mercy.
|
(
//// ////
need a protector we
someone to shield us
from the terror of life
need a consoler we
someone to console us
in pain and in loss
need a carer we
someone to have mercy
with all of us always
//// / ////
now and in the hour of our death
in our most lonely moments
in all our moments, caught in the loneliness
within:
alone within ourself,
thrown upon ourself
may well become unbearable we
to ourself:
may well life become unbearable
itself:
and though in company we may well be,
inside - insider our soul, our mind, our thoughts -
we are alone,
are disconnected
from it all:
may seem we
surrounded by life
it's only our senses
connecting us
while the self,
that mystery within,
may try to reach out,
but fail it must
in its prison
of the mind
reach out we may
to compensate
to overcome
the truth inside:
that finally, in all our strivings,
all we do
is to return
in our moment of death
to our moment of birth:
for leave we must
that which is know,
that which sustains us,
that which has nurtured us
(for better or worse)
to suddenly
depart
to suddenly
see:
it can be over
just like that
in brief a moment
all our pain
will cease:
and eyes that opened before
will close
to what we have known
for ever
what follows, we know:
we hope, something other than that
may come to pass
Stabat mater dolorósa
|
Stood the mother in her pain
| |
juxta Crucem lacrimósa,
|
next the Cross, all full of tears,
| |
dum pendébat Fķlius.
|
while her son hung there in death.
| |
Fac me tecum pie flere,
|
Let me cry with you now here
| |
crucifķxo condolére,
|
with the crucified I'll suffer,
| |
donec ego vķxero.
|
for as long as I shall live.
| |
Quando corpus moriétur,
|
While the body here will die,
| |
fac, ut įnimę donétur
|
let the soul be given over
| |
paradķsi glória.
|
to the glory then of paradise.
|
//// / ////
now and in the hour of our death
let us not be alone
let us not be without hope
let us not be without compassion
let us not be without forgiveness
let us not be without peace
let us not be without mercy
let us not be without kindness
let us not be without love
let us not be without You
///// /////
and so,
as yearn we still
for a parent, a friend
to keep us nourished,
keep us safe,
mere children we are
cast out of paradise
hoping
to one day return
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem.
|
Dearest Lord Jesus, give them rest,
| |
Dona eis requiem sempiternam.
|
give them rest eternal.
|
(
/
need a helper we sometimes,
need an intercessor, friend?
for the divine
can seem so distant,
can seem so abstract
that it's too easy
to misunderstand
seek we
a human form,
a prophet, messenger, apostle;
a saint, a teacher, preacher, guide:
for sometimes
we need to feel
and not just think;
commiserate
and not just analyze;
see flesh and blood
and not just the abstract,
not just the unknowable
the unapproachable
and the mysterious
//
we've always needed a hero,
someone who stands
between the human and the divine,
a Hercules, Prometheus, Dionysus, Achilles:
someone then
who walks the Earth
and walks the Sky
the Heavens within reach
///
a hero
who knows us
has lived like us
has felt our pain
has lived our suffering
and joy:
a hero
that is just as ordinary
just as imperfect
just as mysterious
as all us ourselves
a hero
which shows us
that which is possible
that which is knowable
that which is us:
and so much more
// //
but we cannot abide
such a hero:
we cannot tolerate
our weakness
in the face of such clear heroism:
we will kill
we will demean
we will ridicule
we'll torture
we'll do anything
to in the end
be able
to ignore
the message
behind the man:
the divinity
within the human
the divinity
within ourselves
Herzliebster Jesu, was hast du verbrochen,
|
Oh, dearest Jesus, what have been doing,
| |
Daß man ein solch scharf Urtheil hat gesprochen?
|
That you are judged so harshly and so cruelly?
| |
Was ist die Schuld? In was für Missethaten
|
How have you sinned? Into what evil doings
| |
Bist du gerathen?
|
Have you been tempted?
| |
Was ist doch wohl die Ursach solcher Plagen?
|
What is the reason for all this pain and torture?
| |
Ach! meine Sünden haben dich geschlagen!
|
Oh, my own failings are what has undone you!
| |
Ich, o Herr Jesu! hab dies wohl verschuldet,
|
T'was me, Lord Jesus, who has been the reason
| |
was du erduldet!
|
For what you're suff'ring.
| |
Wie wunderbarlich ist doch diese Strafe!
|
How wonderous is this punishment so strangest,
| |
Der gute Hirte leidet für die Schaafe;
|
That the Good Shepherd suffers for his sheep;
| |
Die Schuld bezahlt der Herre, der Gerechte,
|
Their debt is paid now by the Lord, the Just,
| |
Für seine Knechte!
|
For his own people!
| |
O große Lieb! o Lieb ohn alle Maaße,
|
O greatest love, love without all measure,
| |
Die dich gebracht auf diese Marterstraße”
|
That has brought all this torture here upon you;
| |
Ich lebte mit der Welt in Lust und Freuden:
|
I've lived a worldly life in lust and joy,
| |
Und du mußt leiden!
|
You though must suffer!
|
// / //
and we'll find a way
to wash our hands
in the pretension
of innocence:
we'll find a way
to pretend we're not sinners
pretend we're all perfect
pretend we can judge
pretend we are better
than even
the best of us
/// ///
so thus,
we'll find a scapegoat
we'll find someone
to blame
for all our own failures,
for all our imperfections
and sins:
and we'll do it
again
and again
and again
even
if it is the messenger
of divinity
itself
/// / ///
and then
we'll need to put our hands
onto the wounds
of the body
of our hero
of our friend
of our beloved:
and see the sacred heart
beating
and longing
and suffering
this life
this concreteness
this very concrete
and bodily
manifestation
of the universe
in our midst,
in our self:
//// ////
and so we shall need
a body of proof
a body of suffering
a body anointed with our sin:
in order to believe
the sacrifice
to be real
and thus
our salvation
if only
we could believe
and already see
that the divine
is already with us:
that nature
is already with us:
that the universe
is already with us:
and we
with it all
as we are all
children of god
we are all
competing
for the same parent
and we all
miss the mark
and still we are loved
and still we belong
and still we will suffer
before we'll return
where we belong, where we came from,
finally
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
|
Holy, Holy, Holy,
| |
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
|
God and Lord of Hosts:
| |
Pleni sunt cęli et terra gloria tua. |
Full are the Heavens and Earth with your Glory: | |
Hosanna in excelsis.
|
Hosanna in the Highest
| |
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. |
Blessed is who comes in the name of the Lord, | |
Hosanna in excelsis.
|
Hosanna in the highest.
|
(
that which is holy
is part of us
that which is holy
we're part of it
that which is holy:
it is our father,
it is our mother,
it is our creator
that which is holy:
it is our sister,
it is our brother,
it is our relative
and friend
that which is holy:
it is within us
it is without us
it is within time
it is beyond time
it is
what it is
as it is:
it is it all
and all is it:
unlimited time
unlimited space
unlimited life
unlimited love
per ipsum et cum ipso et in ipso:
through it and with it and in it:
through this holiest of holy connections
gain and enhance we our life
and gain and enhance we
the life for all those around us
for we are not alone
we are always
with our relations
we are always
in connection
whether we see it
or live in denial
and filled be the universe
with all this love, this life, this glory:
and it is sacred
and its sacredness
may fill it our relations
may recognize we
the sacred within:
and sanctified that
which sanctifies us:
and those who walk
in awareness of the sanctity of all
may learn we from them
may see we with them
for we are all
connected
we are all
holy
we are all
sacred
and we should be
behaving
as such
always
אַבֻון דּבַשׁמַיָא
|
Awoon dwashmaya
|
Our father in heaven,
| ||
נֵתקַדַּשׁ שׁמָך
|
nithkadash shmakh
|
Your name shall be glorified
| ||
תִּאתֵא מַלכֻּותָך
|
taythey malcoothakh
|
Your guidance shall come
| ||
נֵהוֵא צֵביָנָך
|
nehweh sevianakh
|
Your will shall be done
| ||
אַיכַּנָא דּבַשׁמַיָא אָף בַּארעָא
|
aicanna dwashmaya op barah.
|
Like it is in the heavens, so let it be on Earth
| ||
הַב לַן לַחמָא דּסֻונקָנַן יַומָנָא
|
Gavlan lakhma dsonkanan yomana
|
Give to us the bread we need each day
| ||
וַשׁבֻוק לַן חַובַּין
|
washboklan khoben
|
Free and forgive us from our offenses
| ||
אַיכַּנָא דָּאף חנַן
|
aicanna dop khnan
|
As also we have freed and forgiven
| ||
שׁבַקן לחַיָבַין
|
shbakn lekhayaven,
|
Those who have offended against us
| ||
ולָא תַּעלַן לנֵסיֻונָא
|
gola talan lnisuna
|
And do not let us enter into temptation
| ||
אֵלָא פַּצָן מֵן בִּישָׁא
|
ella pasan min bisha
|
But deliver us from evil
| ||
מֵטֻל דּדִילָך הי מַלכֻּותָא
|
Mittol dilakhye malcotha,
|
Because yours are kingdom,
| ||
וחַילָא ותֵשׁבֻּוחתָּא
|
okhela ootishbokhta
|
power and glory
| ||
לעָלַם עָלמִין
|
lalam almin,
|
For ever and ever
| ||
אָמֵן
|
Amin.
|
Amen.
|
as we recognize
the world around us
the universe
the divinity
the connectivity
and relatedness
of all:
shall we remind ourselves
of all our needs
of the needs of all
and recognize
the mutuality
of all our existence:
so may the universe
take care of us
as we take care of it all
so may the universe
be glorified
as it glorifies us all
so may the universe
be guiding us
as we are guiding each other
so may the universe
live through us
as we are living with it all
so may the universe
be nourishing us
as we are nourishing each other
so may the universe
forgive our failings
as we be forgiving of each other
so may the universe
not lead us astray
as we keep others on the path of the sacred
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος,
|
En archêi ên ho logos
|
In the beginning was the word
| ||
καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν,
|
kai ho logos ên pros ton theon
|
and the word was with God
| ||
καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
|
kai theos ên ho logos
|
and God was the word
|
(
in the beginning of it all
was the spirit of it all,
the spirit of sacredness, of the divine,
and the sacredness
inspires all life
and has become life
everlasting
for all of life,
all of existence,
all of the universe
and the universes beyond,
all it all
is sacred,
is glorious,
and be ruled it
by sacredness,
draw its power
from our sacred connections
and be glorified
for ever and ever,
time without end:
and so it shall be
Agnus Dei,
|
Lamb of God,
| |
qui tollis peccata mundi:
|
who carries the sin of the world,
| |
miserere nobis.
|
have mercy on us.
| |
Agnus Dei,
|
Lamb of God,
| |
qui tollis peccata mundi:
|
who bears the sin of the world,
| |
dona nobis pacem.
|
give us peace
| |
Agnus Dei,
|
Lamb of God,
| |
qui tollis peccata mundi:
|
who removes the sin of the world,
| |
dona eis requiem.
|
give them peace
| |
Agnus Dei,
|
Lamb of God,
| |
qui tollis peccata mundi:
|
who triumphs over the sin of the world,
| |
dona nobis requiem, sempiternam.
|
give us peace eternal
|
in this moment
standing here
contemplating
that which negates life
or that which fulfills it?
this strangest moment
of disappearance
of transformation
so completely according to nature,
and yet, reducing to nature
that which believed spirit
that which believed soul
that one who was, is, will be beloved:
and suddenly
the world
is gone
has disappeared
came crushing down on us
in all its existential dread
and now, but shrunk it has;
and nothing else,
and nobody else
here matters:
the dead and those left behind
and a deadening absence
in between
and hear I the words:
Absorpta est mors in victoria.
Ubi est, mors, victoria tua?
Ubi est, mors, stimulus tuus?
Where is, o death, your sting?
I feel it still
Where is, o death, your victory?
It's quite absolute and imperial.
Absorbed is death in victory?
If this is victory, Pyrrhus rules the world.
not ready am I
to accept
words of transcendence,
words meant to soothe me,
words meant to help me move on:
there is no victory here,
there never will be:
So this is life then:
vulnerant omnes, ultima necat:
all the hours of our lives
they'll hurt us deeply, hurt us always;
yet the last one, the one in the end,
kill us it will, finally
where then
is death
absorbed
in victory?
how do we pull out
the sting
death has thrust deep into our hearts so most cruelly?
to be felt still all hours all days all weeks months and years:
how?
let death be death
but life be life:
and let us see
in memory
a testament
for us to live,
for us to carry
within, without:
life
simply is
death
simply is
nature
simply is
God
simply is
"that which is"
can see we
beyond our suffering and pain
our pity and self-pity
our loss, our deeply felt loss,
our sense of someone missing:
can sense we
that which was lost
the one which was lost
deep inside us
to guide us
to carry with us
through all our days
through all our nights
through dreams and nightmares
hopes and fears
so that we may hope
to one day
be reunited:
so that we can see
that already
we're united
in memory
in testament
in legacy
in life
through death
now
let all our pain and suffering
be carried away by the one
let all the suffering of the world
be carried away by the one
let all the failings of the world
be carried away by the one
so that we all will find
mercy
so that we all will find
peace
so that we all will find
rest
eternal
in the here
and the hereafter
Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine,
|
The eternal light may shine upon them, Lord,
| |
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
|
with your saints in eternity,
| |
quia pius es.
|
for you are good.
| |
Requiem aeternam dona nobis, Domine,
|
Eternal rest grant us, Lord,
| |
et lux perpetua luceat nobis,
|
and the eternal light shall shine upon us,
| |
quia pius es.
|
for you are good.
|
the break
the rupture
the wound
the trauma
the darkness
needs healing
needs light:
needs light in the darkness
so that it may shine
and our hearts and minds and souls
not darken
in this world so full with pain
let them who died,
let us who still live
choose light
over darkness
joy
over pain
hope
over hopelessness:
in spite of death
in spite of darkness, pain and suffering:
for we can choose,
you know?
we can always choose
in the more somber moments
after all the tears
have emptied out
our pain
into the world:
we can choose:
to be kind
to be joyous
to be loving
to be good
to still remember
to be alive
embrace we
this life
embrace we
this death
and see we
that indeed
there can be victory
there can be healing
there can be life, again
everlasting
Libera me, Domine,
|
Deliver me, O Lord,
| |
de morte ęterna,
|
from death eternal
| |
in die illa tremenda:
|
on that fearful day,
| |
Quando cęli movendi sunt et terra:
|
When heavens and earth shall be moved,
| |
Dum veneris iudicare sęculum per ignem.
|
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
| |
Tremens factus sum ego, et timeo,
|
I am made to tremble, and I fear,
| |
dum discussio venerit,
|
till the judgment be upon us,
| |
atque ventura ira.
|
and the coming wrath,
| |
Quando cęli movendi sunt et terra.
|
When heavens and earth shall be moved.
| |
Dies illa, dies irę,
|
This day, this day of wrath,
| |
calamitatis et miserię,
|
of calamity and misery,
| |
dies magna et amara valde.
|
this day of great and exceeding bitterness.
| |
Dum veneris iudicare sęculum per ignem.
|
When thou shalt come to judge the world by fire.
| |
Requiem ęternam dona eis, Domine:
|
Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord:
| |
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
|
and let light perpetual shine upon them.
|
/
still, do tremble we and fear
just in mere anticipation
not of death just
but beyond:
this "undiscovered country
from whose bourn
no traveller returns";
and which the Bard
sees as another step,
another stage
to finally be seen and met
oh, we know stories,
we know tales:
of Isis and Osiris
Dionys' and Semele -
that's all quite well,
and all quite anodyne
and theoretical, for sure:
to face death
no matter
how beautifully you may put it
to face death
the reality of death:
all those stories
all those prayers
all those strategies
to understand, to cope:
empty tricks they are
to help us face
what can't be evaded -
and yet,
once see you through them,
will work they still?
//
how can we
be liberated
from the power of death?
how can we
instead of trembling
seek to embrace
what needs to happen
what needs to be -
or rather, not be?
///
do fear we death
or fear we the hereafter?
do fear we death
or fear we what we've done
or failed to do -
and that it then might follow us
onto this undiscovered country still?
// //
whose judgement is it
that we fear?
whose deeds are it
that could be judged?
whose life is it
that might be deemed unfulfilled?
// / //
I cannot pretend
to have the answers to this all:
and those who do,
how could it be
that their conviction
should be so steadfast
when all we have
is hopes and fears?
/// ///
and as we stare unto the end
the thoughts, the fears come rushing in
and crash now all our deep-held truths,
and seeing death, just what's the point,
just what's the purpose of it all,
how could we live
if all we'll find
is death in the end?
and yet,
there's life,
and yet,
there's love,
and yet, there's time:
for it is life
in the here and now
that liberates us
from the end to come:
and how we use it
how we live it
is ours to try:
until the moment of our rest has come,
shall live we so this rest is needs,
feel we so we've felt it all,
love we deeply, truly and fully:
so in the end
we'll know
we'll see
and could very well say:
it is complete
and our life after death
will be the legacy
we're leaving behind:
and that's up to us
and nobody else
we think we know
we think we control
we think we can tell
we think we can define
what divinity is
and yet
the majesty
of what we call "God"
does not allow us to assume
does not allow us to make use of it
does not allow us
to pretend
we could possibly know
the intention
of divinity
and whoever claims
to be acting
in the name of God
in the name of divinity
of spirit
of destiny:
beware those deluded ones:
for they pretend to know
what cannot be known
"God wills it"
has always been an excuse
for desires most human
and not at all
divine
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ
|
lā ʾilāha ʾillā -llāhu
|
There is no god but God.
| |||||||||||
الرَّحْمَنُ
|
١
|
Ar-Raḥmān
|
The Beneficent
| |||
الرَّحِيمُ
|
٢
|
Ar-Raḥīm
|
The Merciful
| |||
الْمَلِكُ
|
٣
|
Al-Mālik
|
The King
| |||
الْقُدُّوسُ
|
٤
|
Al-Quddus
|
The Most Sacred
| |||
السَّلاَمُ
|
٥
|
As-Salām
|
The Source of Peace
| |||
الْمُؤْمِنُ
|
٦
|
Al-Mu’min
|
The Infuser of Faith
| |||
الْمُهَيْمِنُ
|
٧
|
Al-Muhaymin
|
The Preserver of Safety
| |||
الْعَزِيزُ
|
٨
|
Al-ʿAzīz
|
The All-Mighty
| |||
الْجَبَّارُ
|
٩
|
Al-Jabbar
|
The Omnipotent
| |||
ُالْمُتَكَبِّر
|
١٠
|
Al-Mutakabbir
|
The Supreme
|
/
that which is holy
that which is most gracious,
that which is merciful,
that which is greater than all kings,
that which is the most sacred,
that which is the source of peace,
that which gives us faith,
that which keeps us safe,
that which is exalted,
that which is the source of all power,
that which is supreme:
that is
what was
what is
what will be
//
seek a person on a cloud we?
seek a man-like figure we?
seek we someone like us, only bigger?
all of this leads us astray
for surely, we have imagined gods
like jealous people, super-sized,
lording over us,
judging us,
manipulating us,
needing us to worship them:
be they
Ptah, Amun, Isis, Horus, or Ra,
Cronus, Uranus, Gaia, Chaos and Eros,
Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Poseidon or Dionysus,
Iuppiter, Juno, Mars, Venus or Mercury,
Wodan, Thor, Balder, Loki or Hel:
approaches all, though incomplete,
of aspects merely
of the greater whole:
for these are not gods,
mere aspects they are,
appearances, names
of the one
that is reflected through them:
the one that's divine,
that speaks through all of them,
the one with many names,
that which transcends
our understanding, our knowledge,
our very ability
to understand
the universe itself
///
where petty we are, the divine is gracious
where cruel we are, the divine is merciful
where small we are, the divine is infinite:
and thus
we shall aspire
not to the smallest,
not to the cruelest,
not to the pettiest
of all
our instincts and desires:
but to reflect
the sanctity
of the universe
the grandiosity
of nature
the supremacy
of life
itself:
for this
is the way
towards that
which is greater
than ourselves
الْخَالِقُ
|
١١
|
Al-Khaaliq
|
The Creator
| |||
الْبَارِئُ
|
١٢
|
Al-Bari’
|
The Evolver
| |||
الْمُصَوِّرُ
|
١٣
|
Al-Muṣawwir
|
The Designer
| |||
الْغَفَّارُ
|
١٤
|
Al-Ghaffar
|
The Constant Forgiver
| |||
الْقَهَّارُ
|
١٥
|
Al-Qahhar
|
The All-Prevailing One
| |||
الْوَهَّابُ
|
١٦
|
Al-Wahhaab
|
The Supreme Bestower
| |||
الرَّزَّاقُ
|
١٧
|
Ar-Razzaq
|
The Provider
| |||
الْفَتَّاحُ
|
١٨
|
Al-Fattaḥ
|
The Supreme Solver
| |||
اَلْعَلِيْمُ
|
١٩
|
Al-'Alim
|
The All-Knowing
| |||
الْقَابِضُ
|
٢٠
|
Al-Qabiḍ
|
The Withholder
| |||
الْبَاسِطُ
|
٢١
|
Al-Basiṭ
|
The Extender
| |||
الْخَافِضُ
|
٢٢
|
Al-Khafiḍ
|
The Reducer
| |||
الرَّافِعُ
|
٢٣
|
Ar-Rafi’
|
The Exalter
|
/
that which creates
the creative spirit
the spark
the mechanism
through which all that is
has come to be:
//
from the non-time before time
that non-time that sparked time
to the beginning of time
the beginning of being
the beginning of the universe
itself:
///
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים
when that which always was, is and will be
began to create
אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
the heavens and the earth
that which is above, beyond us
and that upon which we live.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים
merely by the word
of that which always was, is and will be
יְהִי אוֹר
let there be light,
let now be made
the beginning of time
that beginning
through the mere idea,
a word:
كُن فَيَكُونُ
be, and it is:
through logos,
through truth:
ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος
in the beginning was the word
was truth
was that which is
// //
beginnings cannot be empty
nothing can be created out of nothingness
as energy
can only be transformed
never created:
// / //
and so
do venerate we
that which creates
that which is evolution
that which designs
that which forgives
that which always prevails and is
that which supremely bestows
that which provides
that which gives victory
that which is all knowledge
that which withholds
that which extends
that which reduces
and that which exalts:
/// ///
but creation
has many children:
we are but one
of the multitude
if not we protect
and let flourish
this creation,
judgement
will fall
الْمُعِزُّ
|
٢٤
|
Al-Mu’izz
|
The Honorer
| |||
ٱلْمُذِلُّ
|
٢٥
|
Al-Muzill
|
The Dishonorer
| |||
السَّمِيعُ
|
٢٦
|
As-Sami’
|
The All-Hearing
| |||
الْبَصِيرُ
|
٢٧
|
Al-Baṣir
|
The All-Seeing
| |||
الْحَكَمُ
|
٢٨
|
Al-Ḥakam
|
The Impartial Judge
| |||
الْعَدْلُ
|
٢٩
|
Al-‘Adl
|
The Utterly Just
| |||
اللَّطِيفُ
|
٣٠
|
Al-Laṭif
|
The Most Gentle
| |||
الْخَبِيرُ
|
٣١
|
Al-Khabir
|
The All-Aware
| |||
الْحَلِيمُ
|
٣٢
|
Al-Ḥalim
|
The Most Forbearing
| |||
الْعَظِيمُ
|
٣٣
|
Al-ʿAẓim
|
The Magnificent
| |||
الْغَفُور
|
٣٤
|
Al-Ghafur
|
The Great Forgiver
| |||
الشَّكُورُ
|
٣٥
|
Ash-Shakur
|
The Most Appreciative
|
/
that which is just
that which is honest
that which is truest forgiveness:
the spirit
of justice
the spirit
of honor
the spirit
of truth:
this is
what's holy
this is
what is divine
this is
what is truly sublime
//
for all we know
we know but parts,
for all we judge,
we know not the whole,
for all we see,
we see just partially for now:
δι' ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι | di esoptrou en ainigmati:
through a glass we see in obscurity
///
and as we search
for the idea of truth
the idea of justice
the idea of love,
we draw
from the one,
the holy one
in itself:
that which brings honor
that which denies it
that which hears all
that which sees all
that which is impartial
that which is just
that which is gentle
that which is aware of it all,
that which is patient,
that which is greatness,
that which forgives it all,
that which appreciates it all
// //
for we may seek justice
in the hereafter:
and yet,
no matter our search,
we may not see it
within our lifetime,
and yet,
we must always aspire
to go on,
to try again
once we have missed the mark:
thus we shall not look
for perfection
in us:
we may aim for it,
for the idea itself
in that
which is greater
than us
// / //
iuste iudex,
just judge,
you know all we've spoken,
you know all we've done,
you know what's in our hearts all hidden,
thus in the end of our days,
when our heart
is weighed against a feather,
be gentle, be kind, be merciful
and see:
for live we our lives
between hope and despair,
words and deeds,
theory and reality,
and time and again,
we'll miss the mark
judge us not
for when we've failed,
for when we've sinned,
but whether we've tried
to hit the mark,
to live up
to expectations
and hopes:
for all we can do
is to try:
and to strive
for the better
in the time we have
and if our heart
weighs more than a feather
count as well, please,
our pain and sorrow,
our fears and horrors
that darken our path
so many days
in this here world
have mercy with us,
oh judge
الْعَلِيُّ
|
٣٦
|
Al-Ali
|
The Sublime
| |||
الْكَبِيرُ
|
٣٧
|
Al-Kabir
|
The Most Great
| |||
الْحَفِيظُ
|
٣٨
|
Al-Hafiẓ
|
The Preserver
| |||
المُقيِت
|
٣٩
|
Al-Muqit
|
The Nourisher
| |||
اﻟْﺣَسِيبُ
|
٤٠
|
Al-Ḥasib
|
The Reckoner
| |||
الْجَلِيلُ
|
٤١
|
Al-Jalil
|
The Majestic
| |||
الْكَرِيمُ
|
٤٢
|
Al-Karim
|
The Most Generous
| |||
الرَّقِيبُ
|
٤٣
|
Ar-Raqib
|
The Watchful
| |||
ٱلْمُجِيبُ
|
٤٤
|
Al-Mujib
|
The Responsive One
| |||
الْوَاسِعُ
|
٤٥
|
Al-Wasi’
|
The Omnipresent
| |||
الْحَكِيمُ
|
٤٦
|
Al-Ḥakim
|
The All-Wise
| |||
الْوَدُودُ
|
٤٧
|
Al-Wadud
|
The Most Loving
| |||
الْمَجِيدُ
|
٤٨
|
Al-Majid
|
The Glorious
| |||
الْبَاعِثُ
|
٤٩
|
Al-Ba’ith
|
The Resurrector
|
/
power of powers
authority of authorities
supreme love of supreme loves:
a concept
not a being
not supranatural
but including all nature
the all-nature
all-being
all-father
all-mother
all-child
all-universe
and beyond:
the unified theory
in unified praxis:
unified mind
in unified matter:
unified thought
and unified reality:
that which exists
that which is
אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה | ’ehye ’ăšer ’ehye
the one who is what is
//
thus acknowledge we:
that which is sublime
that which is greatest
that which preserves
that which nourishes
that which brings reckoning
that which is majestic
that which is most generous
that which is watchful
that which is responsive
that which is all-present
that which is all-wise
that which is all-loving
that which is most glorious
that which is resurrection itself
///
and thus
shall we never bow down
to false authority
shall listen we not
to false claims of supremacy
shall follow we not
false friends nor false prophets
// //
for the divine
just is
and its justice
can only be granted
by that
which is most gracious
and most merciful
الشَّهِيدُ
|
٥٠
|
Ash-Shahid
|
The All-Witnessing
| |||
الْحَقُ
|
٥١
|
Al-Ḥaqq
|
The Absolute Truth
| |||
الْوَكِيلُ
|
٥٢
|
Al-Wakil
|
The Trustee
| |||
الْقَوِيُ
|
٥٣
|
Al-Qawi
|
The All-Strong
| |||
الْمَتِينُ
|
٥٤
|
Al-Matin
|
The Steadfast
| |||
الْوَلِيُّ
|
٥٥
|
Al-Wali
|
The Friend
| |||
الْحَمِيدُ
|
٥٦
|
Al-Ḥamid
|
The All-Praiseworthy
| |||
الْمُحْصِي
|
٥٧
|
Al-Muḥṣi
|
The All-Enumerating
| |||
الْمُبْدِئُ
|
٥٨
|
Al-Mubdiʾ
|
The Originator
| |||
ٱلْمُعِيدُ
|
٥٩
|
Al-Muʿid
|
The Restorer
| |||
الْمُحْيِي
|
٦٠
|
Al-Muḥyi
|
The Giver of Life
| |||
اَلْمُمِيتُ
|
٦١
|
Al-Mumit
|
The Bringer of Death
| |||
الْحَيُّ
|
٦٢
|
Al-Ḥayy
|
The Ever-Living
| |||
الْقَيُّومُ
|
٦٣
|
Al-Qayyum
|
The Self-Subsisting
|
/
mortal we are
by limits we're bound
that see us shackled
to a world
of imperfection
and perception
like those in Plato's cave
sit we
looking at shadows
of a reality
more alien to us
than we'll ever know:
and though we try
and though we struggle
though we plead:
we see mere schemes,
mere forms,
mere shadows of the truth itself:
//
and yet,
we try,
and surely, must:
it's life's demand
and sacred duty
all in one
///
thus seek we,
for the sake of the search,
and for the sake of our souls,
for the sake of the truth
and life itself:
that which sees all
that which is truth itself
that which advocates for us,
that which is strongest,
which is more steadfast,
which is our friend,
which deserves praise,
that which takes count,
that which is first,
that which restores,
that which gives life,
that which brings death,
that which just is,
that without needs
// //
this abstraction,
becomes it concrete
within our souls, our minds,
descends into us,
inspires us,
guides us
as conscience,
daimonion,
the spark divine,
the friend eternal,
compass,
guide:
and yet,
we shall not err
to believe
we know
or understand:
for the search
continues
the truth
will guide us:
but the search
is the way
الْوَاجِدُ
|
٦٤
|
Al-Wajid
|
The Perceiver
| |||
الْمَاجِدُ
|
٦٥
|
Al-Maajid
|
The Most Glorious
| |||
الْواحِدُ
|
٦٦
|
Al-Waḥid
|
The Unique
| |||
اَلاَحَدُ
|
٦٧
|
Al-Aḥad
|
The Indivisible
| |||
الصَّمَدُ
|
٦٨
|
Aṣ-Ṣamad
|
The Eternal
| |||
الْقَادِرُ
|
٦٩
|
Al-Qadir
|
The All-Powerful
| |||
الْمُقْتَدِرُ
|
٧٠
|
Al-Muqtadir
|
The Dominant
| |||
الْمُقَدِّمُ
|
٧١
|
Al-Muqaddim
|
The Expediter
| |||
الْمُؤَخِّرُ
|
٧٢
|
Al-Mu’akhkhir
|
The Delayer
| |||
الأوَّلُ
|
٧٣
|
Al-Awwal
|
The First
| |||
الآخِرُ
|
٧٤
|
Al-Aakhir
|
The Last
| |||
الظَّاهِرُ
|
٧٥
|
Aẓ-Ẓahir
|
The Manifest
| |||
الْبَاطِنُ
|
٧٦
|
Al-Baṭin
|
The Hidden One
|
/
no earthly powers shall we praise
no earthly powers shall adore we
but in our hearts, our souls, our minds,
the holy one
the one who is
the one who is truth
shall be the sole power
keeping us true:
//
and thus we shall trust:
that which perceives,
which is most glorious,
which is unique,
which is indivisible,
which is eternal,
which is all-powerful,
that which is dominant,
that which all expedites,
that which delays,
that which is Alpha,
which is Omega,
that which is manifest,
that which is hidden
///
the power we need
is not of this earth
is not merely mortal
is not just material
is not simply force
does not wish call
"deus lo vult":
for "God wills it"
have said mainly those
making themselves into gods:
but that which is holy,
may well it guide us,
but its power over us
cannot be grasped
in the here and now
by our limited minds
and our souls all trapped
in a world
of permanent trials
الْوَالِي#
|
٧٧
|
Al-Wali
|
The Patron
| |||
الْمُتَعَالِي
|
٧٨
|
Al-Muta’ali
|
The Supremely Exalted
| |||
الْبَرُّ
|
٧٩
|
Al-Barr
|
The Source of All Goodness
| |||
التَّوَابُ
|
٨٠
|
At-Tawwab
|
The Ever-Relenting
| |||
الْمُنْتَقِمُ
|
٨١
|
Al-Muntaqim
|
The Avenger
| |||
العَفُوُ
|
٨٢
|
Al-‘Afu
|
The Pardoner
| |||
الرَّؤُوفُ
|
٨٣
|
Ar-Ra’uf
|
The Most Kind
| |||
َمَالِكُ ٱلْمُلْكُ
|
٨٤
|
Maalik-Ul-Mulk
|
The Owner of All Sovereignty
| |||
ذُوالْجَلاَلِ وَالإكْرَامِ
|
٨٥
|
Zul-Jalali wal-Ikram
|
Lord of Majesty and Honour
| |||
الْمُقْسِطُ
|
٨٦
|
Al-Muqsiṭ
|
The All-Equitable
| |||
الْجَامِعُ
|
٨٧
|
Al-Jaami’
|
The Uniter
| |||
ٱلْغَنيُّ
|
٨٨
|
Al-Ghani
|
The Independent
| |||
ٱلْمُغْنِيُّ
|
٨٩
|
Al-Mughni
|
The Emancipator
| |||
اَلْمَانِعُ
|
٩٠
|
Al-Mani’
|
The Defender
| |||
الضَّارَ
|
٩١
|
Aḍ-Ḍarr
|
The Distresser
|
/
shalt seek we not
a lord and master
enslaving us
and leaving no choice
to ourselves
shalt seek we not
a superhero in the sky
nor supernatural a being
that's somehow like us, only grander
for there is nothing
like the holy one:
وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَّهٗ كُفُوًا اَحَدٌ | Wa lam yakul-lahu kufuwan ahad
nothing compares to the one
and we shall not make
any graven image
nor an image in our mind
pretending to understand
which cannot be understood
pretending to control
which cannot be controlled
pretending to know
which cannot be known
for any image we could make
would always be lacking
and lead us
astray
//
but still, we must find:
that which looks over us,
which is exalted,
is source of all goodness,
which ever relents,
the truest avenger,
that which grants pardon,
which is most kind,
the source of all sovereignty,
that which is honor and majesty all,
which is all-equitable,
that which unites,
is never corrupt,
that which emancipates,
which always defends,
but also distresses
///
if the power we seek
is not in alignment
with the divine
our cause won't be just
our cause won't succeed
our cause may well fail
quia tuum est regnum, et potestas,
et gloria in saecula:
the only kingdom, power and glory
belong to the eternal throughout all eternity
النَّافِعُ
|
٩٢
|
An-Nafi’
|
The Benefactor
| |||
النُّورُ
|
٩٣
|
An-Nur
|
The Light
| |||
الْهَادِي
|
٩٤
|
Al-Hadi
|
The Way
| |||
الْبَدِيعُ
|
٩٥
|
Al-Badi’
|
The Beautiful
| |||
اَلْبَاقِي
|
٩٦
|
Al-Baqi
|
The Everlasting
| |||
الْوَارِثُ
|
٩٧
|
Al-Warith
|
The Inheritor
| |||
الرَّشِيدُ
|
٩٨
|
Ar-Rashid
|
The Guide
| |||
الصَّبُورُ
|
٩٩
|
Aṣ-Ṣabur
|
The Timeless
|
/
God is that which is love
God is that which is life
God is that which is trust
God is that which is hope
God is that which is faith
God is that which brings help
God is that which supports us
God is that which lifts us up
God is that which sees us as one
God is that which is mercy
God is that which is grace
//
in all our hopes,
in all our dreams,
in all our days
and days yet to come:
we've seen disappointment,
we've seen chaos over order,
we've seen hate over love,
we've seen indifference over care,
we've seen coldness over warmth,
we've seen war over peace,
we've seen death over life,
we've seen destruction over creation,
we've seen tyranny over justice,
we've seen despair over hope
the end of hope
is the end of life:
the end of love
is the end of the universe
but hope
cannot come
from gods small and false,
from prophets of falsehood,
from desires so human, all-too-human:
hope
can only come
from life
from that which affirms life
from love
from that which affirms love
from a within
that aligns with that which is greater than all
///
thus place we our hope,
thus place we our faith,
thus place we our love
in that
which reciprocates,
in that
which embraces us,
in that
which is real:
that which is benefactor
that which is light
which is the way
that which is beautiful
which lasts forever
that into which all will flow
that which guides us
that which is without time
Ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ χρηστεύεται ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ ζηλοῖ ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ περπερεύεται οὐ φυσιοῦται.
|
Hê agapê makrothumeî khrêsteuetai, hê agape ou zêloî, hê agape ou perpereuetai ou phusioûtai.
|
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
| ||
οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς οὐ παροξύνεται οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν.
|
Ouk askhêmoneî ou zêteî ta heautês ou paroxunetai ou logizetai to kakon.
|
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
| ||
οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ·
|
Ou khairei epi tê adikia; synkhairei de tê alêtheiai.
|
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
| ||
πάντα στέγει πάντα πιστεύει πάντα ἐλπίζει πάντα ὑπομένει.
|
Panta stegei, panta pisteuei, panta elpizei, panta hupomenei.
|
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
| ||
Ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε ἐκπίπτει
|
Hê agapê oudepote ekpiptei.
|
Love never fails.
|
// //
the love we seek
is the love we must give:
it cannot be faked
it cannot be pretense
it cannot be a game:
and it is love
that ties all together
it is love
that creates
it is love
that binds us
it is love
that gives us life:
and that which is love
is that which we seek:
just as it sought us
and made us
and will call us back
to where we belong
at the end of our days
νυνὶ δέ ἐλευθερωθέντες
ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας δουλωθέντες δὲ
τῷ Θεῷ,
ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν
εἰς ἁγιασμόν,
τὸ δὲ τέλος
ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
|
nuni de
eleutherōthentes apo tēs amartias doulōthentes de
tō theō
echete ton karpon umōn
eis agiasmon
to de telos
zōēn aiōnion
|
Now that
you have been freed from sin
and bound
to the service of God, the benefit
you receive
is sanctification,
and the end
is eternal life.
|
הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י שֹׁלֵ֤חַ מַלְאָךְ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמׇרְךָ֖ בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ וְלַהֲבִ֣יאֲךָ֔ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֲכִנֹֽתִי׃
|
Hinnêh ’ānōḵî šōlêaḥ mal’āḵ ləp̄āneḵā, lišmārəḵā baddāreḵ; wəlahăḇî’ăḵā, ’el hammāqōwm ’ăšer hăḵinōṯî.
|
See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
|
ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου μοναὶ πολλαί εἰσιν. [..]
καὶ ἐὰν πορευθῶ καὶ ἑτοιμάσω τόπον ὑμῖν, πάλιν ἔρχομαι καὶ παραλήμψομαι ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐμαυτόν, ἵνα ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἦτε.
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En têi oikiai toû patros mou monai pollai eisin. […] kai ean poreuthô kai hetoimasô topon humîn, palin erkhomai kai paralêmpsomai humâs pros emauton, hina hopou eimi ego kai humeîs ête.
|
In My Father's house are many dwelling places. [..]
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
|
وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ
|
Wa huwal qaahiru fawqa 'ibaadihee wa yursilu 'alaikum hafazatan hattaaa izaa jaaa'a ahadakumul mawtu tawaffathu rusulunaa wa hum laa yufarritoon.
|
And he, the Lord over all his creation, sends guardian angels to watch over you till your death. When you die, they will take you and never fail.
|
/
the love of God
is but the insight
into the majesty of the universe:
and to believe
is but to trust
there's something greater than us
and we are
its children
//
star stuff we are,
star dust it all,
ever since time
came into being:
this creation
this transformation,
this evolution
has brought us forth:
and it is sacred
and it is life:
and since it emerged
at the beginning of time
the cradle of all
it had become
see the stars we
see the galaxies
see the mystery
within and beyond
and we are so small
and we are so blessed
to be a part
of this all
///
see we the universe
see we the stars and the sky
and the earth beneath our feet:
and the world around us:
it's all alive
and we are part
of this community
of life
and death
and rebirth:
star dust we are
to star dust
we will return
for the cycle
to begin again:
for we are one
for we are connected
for we a part but
of all this everything
around us
// //
and the stories we've told
and the stories we'll tell
are all alive
with the greater truth:
that this is
where we belong
that this is
where we have meaning
that this is
where we are loved
that this is
where we are needed
that this is
where we are united
together
for ever
// / //
whatever you call God,
it is this:
that which is greater
than our smallest selves
that which transcends
our smallest horizons
that which creates
that which transforms
that which contains
this all:
we may call this Lord,
we may call this the universe,
but its truth is the same:
we are
what we are
because of that which is
because of this sacred connection
between all that exists
and we are called
to return
this loving embrace
in all its complexity
its pleasure, its pain all:
for we are alive
and our lives
are the foundation
of those yet to come
/// ///
thus let us embrace
all who have died
and see their lives
as part of it all
and a call for love:
for whatever god is,
is mercy
is kindness
is love
beyond anything else
and without measure
time without end
Amen
מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִ֑ד יְהֹוָ֥ה רֹ֜עִ֗י לֹ֣א אֶחְסָֽר
|
Mizmovr le David; hashem ro'i lo echsar.
|
A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
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בִּנְא֣וֹת דֶּ֖שֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵ֑נִי עַל־מֵ֖י מְנֻח֣וֹת יְנַֽהֲלֵ
|
Bin'ovt deshe yarbitzeni; al-mei menuchovt yenahaleni.
|
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
| ||
נַפְשִׁ֥י יְשׁוֹבֵ֑ב יַנְחֵ֥נִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶ֜֗דֶק לְמַ֣עַן שְׁמֽוֹ
|
Nafshi yeshovvev; yancheni vema'gelei-tzedek lema'an shemov.
|
he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
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גַּ֚ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֚א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י שִׁבְטְךָ֥ וּ֜מִשְׁעַנְתֶּ֗ךָ הֵ֣מָּה יְנַֽחֲמֻֽנִי
|
Gam ki-elech begei tzalmavet lo-ira ra ki-attah immadi; shivtecha umish'antecha hemmah yenachamuni.
|
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me.
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תַּֽ֘עֲרֹ֤ךְ לְפָנַ֨י שֻׁלְחָ֗ן נֶ֥גֶד צֹֽרְרָ֑י דִּשַּׁ֖נְתָּ בַשֶּׁ֥מֶן רֹ֜אשִׁ֗י כּוֹסִ֥י רְוָיָֽה
|
Ta'aroch lefanai shulchan neged tzorerai; dishanta vashemen roshi kovsi revayah.
|
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
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אַ֚ךְ ט֣וֹב וָחֶ֣סֶד יִ֖רְדְּפוּנִי כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑י וְשַׁבְתִּ֖י בְּבֵית־יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים
|
Ach tovv vachesed yirdefuni kol-yemei chaiyai; veshavti beveit-hashem le'orech yamim.
|
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
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(
/
we had to leave the Garden
when we grew up -
no longer could we stay
in eternal innocence
and care:
once knowledge we found
about evil and good
we had to part
from the clarity
and hopeful simplicity
of being a child:
and yet,
though exiled from Eden,
children we stay
even if grown:
for live we
in the presence eternal
of all that is
of all that has been
and all still to come:
in a world of infinite eternity
and timeless holiness around us all
we'll always be children
we'll always have to grow up
even more
and you do not need to be a sheep
to appreciate a good shepherd:
you do not need to reject reason
to appreciate a mystery:
you do not need to be alone
to appreciate communion
with eternity
//
we all may have seen
the valley of darkness
we all may have felt
the darkness of loss
we all may have feared
the loss of hope:
and the feeling
eating us
from the inside:
if not yet, when?
if not us yet, maybe soon?
are building we a home
in all our doubts,
in all our worries?
are sinking we
and the world around us
cannot help?
are we truly alone
with no one to hold us?
does anyone care?
do we even matter?
who needs a hell
if live is like this?
and thus,
the thoughts keep creeping in,
this sinking feeling,
the darkest abyss,
the emptiest house,
a darkness that grasps us
and never lets go
///
but this is the choice:
we can focus
on the darkness
or we can focus
on the spark of light
inside of us
harkening back
to eternity
and the hope
for meaning:
for we are sheep
and shepherd
at the same time:
the meaning we seek
is the meaning we give:
and our love
shall set us free
and the world
as well
// / //
instead of fear,
let in faith
instead of coldness,
love
instead of despair,
hope
instead of apathy,
life
instead of nothingness,
it all
In paradisum deducant te Angeli:
|
May the Angels lead you into paradise:
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in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
|
At your arrival, Martyrs shall receive you,
| |
et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.
|
and lead you into the Holy city of Jerusalem.
| |
Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat,
|
A choir of Angels shall accompany you,
| |
et cum Lazaro quondam paupere ęternam habeas requiem.
|
and with once poor Lazarus you shall have eternal rest.
|
/
so let us then
at the end of it all
see the way
the light
the holiness
all around:
and let us turn sadness
into hope
depression
into determination
and fill the emptiness
with love
//
we've seen the path
we've seen the stories
we've seen the connections
throughout the ages,
reaching out
to that which is holy
inside of us
to that which is holy
around us all
to that which is holy
beyond us all:
///
thus may the dream
become a reality
may we find peace
may we find love
just as we've given it
in the here and now:
and also
in the hereafter
in saecula saeculorum:
world without end
Amen.
"We should understand well that all things are the works of the Great Spirit. We should know that He is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and all the four-legged animals, and the winged peoples; and even more important, we should understand that He is also above all these things and peoples. When we do understand all this deeply in our hearts, then we will fear, and love, and know the Great Spirit, and then we will be and act and live as He intends."
Heȟáka Sápa (Black Elk).
The sacred pipe : Black Elk's account of the seven rites of the Oglala Sioux. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. xx.
December 31st, 2022 - December 31st, 2023
Image: Helix Nebula. Credit: NASA, NOAO, ESA, the Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), and T.A. Rector (NRAO).
|
Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES VIII:שבעה | SHIVA
Corvallis, December 31th, 2022 - January 5, 2023 - P#801
sit I here at night
this is
for as I am sitting here
that strangest state
solid becomes liquid becomes gas becomes plasma
life becomes death
so as I am sitting here
and so
as I now continue my watch
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES IX:FATHER
Corvallis, December 31st - January 5, 2022 - P#802
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES X:THE FINISHED LIFE
Corvallis, January 2nd - April 4th, 2023 - P#803
a life
is a life
but a story
what do you do
or worse,
when, just tell me,
when
It can be over
yet I now am finished
but
there are no rules
the dead are dead
their end, their commandment,
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XI:LIFE GOES ON
Corvallis, January 8th, 2023 - P#804
life goes on
life goes on
in all our daily wanderings,
so many moments lost to loss:
for know we well
thus pain goes on
that's it, that's all, no comfort here
for time goes on
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XII:SOMEHOW, DEATH
Corvallis, January 20th, 2023 - P#805
somehow, death
and yes, you will be lost for words
How are we
How are we
How can we go on after this?
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XIII:MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Corvallis, February 22nd, 2023 - P#806
three score and ten
but what, if not?
this oddest feeling,
and time,
with so much more to do:
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XIV:RUNNING ON EMPTY
Corvallis, March 26th, 2023 - P#807
here I sit
and as I am looking at the machine
and yet
nothing.
I'm running on empty
that's it, I now think,
shut off
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XV:SONNET IX
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XVI:SONNET X
| |
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XVII:A VICTIM OF MY MUSE I AM
Corvallis, April 23rd, 2023 - P#810
a victim of my muse I am
I shall abide, what choice is there?
for willingly I do submit
| |
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XVIII:THE WORST KIND OF ANIMAL
West Glacier, May 12th, 2023 - P#811
/
the poem comes out at night
connections are made
holds the writer
the sense here appearing
in which
//
locusts like we've degraded the world
oh, what fucking piece of fucking work is fucking man
without our muse
///
and damned be, damned be to hell we
woe to us
// //
so do it then, act
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XIX:LIFE IS A WAKE
Corvallis, August 8th, 2023 - P#813
my calendar
and so it goes
life
I can't even cry
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Phil John Kneis:
योग (YOGA) - CONFLUENCES XX:I NEEDED TO ASK THE BARD
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