Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers
but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain
but for the heart to conquer it.
Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield
but to my own strength.
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved
but hope for the patience to win my freedom.
Grant that I may not be a coward,
feeling Your mercy in my success alone;
But let me find the grasp of Your hand in my failure.
– Rabindranath Tagore – 1916
“If you bring forth that which is within you, that which you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth that which is within you, that which you do not bring forth will destroy you.”
Gospel of Thomas.
This song by Bonga from the CD Angola gives me sweet nostalgia – clic to play.
(Painting by Mati Klarwein’s called “Blessing”, 1965)
Don’t surrender your loneliness so quickly.
Let it cut more deep.
Let it ferment and season you
As few human or even divine ingredients can.
Something missing in my heart tonight
Has made my eyes so soft,
My voice so tender,
My need of God
Absolutely
Clear.
– Hafiz
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
[…] – Mary Oliver
A beautiful gypsy song in the back of my head today. That longing that touches the soul… (click to play), with originial lyrics and english translation
This is a sweet song to Oshun that I discovered a few weeks ago as a friend of mine was hosting a motherhood ceremony. (click to play)