DESIDERATA
Max Ehrmann
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
2011-06-24
2010-03-26
Ecclesiasitus 2 selections
Be sincere of heart and steadfast, undisturbed in time of adversity. Cling to him, forsake him not; thus will your future be great.
Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and he will help you;
You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall. You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost. You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble.
Those who fear the LORD disobey not his words; those who love him keep his ways. Those who fear the LORD seek to please him, Those who fear the LORD prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him.
Let us fall into the hands of the LORD and not into the hands of men, For equal to his majesty is the mercy that he shows.
Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and he will help you;
You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy, turn not away lest you fall. You who fear the LORD, trust him, and your reward will not be lost. You who fear the LORD, hope for good things, for lasting joy and mercy. Compassionate and merciful is the LORD; he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble.
Those who fear the LORD disobey not his words; those who love him keep his ways. Those who fear the LORD seek to please him, Those who fear the LORD prepare their hearts and humble themselves before him.
Let us fall into the hands of the LORD and not into the hands of men, For equal to his majesty is the mercy that he shows.
Ecclesiasticus 1 selections
All wisdom comes from the LORD and with him it remains forever. Fear of the LORD is glory and splendor, gladness and a festive crown. Fear of the LORD warms the heart, giving gladness and joy and length of days. He who fears the LORD will have a happy end; even on the day of his death he will be blessed. The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD. Fullness of wisdom is fear of the LORD. Wisdom's garland is fear of the LORD, with blossoms of peace. The root of wisdom is fear of the LORD.
One cannot justify unjust anger; anger plunges a man to his downfall. A patient man need stand firm but for a time, and then contentment comes back to him. For a while he holds back his words, then the lips of many herald his wisdom.
Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of prudence. If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the LORD will bestow her upon you; For fear of the LORD is wisdom and culture; loyal humility is his delight.
Play not the hypocrite before men; over your lips keep watch. Exalt not yourself lest you fall and bring upon you dishonor; For then the LORD will reveal your secrets and publicly cast you down Because you approached the fear of the LORD with your heart full of guile.
One cannot justify unjust anger; anger plunges a man to his downfall. A patient man need stand firm but for a time, and then contentment comes back to him. For a while he holds back his words, then the lips of many herald his wisdom.
Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of prudence. If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments, and the LORD will bestow her upon you; For fear of the LORD is wisdom and culture; loyal humility is his delight.
Play not the hypocrite before men; over your lips keep watch. Exalt not yourself lest you fall and bring upon you dishonor; For then the LORD will reveal your secrets and publicly cast you down Because you approached the fear of the LORD with your heart full of guile.
2008-11-02
Invictus
William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbow'd.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbow'd.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
2008-10-23
I Love You
Roy Croft
I love you . . .
Not only for what you are
But for what I am when I am with you.
I love you
Not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making of me.
I love you, for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you, for putting your hand
into my heaped-up heart,
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
That you can't help dimly seeing there,
And drawing out into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
I love you because you are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern, but a temple;
Out of my life, of my everyday
Not a reproach, but a song.
I love you,
Because you have done
More than any creed could have done
To make me feel my goodness.
You have done it,
With your touch, with your words,
With yourself.
I love you . . .
Not only for what you are
But for what I am when I am with you.
I love you
Not only for what you have made of yourself
But for what you are making of me.
I love you, for the part of me that you bring out.
I love you, for putting your hand
into my heaped-up heart,
And passing over all the foolish, weak things
That you can't help dimly seeing there,
And drawing out into the light
All the beautiful belongings
That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.
I love you because you are helping me to make
Of the lumber of my life
Not a tavern, but a temple;
Out of my life, of my everyday
Not a reproach, but a song.
I love you,
Because you have done
More than any creed could have done
To make me feel my goodness.
You have done it,
With your touch, with your words,
With yourself.
2008-08-17
Diary 1985, Hannover, Germany
A. Ferrer, 1985, somewhere in Hannover, Germany:
“Hunger is, as such, negative. But nevertheless, it is a much lesser evil in comparison to Greed. In fact, there is no plausible comparison between the two. Hunger can be stilled with a generous portion of a decent meal. But greed? Greed is insatiable. No amount of portion, be it generous or little, can satisfy greed. It is not a mere virus of the society, but a malignant cancer that should be taken away as soon as possible, in order to save what is still left of what has been once a healthy part of social life. Greed can be found nowhere else but in the very core of human beings infested and corrupted by it. Money, power, influence, property, or all of the aforementioned are the ‘foods’ of greed: Foods that will never fill up a bottomless hole. People from all walks of life are both victims and carriers of this cancer. I am not for eliminating walking cancers, my friend. But we can do something directly against the situation:
DO NOT FEED THEM.
DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO INFEST ANYBODY, FROM TODDLERS TO ADULTS.
DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM.
DO NOT WORK FOR OR WITH THEM.
AVOID THEM WITH ALL YOUR POWER AND DETERMINATION.
DO NOT VOTE THEM INTO OFFICE, WHETHER GOVERNMENTAL OR ECCLESIASTICAL.
DO NOT SHOW RESPECT FOR THEM BECAUSE THAT WILL SEND A DEADLY SIGNAL OF TOLERANCE, ACCEPTANCE OR IMMORAL INDIFFERENCE.
DESPISE THEM AND LET THEM FEEL THAT THEY ARE DESPISED.
DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY BY THEIR SWEET TALKS AND PROMISES.
NEVER EVER ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM. CANCER CELLS SPREAD RAPIDLY. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THEY HAVE GOTTEN YOU ALREADY.
And yet, my friend, every person can change from within… a thorough change… a METANOIA. Should there be clear and genuine transformation, authenticated by deeds and action, another chance should be given them. Just as we would want another chance after true repentance, so should we be to our fellowmen. But unless there is this METANOIA, be strong and determined to fight this devastating social cancer called Greed.”
“Hunger is, as such, negative. But nevertheless, it is a much lesser evil in comparison to Greed. In fact, there is no plausible comparison between the two. Hunger can be stilled with a generous portion of a decent meal. But greed? Greed is insatiable. No amount of portion, be it generous or little, can satisfy greed. It is not a mere virus of the society, but a malignant cancer that should be taken away as soon as possible, in order to save what is still left of what has been once a healthy part of social life. Greed can be found nowhere else but in the very core of human beings infested and corrupted by it. Money, power, influence, property, or all of the aforementioned are the ‘foods’ of greed: Foods that will never fill up a bottomless hole. People from all walks of life are both victims and carriers of this cancer. I am not for eliminating walking cancers, my friend. But we can do something directly against the situation:
DO NOT FEED THEM.
DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO INFEST ANYBODY, FROM TODDLERS TO ADULTS.
DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM.
DO NOT WORK FOR OR WITH THEM.
AVOID THEM WITH ALL YOUR POWER AND DETERMINATION.
DO NOT VOTE THEM INTO OFFICE, WHETHER GOVERNMENTAL OR ECCLESIASTICAL.
DO NOT SHOW RESPECT FOR THEM BECAUSE THAT WILL SEND A DEADLY SIGNAL OF TOLERANCE, ACCEPTANCE OR IMMORAL INDIFFERENCE.
DESPISE THEM AND LET THEM FEEL THAT THEY ARE DESPISED.
DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY BY THEIR SWEET TALKS AND PROMISES.
NEVER EVER ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM. CANCER CELLS SPREAD RAPIDLY. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THEY HAVE GOTTEN YOU ALREADY.
And yet, my friend, every person can change from within… a thorough change… a METANOIA. Should there be clear and genuine transformation, authenticated by deeds and action, another chance should be given them. Just as we would want another chance after true repentance, so should we be to our fellowmen. But unless there is this METANOIA, be strong and determined to fight this devastating social cancer called Greed.”
2007-09-24
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee.
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee -
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came,
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me -
Yes! - that was the reason
(as all men know,
in this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out the cloud by night,
chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we -
of many far wiser than we -
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever disever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: -
For the moon never came, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:
And so, all the night tide I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride
In the sepulcher there by the sea -
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee.
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love -
I and my Annabel Lee -
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came,
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulcher
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me -
Yes! - that was the reason
(as all men know,
in this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out the cloud by night,
chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we -
of many far wiser than we -
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever disever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee: -
For the moon never came, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee,
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:
And so, all the night tide I lie down by the side
Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride
In the sepulcher there by the sea -
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
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