Subscribe: by Email | in Reader

To Raja Rao -- Czeslaw Milosz

Guest poem submitted by Prashant Paul:
(Poem #1883) To Raja Rao
 Raja, I wish I knew
 the cause of that malady.

 For years I could not accept
 the place I was in.
 I felt I should be somewhere else.

 A city, trees, human voices
 lacked the quality of presence.
 I would live by the hope of moving on.

 Somewhere else there was a city of real presence,
 of real trees and voices and friendship and love.

 Link, if you wish, my peculiar case
 (on the border of schizophrenia)
 to the messianic hope
 of my civilization.

 Ill at ease in the tyranny, ill at ease in the republic,
 in the one I longed for freedom, in the other for the end of
corruption.
 Building in my mind a permanent polis
 forever deprived of aimless bustle.

 I learned at last to say: this is my home,
 here, before the glowing coal of ocean sunsets,
 on the shore which faces the shores of your Asia,
 in a great republic, moderately corrupt.

 Raja, this did not cure me
 of my guilt and shame.
 A shame of failing to be
 what I should have been.

 The image of myself
 grows gigantic on the wall
 and against it
 my miserable shadow.

 That's how I came to believe
 in Original Sin
 which is nothing but the first
 victory of the ego.

 Tormented by my ego, deluded by it
 I give you, as you see, a ready argument.

 I hear you saying that liberation is possible
 and that Socratic wisdom
 is identical with your guru's.

 No, Raja, I must start from what I am.
 I am those monsters which visit my dreams
 and reveal to me my hidden essence.

 If I am sick, there is no proof whatsoever
 that man is a healthy creature.

 Greece had to lose, her pure consciousness
 had to make our agony only more acute.

 We needed God loving us in our weakness
 and not in the glory of beatitude.

 No help, Raja, my part is agony,
 struggle, abjection, self-love, and self-hate,
 prayer for the Kingdom
 and reading Pascal.
-- Czeslaw Milosz
        (Berkeley, 1969 )

I stumbled upon this poem(and Milosz) when searching for the writer Raja
Rao. By far one of the most brilliant that I have read, and it brings
forth the best of Milosz. (Raja Rao was a great Indian writer, and with
R. K. Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand considered one of the trinity of Indian
writers in english.)

To me some of the elements of the poem come from the time Milosz spent
his time at Berkeley away from his native place Poland, like the first
part. But the poem is also an accurate description of the struggle with
the present, and the hope for a change that changes everything. Two
striking ideas -- original sin and "...I must start from where I am...",
I really love the way they are written here.

An absolutely amazing poem in my book.

Prashant.

30 comments: ( or Leave a comment )

Jules301 said...

An absolutely amazing poem in my book.
Actually, it's in Milozes book. :P

Julian

elizchampcheney said...

I assume this poem was written in English?

Anonymous said...

I will be absolutely in adulation with the aces adventurous shoes like Hogan
. The abode of hogan donna
is acclaimed for its casual-chic sneakers for him as able-bodied as her, it's best to accept Hogan scarpe uomo
and accord it a try, you wish to try Hogan uomo
as able-bodied as try it out.

viagra online said...

This poem reminds of Raja yoga that is a Hindu discipline. I used to practice Raja Yoga to reflect about the essence of life. This poem would have been perfect in one of my sessions.

หนังโป๊ออนไลน์ said...

Thanks for the great trip we will be monitoring your next job.

หนังโป๊ออนไลน์ said...

Spec really good websites. We provide you with a good article that came out again.

หนังโป๊ออนไลน์ said...

A very good article. Asked personnel at webmaster at Changi as well, do not take the article to receive

ภาพโป๊ said...

A very good article. Asked personnel at webmaster at Changi as well, do not take the article to receive

ภาพโป๊ said...

A very good article. Asked personnel at webmaster at Changi as well, do not take the article to receive

ภาพโป๊ said...

A very good article. Asked personnel at webmaster at Changi as well, do not take the article to receive

Alat Bantu Romantis Warga pria wanita said...

I was air-thank you all for the information you have created here. san jaya hopefully more successful.
toko alat bantu, menjual berbagai macam penis dan vagina silikon, atau alat bantu seks yang dapat di gunakan untuk pelampiasan hasrat seksual pria dan wanita, alat bantu sex pasutri. / toys wanita.

Unknown said...

JSolusi yang tepat untuk mengobati penyakit wasir tanpa harus operasi, menggunakan obat wasir  Paling ampuh dari De Nature dan terbaik ada hanya di http://obatwasirme.blogspot.com untuk mendapatkan informasi yang lebih jelas mengenai pengobatan wasir silahkan kontak langsung di nomer 0852 808 77 999 atau 0859 7373 5656 Bagaimana mengobati Ambeien itu sendiri. pengobatan yang terbaik untuk Ambeien adalah dari luar dan dalam sehingga Ambeien benar benar tuntas dan tidak akan kambuh lagi. obat Ambeien terbaik "Ambeclear dari De Nature" Adalah obat Ambeien herbal yang memang terbaik untuk mengobati Ambeien, dan sudah terdaftar di badan obat dan makanan (BPOM) dengan nomer registrasi POM TR: 133 374 041. terbuat dari bahan alami antara lain terdiri Daung Ungu, Mahkota Dewa dan Kunyit Putih.

Anonymous said...

Penyakit ini umumnya muncul karena penderita mengejan terlalu keras pada saat buang air besar. Dengan mengejan terlalu keras, maka pembuluh darah di sekitar anus dapat melebar dan pecah menimbulkan infeksi dan pembengkakan yang berakhir pada masalah wasir atau ambeien tersebut.

Unknown said...

Kutil pada alat kelamin luar bisa diangkat melalui laser, krioterapi (pembekuan) atau pembedahan dengan bius lokal. Pengobatan kimiawi, seperti podofilum resin atau racun yang dimurnikan atau asam trikloroasetat, bisa dioleskan langsung pada kutil. Tetapi pengobatan ini memerlukan waktu beberapa minggu sampai beberapa bulan, bisa melukai kulit di sekelilingnya dan sering gatal.

Anonymous said...

good
obat wasir yang sudah parah tanpa operasi
obat wasir yang sudah parah
obat wasir sudah parah
obat wasir sudah parah tanpa operasi
obat untuk wasir yang sudah parah tanpa operasi
cara menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
cara menghilangkan kutil pria
menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
menghilangkan kutil di pria
cara menghilangkan kutil kemaluan pria
cara alami menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
cara alami menghilangkan kutil
menghilangkan kutil pria
cara alami untuk menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
Cara Herbal Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan Pria
Cara Herbal Menghilangkan
Cara Herbal Menghilangkan Kutil Kemaluan Pria
Cara Herbal Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan
Cara Herbal untuk Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan Pria
cara tradisional menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
cara tradisional menghilangkan kutil
cara tradisional menghilangkan kutil di pria
cara tradisional menghilangkan kutil pria
cara tradisional untuk menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria secara alami
cara menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria secara alami
menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
menghilangkan kutil kemaluan pria secara alami
menghilangkan penyakit kutil di kemaluan pria secara alami
Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan Pria Tanpa Operasi
Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan Pria
Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan
Menghilangkan Kutil Kemaluan Pria Tanpa Operasi
Menghilangkan Kutil di Kemaluan Pria Tanpa harus Operasi
menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria tanpa ke dokter
menghilangkan kutil di kemaluan pria
cara menghilangkan kutil kemaluan
menghilangkan kutil

Indra said...

Thank you for another wonferdul article. Where else could anyone get that kind of information in such an ideal way of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
KesehatanMan
Seputar Kesehatan
Jalan Kesehatan

Post a Comment