Ancient Poetry

Image source: http://www.oneworldclassrooms.org/travel/china/chinabook/chinapoetry/page1.jpg

Ancient poems and ancient poetry have always struck me powerfully. The way the ancients viewed the world and expressed their fascination through poetry, is so different from how we view the world today. In our modern age, science has sought to explain every detail of our world, exploring its farthest corner and smallest nook. There is little mystery left in the world, no undiscovered, unruly places for the dreamer to imagine. But for the ancients, the world was still a vast and undiscovered place. I love to read ancient poetry because you can't help but be caught up with the same sense of wonder and mystery that the ancients saw in the world when you read their poems. Not only that but ancient poems have that special value of being, well...ancient :) I've included some excerpts from a few cultures: the Tao Te Ching (Chinese), Rumi (Persian), and Solomon (The Bible/Hebrew). Some are excerpts of advice, some are poems of love, and the rest are simply interesting truths about the world. I hope you find a timeless wisdom and knowledge in these old quotes and ancient poetry.

This first excerpt is a simple piece of advice:

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you." Tao Te Ching

This next excerpt is a nice pairing of bits of wisdom. It's really cool:

"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." Tao Te Ching

This is my favorite ancient poem. It's an ancient love poem from Persia:

"The intellectual is always showing off, the lover is always getting lost. The intellectual runs away. afraid of drowning; the whole business of love is to drown in the sea. Intellectuals plan their repose; lovers are ashamed to rest. The lover is always alone. even surrounded by people; like water and oil, he remains apart. The man who goes to the trouble of giving advice to a lover gets nothing. He's mocked by passion. Love is like musk. It attracts attention. Love is a tree, and the lovers are its shade." Rumi - The Intellectual is Always Showing Off

This is a list of ancient questions from China. Very poignant:

"Can you coax your mind from its wandering and keep to the original oneness?... Can you love people and lead them without imposing your will?" Tao Te Ching

Another love poem from ancient Persia. Very excellent:

"I am a sculptor, a molder of form. In every moment I shape an idol. But then, in front of you, I melt them down I can rouse a hundred forms and fill them with spirit, but when I look into your face, I want to throw them in the fire. My souls spills into yours and is blended. Because my soul has absorbed your fragrance, I cherish it. Every drop of blood I spill informs the earth, I merge with my Beloved when I participate in love. In this house of mud and water, my heart has fallen to ruins. Enter this house, my Love, or let me leave." Rumi - I am a sculptor a molder of form

A description of love from the Bible, the Old Testament, in the book Song of Solomon:

"For love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned." Song Of Solomon Chapter 8

A description of the human condition from the Tao Te Ching:

"He who stands on tiptoe doesn't stand firm. He who rushes ahead doesn't go far. He who tries to shine dims his own light. He who defines himself can't know who he really is. He who has power over others can't empower himself. He who clings to his work will create nothing that endures." Tao Te Ching

One of the most beautiful ancient poems from the Bible, describing the state of all life:

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." Ecclesiastes Chapter 3