Nothing in Hand
"Keep me fully glad..."
- by Rabindranath Tagore -
Keep me fully glad with nothing. Only take my hand in your hand.
In the gloom of the deepening night take up my heart and play with it as you list. Bind me close to you with nothing.
I will spread myself out at your feet and lie still. Under
this clouded sky I will meet silence with silence. I will become one
with the night clasping the earth in my breast.
Make my life glad with nothing.
The rains sweep the sky from end to end. Jasmines in the
wet untamable wind revel in their own perfume. The cloud-hidden stars
thrill in secret. Let me fill to the full my heart with nothing but my
own depth of joy.
From Poetry, June 1913. Online Text via Poetry Foundation
"Blue Hands I-X" by Daniele Buetti, 2005. Via Artnet.com
lovely poem, lovely prayer. thanks for posting it. this sort of thing is medicine for the soul.
Posted by: scent signals | April 22, 2008 at 09:43 AM
Beautiful poem, Heather. I have tried in the past to meditate, with most of my results being disappointing. It's so difficult to quiet one's mind. But one evening I experienced a rare, wondrous state that I've never managed to get back to, where I felt like I was being held aloft in a basking light that I never wanted to leave. This poem and the image you chose remind me of it.
Posted by: Suzanne | April 23, 2008 at 08:33 AM
Tagore.
A favorite of mine, and the sentiment is rare and precious.
A jewel.
Posted by: chayaruchama | April 23, 2008 at 02:53 PM
scentsignals, Suzanne, and chayaruchama: I'm very happy to know this lovely passage found resonance with you. Suzanne, I, too have had varying success with meditation. One of the most interesting discoveries had to do with the endless stream of chatter that's going on in my head all the time - what I think of as my non-stop 8-track cassette deck of life. It kind of drove me crazy at first, not being able to turn that off, once I figured out it was on.
Posted by: Heather | April 29, 2008 at 12:43 AM