Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind

Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind 

            As the temperature in Delhi fell to 2.4 degrees on 30^th December 2019 and made DelhiItes shiver because such a cold winter had repeated itself after a lapse of 119 years, I was suddenly reminded of a song recited by Amiens, a singer in the play ‘AS YOU LIKE IT’ written by the greatest English playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) between the end of 1598 and the middle of 1600.

                The song which is reproduced below points towards the eternal reality:     “That the wind can be unkind and blow strong but it isn’t as cruel as human society.’ 

The text of the song reads as follows:

            “Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

            Thou art not so unkind

            As man’s ingratitude;

            Thy tooth is not so keen,

            Because thou art not seen,

            Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Unto the green holly:

Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:

            Then, heigh-ho, the holly!

            This life is most jolly.

            Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

            That dost not bite so nigh

            As benefits forgot:

            Though thou the waters warp,

            Thy sting is not so sharp

            As friend remember’d not.

            Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! “

              

31^st December 2019                                                        G. R. KANWAL

                               

LOVE – A POEM ATTRIBUTED TO ROY CROFT

          LOVE – A POEM ATTRIBUTED TO ROY CROFT

The poem reproduced herein is attributed to the American poet Roy Croft (1907-1973)0, but according to another account it was actually written by his compatriot Mary Carolyn Davies (b.1888). It is mostly recited as a wedding song or a wedding speech.

Just for the knowledge of the readers, it may be added here that love is not an ordinary emotion. It is an un-extinguishable flame, a very deep passion, fondness, friendship, liking, attachment, affection, adoration or infatuation. Life cannot survive without it. It may take other different forms, but even then it continues to remain a matter of the heart whose beatings keep volatile not only humans but also other animates existing on this earth.

The poem is entitled LOVE and reads as follows:

“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 hand

And passing over

All foolish, weak things

That you can’t help

Dimly seeing there,

And for 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 the works

Of my every day

Not a reproach

But a song.

I love you

Because you have done

More than any creed

Could have done

To make me good,

And more than any fate

Could have done

To make me happy.

You have done it

Without a touch,

Without a word,

Without a sign.

You have done it

By being yourself.

Perhaps that is what

Being a friend means,

After all. “

26^th December 2019                                                        G.R.KANWAL      

CHRISTMAS EVE WITH A PSALM

CHRISTMAS EVE WITH A PSALM

On this Christmas Eve (24^th December 2019), let us sing a Psalm (sacred song) from the Holy Bible. The psalm selected in this write up is at  No.01 in The Book of Psalms. In all the book comprises 150 Psalms.  

According to Christian history, It was David. described in the Hebrew Bible as the third king of the United Monarch of Israel and Judah who authored the Psalms included in the Bible. He was a young shepherd who gained fame as a musician.

            Even a casual study of these  Psalms shows that they are full of eternal wisdom.  They praise God, describe His attributes, and  also counsel human beings how to live a righteous life to avoid the wrath of God.

             Given below is the text of the 1^st  PSALM .

1.“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.   

2.But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doth shall prosper.

4. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5.Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. “

24^th December 2019                                                        G. R. KANWAL  

EVENING PRAYER

                EVENING PRAYER

Prayer is not a list of demands addressed by human beings to their type of God Almighty. It should be, rather must be, a ‘Thank You Letter’ for giving you innumerable things in the world In which you live.  It is HE who has given you life and  personal  talents that you regularly employ to pass your days and nights in this beautiful world.

 It is natural that you commit errors, lapses and blunders. There may be even serious moral aberrations crimes and sins. Your duty in such  cases is to seek God’s forgiveness, for He is always merciful to those who repent and promise not to repeat their errant behaviour. 

According English poet laureate Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-92), many things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of. “ What are men better than sheep or goats, that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing God, they lift no hands of prayer for themselves and those who call them friends.

 Given below is an Evening Prayer by the American poet Gabriel H. Charles (1856-1932). Throughout the poem, his attitude is that of sincere penitent. So he prays :

If I have wounded any soul today,

If I have caused one foot to go astray,

If I have walked in my own willful way---

            Good Lord, forgive!

If I have uttered idle words or vain,

If I have turned aside from want or pain,

Lest I myself should suffer through the strain----

            Good Lord, forgive!

If I have craved for joys that are not mine,

If I have let my wayward heart repine,

Dwelling on things of earth, not things divine----

            Good Lord, forgive!

If I have been perverse, or hard, or cold,

If I have longed for shelter in Thy Fold,

When Thou hast given me some part to hold----

            Good Lord, forgive!

Forgive the sins I have confessed to Thee,

Forgive the secret sins I do not see.

That which I know not, Father, teach Thou me-

            Help me to live.

22 December 2019                                               G. R. KANWAL

           

VIOLENCE : A FOOLISH OUTBURST

                 VIOLENCE  :  A FOOLISH OUTBURST

My study shows that no sensible writer, statesman, religious guide , philosopher or social thinker has ever recommended the use of violence for any purpose whatsoever.  Violence is thus a foolish outburst at any  situation or event, old or new.

            According to English author William Hazlitt (1778-1830), violence ever defeats is own ends. Where you cannot drive you can always persuade.  A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can always work wonders and accomplish miracles. There is a secret pride in every human heart that revolts at tyranny. You may order and drive an individual, but you cannot make him respect you.

            World famous British playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) believes that violent fires soon burn out themselves, small showers last long, but sudden storms are short; he tires betimes that spurs too fast.

            Indian apostle of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) had this to say: Experience convinces  me that permanent good can never be outcome of untruth and violence. To use violence for securing rights may seem an easy path but it proves to be thorny in the long-run.  Those who live by the sword die also by the sword. The swimmer often dies by drowning. Moreover, what is gained by violence must be lost before superior violence.

16^th December 2019                                                                    G.R.KANWAL  

  

LIFE IS ACTION

                                 LIFE IS ACTION

‘LIFE IS ACTION’  is the predominant feature of the Urdu and Persian poetry of Sir Mohammad Iqbal (1873-1978). What follows is the English interpretation of one of his poems Khizr-e-Rah included in his Urdu anthology Bang-e-Dara (Call of the Bell).

             Life, says Iqbal, does not think of loss or again. It cannot be measured in terms of todays and tomorrows. It is eternal.  It is ever young and ever moving forward.  Human beings are endowed with a vibrant Life-Force with which they create their own world.  They should try to expand themselves and avoid shrinking.  When expanded , life becomes an ocean; and  when contracted it assumes the shape of a tiny rivulet.

            Though man is a tenant in a house of clay, he has been gifted with infinite power with which he can become a conquerer of the world. In fact, life shows its splendor by subduing the material world. 

            Man has risen as a bubble from the ocean of life, but he is no less than an ocean himself if he truly understands his inner  self and realizes its full potential.   Man is not merely a physical body; his real self is his soul which has within itself an invisible heaven. Man should  arouse his dormant soul through continuous self-realisation and for this he has to abandon passive contemplation and adopt the attitude of ceaseless movement towards self- perfection.

13^th December 2019                                G.R.KANWAL

                     

REMEMBERING OSHO

                         REMEMBERING   OSHO

Acharya Shri Rajneesh was born on 11^th December 1931 and passed away on 19^th January 1990.

An outstanding mystic and spiritual leader, he was the founder of the Rajneesh movement.   His original name was Chandra Mohan Jain.

Before becoming a religious exponent, he served as a university lecturer.   

His name ‘Osho’ , according to his own explanation, is derived from ‘William James’ word ‘oceanic’ which means dissolving into the ocean.  Later, he found the historical use of this word in the Far East, meaning ‘The Blessed One’, on whom the sky showers flowers.

Osho was an extremely bold thinker. Through his uncountable enlightening lectures, he demolished innumerable superstitions held by the practitioners of various faiths and creeds because he found them based on blind beliefs.

He repeatedly said in his discourses that if we cling to the past, the only possibility is global suicide, and if we drop the past the possibility arises of writing a new destiny of man.

Here is one short example of his innovative style of thinking.  Life, says he, is not a punishment. It is a reward. As such, human beings should be thankful to existence that it has chosen them to breathe through them, to love through them, to sing through them and to dance through them.  Moreover, if they keep on growing in maturity and understanding, they will never become old because learning keeps people young.   

 11. 12. 2019                                               G.R.KANWAL 

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