Friday, January 05, 2007
Poem by Na'ga Rai
Here is a poem by Na'ga Moon Rai and a commentary on it by Ivan Granger, both friends of mine.
Trembling
By Na'ga Rai (1943 - )
It’s dark and
I can’t find my face.
Did I leave it on a canvas
somewhere by accident?
Last night was filled
with the passions of owls.
Now it’s snowing
wonder in my soul.
Dawn bleeds into me
playing its morning flute.
I tremble without my face
but oh, what a trembling.
Here is Ivan's comment:
I thought we'd round out the week with something from our own (Na'ga Rai). She is a regular contributor to the Poetry Chaikhana forum ..Naga'ji is a poet, painter and photographer.I tremble without my facebut oh, what trembling.When the flowing river of divine awareness is particularly strong, the body can tremble or swoon. The mystic can sometimes be so overwhelmed by this ecstasy that he or she might even fall unconscious.In some traditions, such as with the Sufis, this behavior is compared to drunkenness. In other cultures, such as Judaism, this trembling is compared to the quaking of profound fear and awe -- for the ego knows it is witnessing the process of its own death... the loss of its own self-image. We become faceless. I hope you have a weekend full of changing names, lost faces, and oh so blissful trembling!
Trembling
By Na'ga Rai (1943 - )
It’s dark and
I can’t find my face.
Did I leave it on a canvas
somewhere by accident?
Last night was filled
with the passions of owls.
Now it’s snowing
wonder in my soul.
Dawn bleeds into me
playing its morning flute.
I tremble without my face
but oh, what a trembling.
Here is Ivan's comment:
I thought we'd round out the week with something from our own (Na'ga Rai). She is a regular contributor to the Poetry Chaikhana forum ..Naga'ji is a poet, painter and photographer.I tremble without my facebut oh, what trembling.When the flowing river of divine awareness is particularly strong, the body can tremble or swoon. The mystic can sometimes be so overwhelmed by this ecstasy that he or she might even fall unconscious.In some traditions, such as with the Sufis, this behavior is compared to drunkenness. In other cultures, such as Judaism, this trembling is compared to the quaking of profound fear and awe -- for the ego knows it is witnessing the process of its own death... the loss of its own self-image. We become faceless. I hope you have a weekend full of changing names, lost faces, and oh so blissful trembling!
