A beautiful, beautiful poem/quote I found on Pinterest today :-) I translated it in English so you can read it too :-) I hold in yesterday, tomorrow, and today. I hold in overcoming difficulties that come my way Like a child, I further hold in the goodness of each, too often left untold And, most of all, apart from the above, I believe that one should intensely live and love. Five years ago to this day, my world fell apart. My granny died. She meant the world to me. The beautiful poem Funeral Blues by W.H. Auden describes exactly how I felt that day that I knew she was gone forever, and the way I still achingly miss her presence. The second poem, I had earlier written with her in mind, for a poem-writing contest. In remembrance of her, I dedicate it to her, here on my blog, on her dying day. Dear granny, I will always, always love you, för alltid och evigt. Poem by me I wrote for my granny If you would like the meaning of this poem in English, I made an attempt of a translation In English and posted it in my post for my friend who died. This touching song is by the very talented Dutch singer-songwriter Maaike Ouboter. The first time I heard it, I literally started crying as it reminded me of my granny so much! I still listen to this song every now and then and sing long with it. Wonderful song by Yiruma Beautiful poem by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, titled “Call Me By My True Names”:
Do not say that I’ll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive. Look deeply: I arrive in every second to be a bud on a spring branch, to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile, learning to sing in my new nest, to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower, to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone. I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, in order to fear and to hope. The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that are alive. I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river, and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time to eat the mayfly. I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond, and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence, feeds itself on the frog. I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin as bamboo sticks, and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda. I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat, who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate, and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving. I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands, and I am the man who has to pay his “debt of blood” to my people dying slowly in a forced labor camp. My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life. My pain is like a river of tears, so vast it fills the four oceans. Please call me by my true names, so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once, so I can see that my joy and pain are one. Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up, and so the door of my heart can be left open, the door of compassion. I just learned that my dear friend died. I am devastated because I will miss her terribly, but on the other hand, it will release her from her suffering as she was quite ill, being diagnosed with terminal cancer. I really loved her so very much. She was like a second gran to me (she was almost 88 year's old!). It is therefore, that, besides this beautiful poem, I would also like to post here an attempt of a 'translation' in English of the poem I wrote a few years ago in Dutch for my granny, to honour my friend in my own words. (The poem in Dutch destined for my granny, who was my best friend, I will post on February 15th, the day she died.) Attempt of an English translation of my granny's poem. I tried my best to make it as readable as possible : ) Thank you so much, Monique, for the part of the road we walked together! |
Categories
All
AuthorLottemarie, KULeuven-student, life-enthusiast, happy-go-lucky, thinker, determined, persistent, creative Archives
December 2015
|