Joy and Sorrow

A nice poem by Khalil Gibran:

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow."

And he answered:

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.

Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.

Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.

When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

Parayathe ariyathe ...

One more beautiful song discovered during my daily journey. This one is from the Srinivasan-Mohanlal satire - Udayananu Tharam (Udayan is the star).

Parayathe ariyathe nee poyathalle maruvaakku mindaanjathalle
oru nokku kaanathe nee poyathalle dhoorekku nee manjathalle
sakhiye nee kanunnuvo en mizhikal nirayum nombaram
innum orkunnuvo veendum orkunnuvo annu naam thammalil piriyum raavu
innum orkunnu njan ennum orkunnu njan annu naam thammalil piriyum raavu

A few lines and a painting

"Now nothing seems as strange as
When the leaves began to change
Or how we thought those days would never end
Sometimes I hear that song and I'll start to sing along
And think man! I'd love to ... "

- Kid Rock, All Summer Long

Somehow these lines feel so good ...
Amit's brought the sentiment to colour beautifully .. check here.

A nice poem again

Haah, I am not writing too much these days, so here is one more beautiful poetry by David L. Weatherford.
Thanks Tushar for this poem.

Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Do you run through each day
on the fly
When you ask "How are you?"
do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste,
not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
'Cause you never had time
to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away...

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

P.S. I will get back to my writing ways soon. :)

The Second If ..

A Poem I read recently:

  If I could live my life again
  in the next one I would try to make more mistakes
  I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more.
  I would be more dumb than I have been, in fact
  I would take very few things seriously.
  I would be less hygienic.
  I would take more risks, more trips,
  I would watch more sunsets,
  I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers.
  I would go to places where I have never been to,
  I would eat more ice-cream and less beans,
  I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.
  I was one of those people who live sensibly and
  prolifically every minute of their life.
  Of course I had happy moments. But if I could
  go back I would try to have only happy moments.
  In case you didn't know life is is made of that, of
  moments only; don't waste this very minute.
  I was one of those people who never went anywhere without
  a thermometer, a bag of hot water, an umbrella and
  a parachute; if I could live again, I would travel light.
  If I could live again I would start to walk barefoot
  at the beginning of the Spring and stay like that until the end
  of the Fall. I would go around more on the calash, 
  I would contemplate more dawns and
  I would play with more children, 
  if I had again life ahead.
  But, you see, I am 85 years old and I know I am dying.


Well, this is not what you want to say someday.
Yet, I did rather prefer the other 'If'.These
'ifs' would be meaningless without Kipling's 'Ifs'.