Music of the Sky: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry

209 Pages·2012·1.61 MB·English

Laude
Poetry/Spirituality
&
McDonald
Music
“A finite image of Infinity:
This is the purpose of all poetry.”
—Frithjof Schuon
of the
“There are books one hardly has to open to know they are of
Sky
the highest quality. This is one of those treasure-troves. One has
to sit down, stop hurrying for a while, and allow the music of M
noble souls to replace the noises of our electrified lives.”
u
—Frederick Franck, author, artist, and editor of The Buddha
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Eye: An Anthology of the Kyoto School and Its Contemporaries
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“The editors of this delightful and revealing volume have o An Anthology
brought together a selection of religious poetry rich in its variety. f
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Drawing from many saints and sages from around the world, they h
enable us, at our leisure, to peer into the throbbing heart of the e Spiritual
universal human spirit which yearns to know the source of its
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life and meaning.”
k Poetry
—Alfred Bloom, author of Shinran’s Gospel of Pure Grace, y
and editor of Living in Amida’s Universal Vow: Essays in Shin
Buddhism
A
“Poetry is truly the language of the gods.… It is wonderful to n
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find an up-to-date collection that brings back the original pur- n
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pose and meaning of this art form. One is grateful to those who h
o Selected and edited by
have collected and presented to us this wonderful collection that lo
g Patrick Laude &
draws its sources not only from the great traditions, but also from y
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individuals who spontaneously speak to us of truth and beauty.” f Barry McDonald
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—Rama P. Coomaraswamy, editor of The Essential Ananda K. p
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Coomaraswamy it
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World Wisdom
ISBN 978-0941532-45-7
World
Wisdom
$ 16.95 US
About this Book
“Music of the Sky, edited by Laude & McDonald, is a golden treasury of
spiritual poems drawn from a variety of religious traditions and world-re-
nowned poets. The selections are well chosen and represent religious di-
versity and yet refl ect universal truths. If it is true that ‘mystics of different
religions speak the same language,’ then this work proves the point. Where
else would one fi nd the great minds of the East and West brought together
in a volume that can be easily read and treasured for its spiritual wealth?
“This short volume compresses the longing of the human heart and its
quest for wholeness. One is led to experience such emotions as angst, hope,
faith, love, and union through the words of the great mystics of the world. It
forces the reader to search in the deepest corner of his/her being to truth-
fully confront his/her own spiritual condition. Ultimately it inspires one to
fi nd solace in the bosom of the Eternal, the Absolute, the One.
“It is a book that needs to be read, re-read, and read again and again.”
—Ishwar Harris, the College of Wooster, and author of The
Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji: The Life of Zen Master Keido Fukushima
“Most poets write too much for not heeding the Muse who scants her
treasures. But this collection of poems come from the Muse, most defi nitely.
Each poem threatens to spark the noetic ‘Aha!’ in the reader, who will see
the world—and himself—suddenly from a newly enlightened perspective
where the thrill of meaning and joy crystallize in deepest insight.”
—Mark Perry, author of On Awakening and Remembering: To Know
Is to Be
“This is a work that is sure to enchant readers who have refl ected much on
poetry’s relation to the spirit, or … who merely enjoy the spiritual effects of
the lyrical word. These poets’ words seek to remind readers of Truth, Real-
ity, and Origin; they offer a path upon which the stones are symbols and the
destination is home.… Music of the Sky invites us to ‘repose in being’.…”
—Virginia Gray Henry, author of Beads of Faith, and consulting
editor for Parabola

World Wisdom
The Library of Perennial Philosophy
The Library of Perennial Philosophy is dedicated to the ex-
position of the timeless Truth underlying the diverse religions.
This Truth, often referred to as the Sophia Perennis—or Perennial
Wisdom—fi nds its expression in the revealed Scriptures as well as
the writings of the great sages and the artistic creations of the tra-
ditional worlds.
The Perennial Philosophy provides the intellectual principles
capable of explaining both the formal contradictions and the tran-
scendent unity of the great religions.
Ranging from the writings of the great sages of the past, to the
perennialist authors of our time, each series of our Library has a
different focus. As a whole, they express the inner unanimity, trans-
forming radiance, and irreplaceable values of the great spiritual
traditions.
Music of the Sky: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry appears as one of
our selections in the Spiritual Classics series.
(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)
Spiritual Classics Series
This series includes szeminal, but often neglected, works of
unique spiritual insight from leading religious authors of both the
East and the West. Ranging from books composed in ancient India
to forgotten jewels of our time, these important classics feature new
introductions which place them in the perennialist context.
Cover reference: Sarasvati as goddess of poetry and music, standing on a
lotus accompanied by her vehicle the swan.
Music of the Sky
An Anthology of
Spiritual Poetry
Selected and Edited by
Patrick Laude
&
Barry McDonald
Music of the Sky: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry
© 2004 World Wisdom, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission,
except in critical articles and reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Music of the sky : an anthology of spiritual poetry / selected and
edited by Patrick Laude & Barry McDonald.
p. cm. -- (Spiritual classics series)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-941532-45-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Religious poetry, English. 2. Religious poetry--Translations into
English. 3. Spirituality--Poetry. I. Laude, Patrick, 1958- II.
McDonald, Barry, 1952- III. Series.
PN6110.R4M87 2004
821.008’0382--dc22
2004015686.
Printed on acid-free paper in The United States of America
For information address World Wisdom, Inc.
P.O. Box 2682, Bloomington, Indiana 47402-2682
www.worldwisdom.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface by Barry McDonald xiii
Introduction by Patrick Laude 1
PART I: DUST FROM THE WHIRLWIND
paiute
Song of the Ghost Dance 17
cheyenne
“Nothing lives long” 18
chief isapwo muksika crowfoot
“What is life?” 19
wintu
You and I Shall Go 20
giun
“All doctrines split asunder” 21
kigen
“Seventy-one!” 22
kozan ichikyo
“Empty-handed I entered the world” 23
issa
“The pure morning dew” 24
han shan
“Story on story of wonderful hills and stream” 25
ryokan
“Walking along a narrow path at the foot of a mountain” 26
rengetsu
“Eternal spring wind” 27
ryushu
“Why bother with the world?” 28
chong ch’ol
“A dash of rain upon” 29
lalla yogishwari
“By the highway of Release I came” 30
bengali hymn
“Mother! Mother! My boat sinks in the ocean of
this world” 31
bengali hymn to kali
“Because Thou lovest the Burning-ground” 32
akka mahadevi
“O mother, I have fallen in love” 33
tulsidas
“You are kind, I am the pitiable one” 34
mirabai
“Guide this little boat” 35
rabindranath tagore
“Don’t let go, hold on tight” 36
“O now beneath your feet’s dust” 37
yunus emre
“How many in this life can never” 38
ansari
“If thou canst walk on water” 39
rumi
“I died as mineral and became a plant” 40
“‘Needs must I tear them out,’ the peacock cried” 41
omar khayyam
“Old tent-maker, your body is a tent” 42
“Last night I dropped and smashed my porcelain bowl” 43
abu’l-husayn al-nuri
“I had supposed that, having passed away” 44
shabistari
“As the Arab racer needs not the whip” 45
angelus silesius
“Even God must die, if He wishes to live for thee” 46
petrarch
“The chosen angels and the blessed souls” 47
“I go my way regretting those past times” 48
sir walter raleigh
“What is our life? A play of passion” 49
robert herrick
“O Years! and Age! Farewell” 50
john donne
“Death be not proud” 51
fulke greville, lord brooke
“When as Man’s life, the light of human lust” 52
edward, lord herbert of cherbury
To His Watch, When He Could Not Sleep 53
william shakespeare
“The expense of spirit in a waste of shame” 54
novalis
“The times are all so fearful!” 55
samuel taylor coleridge
Self-Knowledge 57
christina georgina rossetti
Uphill 58
emily dickinson
Because I Could Not Stop For Death 59
rainer maria rilke
Autumn 60
frithjof schuon
The Island 61
Confession 62
PART II: A GARDEN AMIDST FLAMES
ibn ‘arabi
“O marvel! A garden amidst fl ames!” 65
ahmad al-‘alawi
Layla 66
omar khayyam
“The secret longings of a learned man” 68
rumi
“A man knocked at the door of his beloved” 69