Do You Have a Favorite Poem or Verse (long)?

rickpete
on 4/28/09 6:16 am - Elk River, MN

Do you have a favorite poem or verse that inspires or comforts you?  One of my favorites follows  below:

Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann

 

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.



 

lynnk
on 4/28/09 8:32 am - burnsville, MN
I love that one, RP-The following one has been my favorite ever since I was a little girl-the TV station used to play a clip at sign-off (those were the days when people actually went to sleep at night) and I loved listening to it and imagining flying straight to heaven....

High Flight (an Airman's Ecstasy)
 
 
  Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

LynnK

rickpete
on 4/28/09 11:49 am - Elk River, MN
Lynn:

I love this one!  There is so much hope and promise in it.  Thanks for sharing.

RP
(deactivated member)
on 4/28/09 9:30 am - Clear Lake, MN
RP,

Very interesting......Thanks for sharing.....
I like this part.......
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

rickpete
on 4/28/09 11:46 am - Elk River, MN
Kelly:

That is my favorite part of the poem.  Since I work in corporate America, it is hard to avoid the loud and aggressive persons, though.

RP
JenStock1970
on 4/28/09 10:59 am - Bay Shore Of, NJ
Hi Everyone, I don't usually visit the MN board but this was on my "My OH" page, and I wanted to respond.  Edna St. Vincent Millay is my favorite poet, and this one seemed to suit my mood of late. 

 
Not Even My Pride Shall Suffer Much
 
 
  Not even my pride shall suffer much;
Not even my pride at all, maybe,
If this ill-timed, intemperate clutch
Be loosed by you and not by me,
Will suffer; I have been so true
A vestal to that only pride
Wet wood cannot extinguish, nor
Sand, nor its embers scattered, for,
See all these years, it has not died.

And if indeed, as I dare think,
You cannot push this patient flame,
By any breath your lungs could store,
Even for a moment to the floor
To crawl there, even for a moment crawl,
What can you mix for me to drink
That shall deflect me? What you do
Is either malice, crude defense
Of ego, or indifference:
I know these things as well as you;
You do not dazzle me at all—

Some love, and some simplicity,
Might well have been the death of me—

Edna St. Vincent Millay
HW 495/Consult 426/SW 363/Current 182
"If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster."-- Clint Eastwood

"Don't compromise yourself.  You are all you've got."-- Janis Joplin

rickpete
on 4/28/09 11:44 am - Elk River, MN
Jen:

Thanks for visiting the MN board!  I don't know this poet, but I really liked this poem.  thanks for sharing.

RP
Amy_in_MA
on 4/28/09 12:31 pm, edited 4/28/09 12:35 pm - Danvers, MA
I love that one RP...always have. There are a few that I love:

At Day's End

 Is anyone happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
The day is almost over, and it's toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that's slipping fast,
That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the man who's hopes were fading,
Now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day or lose it?
Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness,
Or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber,
Do you think that God will say,
"You have earned one more tomorrow
By the work you did today."

     – Author Unknown
 



The Essence Of A New Day

This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind . . . let it be something good.

– Author Unknown

And lastly:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

     ~   Timo Cruz


rickpete
on 4/28/09 12:55 pm - Elk River, MN
Amy:

I especially like the last one.  My MN WLS friends have been encouraging me lately to liberate my fears, which is probably why I like it so much.  Thanks for sharing.

RP
Darla S.
on 4/29/09 12:56 am - Maple Grove, MN
Wow... all three of these are exceptional!


  Imperfect does not = unsuccessful

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