The Journey by Mary Oliver
One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice-
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stone.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do -
determined to save
the only life you could save.
My thoughts:
This is one of my favorite poems - one that never fails to inspire me, one that instills in me an unquenchable passion to do more. It speaks to me of undiscovered lands waiting to be traversed, of unknown skills waiting to be learned, of unseen doors waiting to be opened. There may be voices trying to hold me back, wanting me to save them, whispering words of caution. But I know that I am only responsible for my saving own soul, because if I don't nurture my soul, who else will?
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stone.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do -
determined to save
the only life you could save.
This is one of my favorite poems - one that never fails to inspire me, one that instills in me an unquenchable passion to do more. It speaks to me of undiscovered lands waiting to be traversed, of unknown skills waiting to be learned, of unseen doors waiting to be opened. There may be voices trying to hold me back, wanting me to save them, whispering words of caution. But I know that I am only responsible for my saving own soul, because if I don't nurture my soul, who else will?
This is so beautiful and exemplifies, so well, the power of poetry to influence! Sometimes, indeed, we need to save ourselves before we can do anything to help others.
ReplyDeleteYes, these powerful words always seem to me like a call to action - and awaken an urge in my blood to make something out of my life and to go fearlessly where my soul leads me!
ReplyDelete