When I Was the Forest
When I was the stream, when I was the
forest, when I was still the field,
when I was every hoof, foot,
fin and wing, when I
was the sky
itself,
no one ever asked me did I have a purpose, no one ever
wondered was there anything I might need,
for there was nothing
I could not
love.
It was when I left all we once were that
the agony began, the fear and questions came,
and I wept, I wept. And tears
I had never known
before.
So I returned to the river, I returned to
the mountains. I asked for their hand in marriage again,
I begged—I begged to wed every object
and creature,
and when they accepted,
God was ever present in my arms.
And He did not say,
“Where have you
been?”
For then I knew my soul—every soul—
has always held
Him.
–Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1328)
Meister Eckhart was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic who lived in the 13th and 14th centuries. He is considered one of the most important figures of Christian mysticism and his works influenced later German mystics and philosophers. He is famous for his sermons and mystical writings that explored the nature of the soul's union with God.
Singing oneness!
3 Comments
This is an unusually early example of polytheism from a Christian brother. I take it that the original is in German, though I doubt if it matters much as the thought is what carries it. I'll just have to look it up to see how it looks in a different version.
ReplyDeleteShipment! Accept my gratitude on this morning. I felt I am reading Rumi, Hafeez, Buller Sha, Farida, Tagore, Gibran, Sant Kaveer and Gurbani...
ReplyDeleteForgive misprint of your name Shivpreet
ReplyDelete