Here is another “found” poem I have created. This time I’ve brought Rumi and Rilke together. No small task! Great poets they were but not contemporaries as are Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry in my previous found poem. This particular found poem starts with two lines from a Rumi poem and then alternates with Rilke’s words on the next two lines. This pattern is repeated with Rumi’s words then Rilke’s. No more than 1-3 lines from any one poem is used. There are many ways to create a found poem – this is one way. Below I list the eight poems that were used to accomplish this.
At first I thought: I really can’t do this. This could be tantamount to blasphemy on some level. However I’ve recently discovered that God is a cat lover. When I get to the pearly gates, I’ve got extra credit as well as he’s grading on a curve, so blasphemy I can do a little and still not risk the fantasy suite and hot tub that awaits me. :)
And now without further adieu, I bring you Rumi and Rilke, together at last.
There’s a surge up from the surface
into what is beyond dying
Like dew from the morning grass,
what is ours floats into the air
It is sunlight slicing the dark
The way the night knows itself with the moon.
Then the knowing comes: I can open
to another’s life that’s wide and timeless
If each of us held a candle there,
and if we went in together,
we could see it.
Through the empty branches the sky remains.
It is what you have.
Inside this new love, die
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
The Vigil – Rumi
The Second Elegy – Rilke
All Rivers at Once – Rumi (note: “I am” replaced with “It is”)
In the Arc of Your Mallet – Rumi (note: it is sunlight… and the way the night…, two separate Rumi poems put together in this one verse)
The Book of Monastic Life I,5 – Rilke
Elephant in the Dark – Rumi
The Book of Pilgrimage, II,1 – Rilke
Quietness – Rumi
Oh Heartsdeesire, you are a genius,
how did you blend two old wine into one?
Mixed two great taste to a new fragrance?
This is beautiful! Seriously.
I once did cut my class on my junior High year, and Chinese teacher punished me to write Li Po, Cui Hao and Yang Shen’s poems, each of their poems for three hundred times, and after, I mixed their poems into one.
You must read Rilke and Rumi and other book all your life, otherwise, it is not easy to accomplish that, no.
I admire your poem.
Thank you for your kind words. I merely put together the existing words of two great poets. Speaking of, you seem to have poetry within you, too. And I smiled at your teacher’s rather creative idea of punishment. Love, Bethie
Yeah,
I love literature, that I remembered on my third grade elementary, my Chinese teacher was an newbie just graduated and started with us, a pretty lady of 23, who did not hold attitude of mama, and she arranged us a tour in zoo, and home work was 300 characters passage of observation of any animal, and I did a mandarin duck for 500 characters, mainly descriptions of feathers, colors, and leisure activities, and she took it with a great joy, and read my writing in the class. After that, I was into it:-) Of course, she didn’t know I wrote for her:-)
So now, I get on subway, stroll on streets, laying on beach, getting my inspiration:-) and stretch my arms into the midair to embrace what I breathe, and imagine a passionate fly:) in a springday, to where stars lined up for me to hug, or a violin for me to touch:-)
So what’s your story? Why you love poetry so much?
Lovely story of how you were introduced to poetry, thank you for sharing it. I first fell in love with poetry in high school and a particular poet, Langston Hughes. I read him exclusively. I would then leave poetry behind until about 6 years ago I was introduced to a yahoogroup called Panhala and this renewed a passionate love affair with poetry once again. I highly recommend this group to you or anyone, he sends out one poem about 5 days a week. There I was introduced to Rilke, to Mary Oliver, to Wendell Berry, to William Stafford, Denise Levertov and so many more. Rilke is my favorite poet of all time…
Beautiful Bethie. That was quite a feat!
You wove them together beautifully. I think it feels a bit more like Rilke than Rumi. It has more of his reverence.
love you!
I think you could be right about that Amy. I hadn’t thought about that. Two great poets centuries apart become one voice and poetic history is made. I hope you like it Rumi and Rilke.
I have a feeling they do. xxxo