Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Secular or Eclectic : Beat Jewish 20th Century	About Denise Levertov Timeline (1923 - 1997)
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Original Language English	Beginners
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Freedom   Garden   Lotus   Lover and Beloved   Rose   Recommended Books Breathing the Water, by Denise Levertov Candles in Babylon, by Denise Levertov Collected Earlier Poems: 1940 - 1960, by Denise Levertov Denise Levertov: Poetry as Prayer, by Murray Bodo Denise Levertov: Selected Poems, by Denise Levertov More >>	Dedicated to the memory of Karen Silkwood and Eliot Gralla “From too much love of living, Hope and desire set free, Even the weariest river Winds somewhere to the sea--“ But we have only begun To love the earth. We have only begun To imagine the fullness of life. How could we tire of hope? -- so much is in bud. How can desire fail? -- we have only begun to imagine justice and mercy, only begun to envision how it might be to live as siblings with beast and flower, not as oppressors. Surely our river cannot already be hastening into the sea of nonbeing? Surely it cannot drag, in the silt, all that is innocent? Not yet, not yet-- there is too much broken that must be mended, too much hurt we have done to each other that cannot yet be forgiven. We have only begun to know the power that is in us if we would join our solitudes in the communion of struggle. So much is unfolding that must complete its gesture, so much is in bud.     -- from Candles in Babylon, by Denise Levertov Amazon.com
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

A beautiful, questioning poem by the American poet Denise Levertov. She is holding the Buddhist ideals of compassion and awareness up against the realization of the nature of nonbeing. She asks, how can we let go when there is so much we have done that is imperfect or cruel, and so much beauty we have failed to notice?

She wants us to struggle and to strive, and discover the communion we share with each other in the process. She wants us to recognize the heaven, or the potential heaven, we already inhabit, before we rush off to vague spiritual realms.

Rather than try to offer a simple answer to the questions she is raising, let me ask what you think... How are compassion, service, respect for the natural world in conflict with the pursuit of spiritual awakening? How are they served by it? Does our history of imperfection make the spiritual quest irresponsible? Is the ideal of desirelessness and the awareness of nonbeing just an attempt to escape? Is it appropriate for "beginners," greatly stumbling beginners, to rush to the end point?

Important questions... The way we answer these questions colors our path to deep awakening.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
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