Robert Bly reads one of my favorite poems by Antonio Machado…
Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt — marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?
Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt — marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.
Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt — marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.
Last night, as I slept,
I dreamt — marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.
For the first few seconds this video seems silly. Then you realize how delightful it is. And by the end, something profound has emerged — a feeling of unity around the world.
Take a few minutes to watch this video. Don’t forget to kick up your heels and join in.
The animation hearkens back to the work of Peter Maxx in the 60s and 70s, a la Yellow Submarine. But this comes with a sleepy, casual groove. Gives a sense of the easy, overlooked magic of the world.
The summer solstice is upon us, one of the cardinal points of the year’s cycle. Time to celebrate the light at its peak, internalize it as the days inevitably grow shorter once again…
This is part one of a series of short videos from an informal poetry reading by Stephen Levine. An insightful, intimate talk, and poetry from his new collection of poetry.
This is a playful little video, tempered with just a hint of the melancholy of life. And there’s something of the eternal cycle of seeking and finding and passing the quest along. All to a bouncy soundtrack.
I hope you enjoy…
(I have no idea how the title relates to the video or song, or why it comes with Chinese subtitles. It just adds to the video’s quirky charm.)
directors Joel Trussell and Eric Johnson
animators Gene Blakefield and Darin Bendall
additional art assistance from Chris Chua
This lovely video was recommended by Cinza. Moving meditative kirtan in the Sikh tradition by Snatam Kaur Khalsa. From a London performance. A nice pairing with Guru Nanak’s poem…
I thought this beautiful video was worth sharing. A collage of thoughts and images as a reminder that we can choose the world we live in and the way we live in the world.
Produced by the Surprise Foundation
Music by Ottmar Liebert
“Offering three mesmerizing pieces for solo bamboo flute, each based on a different Indian scale, this leads the listener deeper into a mood of serenity.”
I welcome any chance to listen to Maya Angelou. Her words have that deep echo of authority, real spiritual authority. She is a template for us all as we mature, reminding us that aging is a path to wisdom, compassion, and surprising strength.
I first encountered the amazing voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan through a fortuitous accident about seven years ago. Up until that point, I had not heard of the great master of ecstatic Muslim/Sufi music of Pakistan and India known as Qawali music. At the time I was living in Hawaii, and I wanted to purchase a gift for my wife. I noticed a music store that was going out of business, so I walked in to see if I could find an interesting CD. Most of their shelves were bare, except for some miscellaneous world music CDs. I didn’t recognize any of the names. Most would have been difficult for me to even pronounce. But the photograph of this large man seemingly glowing with “rapture” grabbed my attention. I bought it knowing nothing more. When my wife later opened her gift and we sat listening, we were spellbound. I’ve been a fan ever since.
This weekend I started asking myself, What are some of the best uses of poetry in the movies? I can think of a handful of movies about famous poets, and a few more that use poetry in a powerful way — though, when I started writing them down, the list was not very long.
One of the first movies that I wrote down was “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” I still find the movie to be very funny. How can you go wrong with an appearance by Rowan Atkinson as a stuttering priest performing his first wedding ceremony? But the emotional heart of the movie, the scene that stays with you longest, is John Hannah’s truly moving reading of W. H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” read for his dead partner…
