{"id":8727,"date":"2026-08-21T08:19:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=8727"},"modified":"2026-08-21T08:19:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:19:03","slug":"symeon-the-new-theologian-the-fire-rises-in-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/21\/symeon-the-new-theologian-the-fire-rises-in-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Symeon the New Theologian – The fire rises in me"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fire rises in me
\nby Symeon the New Theologian<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

English version by Ivan M. Granger<\/font><\/p>\n

The fire rises in me,
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and lights up my heart.
\nLike the sun!
\nLike the golden disk!
\nOpening, expanding, radiant \u2014
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yes!
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2014 a flame!<\/p>\n

I say again:
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t know
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 what to say!<\/p>\n

I\u2019d fall silent
\n\u2014 If only I could \u2014
\nbut this marvel
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 makes my heart leap,
\nit leaves me open mouthed
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 like a fool,<\/p>\n

urging me
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to summon words
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 from my silence.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from Real Thirst: Poetry of the Spiritual Journey<\/a>, by Ivan M. Granger<\/font><\/p>\n


\/ Image by Dewang Gupta<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

I know it has been far too long since our last poem email. <\/p>\n

In recent months I have needed to focus my energies on my work as a database application developer. I was preparing a major presentation on AI, which I delivered at a developer\u2019s conference. The presentation went well, and I am now back and rediscovering my regular rhythms \u2014 which should once again include poetry.<\/p>\n

In fact, I had a nice moment just yesterday morning. I was sitting at a coffee shop reading The Book of Mystical Chapters, by John Anthony McGucking, a book of contemplative sayings from the early Christian tradition, especially Eastern Orthodox voices. While I was sitting there reading and sipping my matcha latte, a man walked up to me, drawn by the book. He said he knew the book well because he discussed it in a course he taught. It was a sweet moment of talking about early Christianity, poetry, and doorways into deeper exploration of the mystics \u2014 and discovery of figures, like Symeon the New Theologian.<\/p>\n

=<\/p>\n

This is a poem of fire and silence.<\/p>\n

Why fire? In ecstasy, there is often a sense of heat \u2014 filled with immense love \u2014 that permeates the body. This warmth seems to emerge from the seat, flares in the belly, and rises upward, fanning out at the heart.<\/p>\n

The fire rises in me,
\nand lights up my heart.<\/i><\/p>\n

As this fire moves through the body, it also moves through the awareness, consuming all thoughts (or, more accurately, the tremors from which thoughts emerge).<\/p>\n

I say again:
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t know
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 what to say!<\/i><\/p>\n

This fire burns away even the thought of \u201cI\u201d \u2014 only the sense of this living flame remains.<\/p>\n

it leaves me open mouthed
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 like a fool\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

But the heart, giddy with the expanding vista of bliss, nonetheless wants to share its joy. Though it has no words left, it still wishes to speak of \u201cthis marvel,\u201d<\/p>\n

urging me
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to summon words
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 from my silence.<\/i><\/p>\n

Have a day of bliss, fire and silence!<\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Symeon the New Theologian<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Longing in Between: Sacred Poetry from Around the World (A Poetry Chaikhana Anthology)<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThis Dance of Bliss: Ecstatic Poetry from Around the World<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nReal Thirst: Poetry of the Spiritual Journey<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul\u2019s Ascent from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
More Books >><\/a><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\"Symeon<\/a>\n<\/td>\n\nSymeon the New Theologian<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Turkey (949 \u2013 1032) Timeline<\/a>
\nChristian<\/a> : Eastern Orthodox<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Symeon was born into an aristocratic family in Asia Minor (Turkey) and was given the name George. This was when the region was still part of the Christian Byzantine Empire. From boyhood George was groomed for a life in politics. At age eleven, he was sent to the capital Constantinople (Istanbul) to live with his uncle who guided him in his early education. <\/p>\n

When he was 14, George met a monk at the monastery of Studios named Symeon the Pious. George accepted Symeon the Pious as his spiritual director while continuing to prepare for a life in politics.<\/p>\n

Somewhere around age 20, George was overcome by an ecstatic state in which he experienced God as a living presence of radiant light.<\/p>\n

Despite this radically transformative experience, he spent several more years attempting to fulfill his family\u2019s expectations, eventually becoming an imperial senator. However, his continuing mystical experiences were not compatible with such a public life and, at age 27, he renounced his previous life and became a monk, entering the monastery at Studios to continue under the direct guidance his spiritual director, even taking on the same monastic name \u2014 Symeon.<\/p>\n

The closeness teacher and disciple shared worried the monastic authorities and the two were separated. The young Symeon was given the choice of remaining at Studios and no longer receiving spiritual guidance from the elder Symeon, or he could go to another monastery and keep his spiritual director.<\/p>\n

So as not to lose the guidance of Symeon the Pious, the young Symeon chose to move to the monastery of St. Mamas in Constantinople. There, Symeon was ordained a priest and eventually became the abbot of the monastery, reviving the monastery\u2019s life of prayer and meditation. While abbot of St. Mamas, Symeon wrote extensive treatises (called the Catecheses) as guidelines for the ideal monastic and God-focused life, emphasizing the power of contemplative prayer and meditation.<\/p>\n

The mystical spiritual practices that he advocated led to further conflicts with authorities and Symeon was exiled in 1009 to a small hermitage on the far side of the Bosphorus.<\/p>\n

Disciples began to gather around Symeon and soon the small hermitage grew into a full monastery. It was there that Symeon wrote his most personal work, Hymns of Divine Love, a collection of poems describing his mystical experiences.<\/p>\n

Symeon\u2019s doctrines and poetry emphasize not only the possibility, but the necessity of personally experiencing the Divine. He also stated that one need not be a monk or renunciate, saying that one \u201cwho has wife and children, crowds of servants, much property, and a prominent position in the world\u201d can still directly experience communion with the divine.<\/p>\n

Giving him the title of \u201cTheologian\u201d does not mean that he was a formal, rationalist Christian philosopher, as we might use the term today, especially in Western Christian and philosophical traditions. Within Orthodox Christian tradition, the epithet of \u201cTheologian\u201d has been only given to a few figures, specifically indicating that this is a figure with direct experience of God. In other words, he is considered to be a mystic of full Realization.<\/p>\n

More poetry by Symeon the New Theologian<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fire rises in me by Symeon the New Theologian English version by Ivan M. Granger The fire rises in me, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and lights up my heart. Like the sun! Like the golden disk! Opening, expanding, radiant \u2014 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yes! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2014 a flame! I say again: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t know \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 what to say! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[79,273,622,893,60,2453,762,271,753],"class_list":["post-8727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-christian-poetry","tag-eastern-orthodox-poetry","tag-fire","tag-heart","tag-light","tag-silent","tag-sun","tag-symeon-the-new-theologian","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8728,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8727\/revisions\/8728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}