! Charity, Caring, Loving-Kindness Poem by Michael Shepherd

Translators live a life
of great blessing, and of frustration:
they live uniquely in the mind
of the great ones they translate – and yet
are destined never fully to reveal this
in their native language, to their fellows,
countrymen and women;
must leave it to the reader, to restore to life.

We too, translators –
words into deeds, deeds into experience,
experience then taught in words…so -

charity, care, or loving-kindness?

maybe we are old, and we uncared for;
maybe we are young, and we uncared for..

but, caring care – this is so beautiful;
to receive; even just to watch; or best, to give…
and too good not to know…

so, we might follow that wonderful advice:
‘What you think you lack – give that! ’
and bestow all our ‘agape’, our ‘charitas’ –
the word which taxed - along with ‘faith’ and ‘hope’ -
the translators of the Bible…
that care that cares not to be care-worn…

we, to translate word to deed,
love, to loving-kindness;
love, to boundless care.


(for Mary N., too, who knows this)