everything we know
contradicts the mind of heart
everything unknown
unveils its mystery when
Love reminds us of lost light
This tanka is so tightly composed it's breath-taking, and it communicates immediately and spontaneously even though it takes some intense, focused thinking to comprehend its double message, that is the message of lines 1-2; then, of lines 3-5. Let's start with line 5: light is a metaphor for all non-material, spiritual things we treasure, and it is closely related to love. In fact, they may be different appearances of the same reality. Certainly, they are encountered simultaneously. And so the presence of one is a reminder of the one absent. The goal is to possess and be possessed by both simultaneously. Those two pairs of lines beginning with the word everything are the negative and positive poles of the light/love issue. The first one asserts that when we try to grasp light /love intellectually, we will fail. The mind ultimately cannot comprehend the heart It tries to control it, and that poisons its rapport with the heart. But when we stop trying to understand things intellectually, stop imposing rationalism on the mystery of things, which include light/love, then an entirely different kind of truth is unveiled and we experience rather than understand, we participate rather than reason. This is an important lesson for me, because I tend to be cerebral, and say to my feelings, Hey, you guys, meet me in the head. - No, they reply. You thoughts meet us feelings, intuitions, beliefs, loves and hates, in the heart-zone. We'll be waiting for the reunion on this common ground.
In the darkness of the lost love, the mind unveils new vistas that contradicts our known perceptions of the heart. A wonderful poem indeed.
Nice poem. The expression ‘mind's heart' makes flutters in my heart. It is pleasantly intriguing to think that ‘mind' has got a ‘heart' too.
everything unknown unveils its mystery when love reminds us of lost light......I sincerely appreciate your poetic acumen! I admire the way you develop concepts and construct them into beautiful poems with wonderful choice of diction!
So true, the heart will take us to beautiful and mysterious avenues. Big 10
Very beautiful poem.... unknown is beautiful.... thanks 10+++++++
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Sublime Poem......Enjoyed it.