Beauty
And a poet said, Speak to us of Beauty.
And a poet said, Tell us about Beauty.
And he answered:
And he answered:
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide?
Where will you seek beauty? How will you find her unless she is both your path and your guide?
And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech?
And how can you speak of her unless she weaves your words?
The aggrieved and the injured say, “Beauty is kind and gentle.
Those who have been wronged and hurt say, “Beauty is kind and gentle.
Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us.”
Like a young mother, a little shy of her own glory, she walks among us.”
And the passionate say, “Nay, beauty is a thing of might and dread.
And passionate people say, “No, beauty is powerful and fearsome.
Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us.”
Like a storm, she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us.”
The tired and the weary say, “Beauty is of soft whisperings. She speaks in our spirit. Her voice yields to our silences like a faint light that quivers in fear of the shadow.”
The tired and weary say, “Beauty is a soft whisper. She speaks in our spirit. Her voice gives way to our silence like a faint light trembling in fear of the shadow.”
But the restless say, “We have heard her shouting among the mountains,
But the restless say, “We have heard her shouting in the mountains,
And with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the roaring of lions.”
Along with her cries came the sound of hooves, beating wings, and roaring lions.”
At night the watchmen of the city say, “Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east.”
At night, the city’s guards say, “Beauty will rise in the east at dawn.”
And at noontide the toilers and the wayfarers say, “We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset.”
And at noon, the workers and travelers say, “We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset.”
In winter say the snow-bound, “She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills.”
In winter, those trapped by snow say, “She will come with spring as it leaps across the hills.”
And in the summer heat the reapers say, “We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair.” All these things have you said of beauty,
And in the summer heat, the harvesters say, “We have seen her dancing among the autumn leaves. We saw a drift of snow in her hair.” You have said all these things about beauty,
Yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied,
Yet in truth, you spoke not of her, but of unmet needs,
And beauty is not a need but an ecstasy.
And beauty is not a need but a source of ecstasy.
It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth,
It is not a thirsty mouth or an empty hand held out,
But rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted.
But rather a heart on fire and a soul under a spell.
It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear,
It is not the image you want to see or the song you want to hear,
But rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears.
But rather, an image you see even when you close your eyes, and a song you hear even when you cover your ears.
It is not the sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw,
It is not the sap beneath the deeply grooved bark, nor a wing attached to a claw,
But rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.
But rather a garden always in bloom and a flock of angels always in flight.
People of Orphalese, beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
People of Orphalese, beauty is life revealing her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are life, and you are the veil. Beauty is eternity looking at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror.
But you are eternity, and you are the mirror.