“That bard of the nursery, Mother Goose.”
A Poetry Handbook, Mary Oliver, 1994
Author: Cadie (Page 27 of 46)
“A Medical Board – so called because it is composed of bored medicos.”
Herlock Sholmes, “The Case of the Corn-Plaster”, The Complete Casebook of Herlock Shomles, Charles Hamilton, circa 1920
Wow, that’s a crazy looking word! I am sure I had never heard it before I read “His Last Bow”, one of The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. But, based on the context, I don’t think the word means crazy. For this word, we have to start at the base noun and the build on it so we fully understand it.
Stertor – an abnormal snoring sound accompanying breathing
Stertorous – characterized by starter or heavy snoring; breathing in this manner
Usage: “The German lay upon the sofa sleeping stertorously.”
The last time I went to Barnes & Noble, I decided my main goal was to find a few more books of poetry to add to my library. Mary Oliver highly recommends Rumi, and I can see why. There is a sweetness in his writings, as well as reverence for God and desire to teach his fellow men.
I decided to start my collection of Rumi’s writings with this lovely hardback from Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets collection. It is a little book, maybe four inches by six, but it is packed with poems. You can see in the picture above, the dust jacket looks like an old Persian painting, and there is a picture of Arabic writing on the front too. The cover and the binding make the book feel extra special, almost luxurious. And there is also a little yellow ribbon bookmark too.
The first poem is “The Guest House”, which I shared with you here. It’s like a welcome mat, a sample of the other poems you will find in this volume. In my opinion, that was an excellent choice for first poem. There is also an introduction that explains who Rumi was, which helped me understand some of his writings. I am so glad this is my first volume of Rumi. I will definitely be looking for more.
Solomon was busy judging others,
when it was his personal thoughts
that were disrupting the community.
His crown slid crooked on his head.
He put it straight, but the crown went
awry again. Eight times this happened.
Finally he began to talk to his headpiece.
'Why do you keep tilting over my eyes?'
'I have to. When your power loses compassion,
I have to show what such a condition looks like.'
Immediately Solomon recognized the truth.
He knelt and asked forgiveness.
The crown centered itself on his crown.
When something goes wrong, cause yourself first.
Even the wisdom of Plato or Solomon
can wobble and go blind.
Listen when your crown reminds you
of what makes you cold toward others,
as you pamper the greedy energy inside.
("Solomon's Crooked Crown" translated by Coleman Barks, Rumi, printed 2006)
The Lion took the Hare with him: they ran
together to the well and looked in.
The Lion saw his own image: from the water appeared
the form of a lion with a plump hare beside him.
No sooner did he espy his enemy than he left the Hare
and sprang into the well.
He fell into the pit which he had dug: his iniquity
recoiled on his own head.
O Reader, how many an evil that you see in others is
but your own nature reflected in them!
In them appears all that you are - your hypocrisy,
iniquity, and insolence.
You do not see clearly the evil in yourself; else you
would hate yourself with all your soul.
Like the Lion who sprang at his image in the water,
you are only hurting yourself, O foolish man.
When you reach the bottom of the well of your own nature,
then you will know that the wickedness is in you.
("The Evil in Ourselves" translated by R. A. Nicholson, Rumi, printed 2006)
A grammarian once embarked in a boat. Turning to the boatman with a self-satisfied air he asked him:
'Have you ever studied grammar?'
'No,' replied the boatman.
'Then half your life has gone to waste,' the
grammarian said.
The boatman thereupon felt very depressed, but he answered him nothing for the moment. Presently the wind tossed the boat into a whirlpool. The boatman shouted to the grammarian:
'Do you know how to swim?'
'No,' the grammarian replied, 'my well-spoken, handsome fellow.'
'In that case, grammarian,' the boatman remarked, 'the whole of your life has gone to waste, for the boat is sinking in these whirlpools.'
You may be the greatest scholar in the world in you time, but consider, my friend, how the world passes away - and time!
("The Grammarian and the Boatman" translated by A. J. Arberry, Rumi, printed 2006)
'Tis light makes colour visible: at night
Red, green, and russet vanish from thy sight.
So to thee light by darkness is made known:
All hid things by their contraries are shown.
Since God hath none, He, seeing all, denies
Himself eternally to mortal eyes.
From the dark jungle as a tiger bright,
Form from the viewless Spirit leaps to light.
When waves of thought from Wisdom's Sea profound
Arise, they clad themselves in speed and sound.
The lovely forms a fleeting sparkle gave,
Then fell and mingled with the falling wave.
So perish all things fair, to re-adorn
The Beauteous One whence all fair things were born.
("Reality and Appearance" translated by R. A. Nicholson, Rumi, printed 2006)
It took me a few times to grasp this lovely poem. If you don’t think you understand it, I encourage you to read it again. Then again. And again, until you think you see what Rumi is saying. Here what I see:
As light displays colors, so night covers them. In the darkness, all things are hidden, and must be known by things other than what is seen in the light, called “contraries”. But God has no “contraries”, no darknesses, so He remains invisible to human eyes eternally. He must be known by other means, described in the second part of the poem. I love the line about Wisdom’s Sea and the waves of that sea becoming speech and sound. Then in the end, all things fair come from God, The Beauteous One.
Here is a word that I am sure I had never heard before I read The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Sadly, it is in the final short story, “His Last Bow”. Holmes was interviewing his suspect. Well, “interviewing” is not the best term. Rather, Holmes was telling his suspect exactly how and what he had done; in return, the suspect would tell Holmes why he had committed the murder.
Prevaricate – to shuffle; to quibble; to evade by a quibble
Usage: “Now, … , how do you justify such conduct, and what were the motives for your actions? If you prevaricate or trifle with me, I give you my assurance that the matter will pass out of my hands forever.”
(Do you like how I omitted the name of the suspect? You will have to read the story to find out who it was.)
Here is a curious word that I found in “The Disappearance of Lady Carfax”, one of The Greatest Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I wasn’t sure what it meant, so I thought I would look it up and share it with you, especially since Dr Watson uses the word to describe Holmes.
Adroit – expert at using the hands and body, nimble; cleverly skillful, resourceful, ingenious
Usage: “All this I jotted down and felt that Holmes himself could not have been more adroit in collecting his facts.”
Hi! I'm Cadie. Welcome to my Collection of Bookish Thoughts where I will share with you everything I love about books.