Read this poem in a book and felt that it MUST be in my blog:
Even This Shall Pass Away
Once in Persia reigned a King
Who upon his signet ring
Graved a maxim true and wise,
Which, if held before the eyes,
Gave him counsel at a glance,
Fit for every change and chance.
Solemn words, and these are they:
"Even this shall pass away."
Trains of camels through the sand
Brought his gems from Samarcand;
Fleets of galleys through the seas
Brought him pearls to match with these.
But he counted not his gain
Treasures of the mine or main;
"What is wealth?" the king would say;
"Even this shall pass away."
In the revels of his court
At the zenith of the sport,
When the palms of all his guests
Burned with clapping at his jests;
He amid his figs and wine,
Cried: "Oh loving friends of mine!"
"Pleasure comes but not to stay;"
"Even this shall pass away."
Fighting on a furious field,
Once a javelin pierced his shield;
Soldiers with a loud lament
Bore him bleeding to his tent;
Groaning from his tortured side,
"Pain is hard to bear," he cried,
"But with patience, day by day,
Even this shall pass away."
Towering in the public square,
Twenty cubits in the air,
Rose his statue, carved in stone,
Then, the king, disguised, unknown,
Stood before his sculptured name
Musing meekly, "What is fame?
Fame is but a slow decay
Even this shall pass away."
Struck with palsy, sere and old,
Waiting at the gates of gold,
Said he with his dying breath;
"Life is done, but what is death?"
Then, in answer to the King,
Fell a sunbeam on his ring,
Showing by a heavenly ray,
"Even this shall pass away."
--- Theodore Tilton
10 comments:
Very good.... :)
You missed a verse
the 4th verse:
lady fairest ever seen,
was the woman he crowned his queen,
pillowed on his marriage bed,
softly to his soul he said,
though no bridegroom ever pressed,
fairer bosom to his breast,
mortal flesh must come to clay,
even this shall pass away!
I use to recite this from memory to my grandmother when I was six years old. I am 46 now! It really brings back some memories. It was from her favorite book "Leaves of Gold"
Barara Rhyine-
I am 18 and i just found this book in my grandmas house as well a couple months ago and i really thought she was the only one with it becuase of the loose bound look. this was my favorite quote from it and i guess this is a general qustion but how many people know about this book?
Goosebumps!
They are indeed lovely and humbling words. Yet, taken too much to heart, might they encourage us to respond to almost any endeavour with "whatever," and to undermine even the inspiration to create and serve?
Even things that pass away can be wonderful, well worth pursuing, and part of the meaning of life.
This poem in my opinion does not say that everything is "whatever." Its more about taking things in ones stride. Understanding that sucess and faliure are transient and while they must be enjoyed in thier moment, they must not change the person one is.
Its like IF: If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those imposters just the same.
Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)put this verse to music, and it has a stunning effect to the words. He leaves out a few verses of the original poem, but you get the gist! Even this shall pass away!
One of my all time favourites...one is supposed to take victory and defeat, fame and infamy, riches and poverty alike
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