Classic and Contemporary Poetry
BEFORE A STATUE OF BUDDHA, by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD Poet's Biography First Line: O buddha, of the mystic smile Last Line: Atones for earthly pain. Subject(s): Buddhism; Life; Love; Soul; Statues; Buddha; Buddhists | ||||||||
O Buddha, of the mystic smile And downcast, dreamful eyes, To whom unnumbered sacred shrines And gilded statues rise, Whose fanes are filled with worshippers, Whose hallowed name is sung By myriads of the human race In every Eastern tongue, What means thy sweet serenity? Our planet, as it rolls, Sweeps through the starry universe A mass of burdened souls, Still agonized and pitiful, Despite the countless years That man has spent in wandering Through paths of blood and tears! O Lord of love and sympathy For all created life, How canst thou view thus placidly The world's incessant strife, The misery and massacre Of war's destructive train, The martyrdom of animals, The tragedy of pain, The infamous brutalities To helpless children shown, The pathos of whose joyless lives Might melt a heart of stone? Preeminently merciful, Does not thy spirit long To guard from inhumanity The weak against the strong? Thou biddest us deal tenderly With every breathing thing, -- The horse that drags the heavy load, The bird upon the wing, The flocks along the riverside, The cattle on the lea, And every living denizen Of earth and air and sea; Yet daily in the shambles A sea of blood is spilled, And man is nourished chiefly From beasts that he has killed! And hunters still find happiness In seeing, red with wounds, A sobbing deer, with liquid eyes, Dragged down by yelping hounds! What is the real significance Of thine unchanging smile? Hast thou the secret consciousness That grief is not worth while? That sorrow is the consequence Of former lives of sin, -- The spur that goads us on and up A nobler life to win? That pain is as impermanent As shadows on the hills, And that Nirvana's blessedness Will cure all mortal ills? But agony is agony, And small is the relief If, measured with eternity, Life's anguish be but brief. To hearts that break with misery, To every tortured frame The present pain is paramount, Nirvana but a name. Moreover, why should former lives Bequeath their weight of woe, If with it comes no memory To guide us, as we go? If o'er the dark, prenatal void No mental bridge be cast, No thread, however frail, to link The present to the past? Still silent and dispassionate! Ah, would that I might find The key to the serenity That fills thy lofty mind! Thou hast a joy we do not feel, A light we cannot see; Injustice, sin, and wretchedness No longer sadden thee; No doubt to thy sublimer gaze Life's mystery grows plain, As finally full recompense Atones for earthly pain. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DEATH SUNYATA CHANT: A RITE FOR PASSING OVER by DIANE DI PRIMA I FAIL AS A DHARMA TEACHER by DIANE DI PRIMA TO THE UNNAMED BUDDHIST NUN WHO BURNED HERSELF TO DEATH by DIANE DI PRIMA A FIFTEENTH CENTURY ZEN MASTER by NORMAN DUBIE GHOSTS ON THE NORTHERN LAND OF UR; CIRCA 2100 C.E. by NORMAN DUBIE POEM FOR MY FRIEND, CLARE. OR, WITH WHITE STUPAS WE REMEMBER BUDDHA by NORMAN DUBIE LADAKH BUDDHESS BIKER by LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI FURTHER ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING by KENNETH REXROTH A MAY MONODY by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD |
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