Mystical Poetry

[Vouthon]

Contemplatives often take recourse to the literary genre of poetry to express mystical experiences in words. Entire sacred traditions have been formulated upon and sustained by poetry - most famously of all, the Persian Sufi literature of the Islamic world.

With its capacity for generating wordplays, paradox, ambiguity, raw emotion and nuance in a lyrical fashion, many sacred traditions have regarded this art form as a particularly potent medium, such that numerous mystics have at the same time been highly accomplished poets.

This is a thread in which forum members are invited to post their favourite poems with mystical themes or leanings. You can either post the piece of literature (selection from it) and leave others to interpret it for themselves, or provide some thoughts of your own as to why it has special meaning for you.

 

[Vouthon]

So me first....

Granum Sinapis (AD 1300)

Granum sinapis de divinitate pulcherrima in vulgari, parvum in substantia, magnum in virtute

THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED of the Most Beautiful Deity small in contents, yet great in power

English version by Karen J. Campbell

In the beginning
high above comprehension
is the word, eternally.
O rich treasure,
where the beginning eternally bore the beginning!
O paternal bosom,
out of which, in bliss,
the word flowed forth eternally.
Yet the womb still
held fast to the word, truly.

Of the two, one flowing forth,
ember of love,
binding both,
known to both,
so flows the sweetest spirit
in complete symmetry,
inseparable.
The three are one:
do you know, what? No,
it alone knows itself completely.

The enmeshment of the three
harbors deep terror.
No reason has ever
comprehended this circle:
here is a depth without bottom.
Check and mate
to time, to shapes, to space!
The circle of mysteries
is a source of everything;
its point of origin rests, completely immutable, in itself.

Leave your doings
and climb, insight,
the mountain of this point!
The way leads you
into a wondrous desert
which extends wide
and immeasurably far.
The desert knows
neither time nor space.
Its nature is unique.

Never has a foot
crossed the domain of the desert,
created reason
has never attained it.
It is, and yet no one knows what.
It is here, there,
far, near,
deep, high,
so that
it is neither the one nor the other.

Light, clear,
completely dark,
nameless,
unknown,
without beginning and also without end,
it rests in itself,
unveiled, without disguise.
Who knows what its dwelling is?
Let him come forth
and tell us of what shape it is.

Become as a child,
become deaf, become blind!
Your own substance
must become nothingness;
drive all substance, all nothingness far from you!
Leave space, leave time,
eschew also all physical representation.
Go without a way
the narrow foot-path,
then you will succeed in finding the desert.

O my soul,
go out, let God in!
Sink, my entire being,
into God’s nothingness,
sink into the bottomless flood!
If I flee from you,
you come to me,
if I lose myself,
I find you:
O goodness extending over all being.​

 

[Vouthon]

The Granum Sinapis is a poem written in the Thuringian dialect of High Middle German. Kurt Ruh has attributed it to the pen of Meister Eckhart and other scholars concur in arguing that it is "the most important poetic expression of Eckhartian concepts...a virtual summary of the Master's themes".

It has long been a favourite of mine.

The first line echoes the prologue to the Gospel of John, which concerns the Logos or "Word of God".

The poem begins with a mystical explanation of the Trinity dogma and the relations between the Three Persons.

I just love how it starts thus, in a liturgical style, but then "interiorizes" the doctrine: it moves from being an explanation of the Trinity to becoming an experience of The Most Blessed Trinity within oneself.

Notice the imagery of the "ground" (individual soul), "abyss" (Godhead), "desert/wildnerss" (incomprehensible divine unity) and "mountain" (mystical path).

There is a juxtaposition of ascension and introversion - the higher one reaches towards the Trinity, the further one travels into the depths of oneself; the deeper one goes within oneself, the higher one goes towards the Trinity.

The desert is a metaphor for the Godhead beyond the multiplicity of Divine Persons - ineffable and characterized by paradoxical language: neither this nor that, neither here nor there.

The final strophes shift focus from the nature of the wilderness of the Godhead to the journey and method of reaching thither - detachment and self-emptying.

This process is compared to the mustard seed because of its pure and simple wisdom, almost child-like in its pure simplicity - so wonderfully simple yet infinitely profound beyond all intellect at the same time, just like the tiny mustard seed that will grow into a mighty tree. Paradox.

 

[Losin]

Thank you very much for this thread I have very special place for mystical poetry in my heart. When I for the first time started to believe in God I was reading the Sufi mystic Rumi. I remember I was blown away by its beauty. Then I had mine mystical experience and wrote myself some poetry, which sadly I wrote to my phone, which is not working anymore. I also wrote some poetry on papers, but I can´t find them. If I found them I will try to translate them and post them. Before that this is my favorite poem from Rumi:

Love came,
and became like blood in my body.
It rushed through my veins and
encircled my heart.
Everywhere I looked,
I saw one thing.
Love's name written
on my limbs,
on my left palm,
on my forehead,
on the back of my neck,
on my right big toe…
Oh, my friend,
all that you see of me
is just a shell,
and the rest belongs to love.​

I like this one because it summarize how I felt.

 

[rocala]

If you like this type of poetry may I suggest visiting the 'Poetry Chaikhana' website. http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com
Sign up and receive regular examples of spiritual poetry from most traditions. No strings attached.