Kurma

Krishna, by George William Russell (A.E.) (b. 1867)

I paused beside the cabin door and saw the King of Kings at play,
Tumbled upon the grass I spied the little heavenly runaway.
The mother laughed upon the child made gay by its ecstatic morn,
And yet the sages spake of It as of the Ancient and Unborn.

I heard the passion breathed amid the honeysuckle scented glade,
And saw the King pass lightly from the beauty that he had betrayed.
I saw him pass from love to love; and yet the pure allowed His claim
To be the purest of the pure, thrice holy, stainless, without blame.

I saw the open tavern door flash on the dusk a ruddy glare,
And saw the King of Kings outcast reel brawling through the starlit air.
And yet He is the Prince of Peace of whom the ancient wisdom tells,
And by their silence men adore the lovely silence where He dwells.

I saw the King of Kings again, a thing to shudder at and fear,
A form so darkened and so marred that childhood fled if it drew near.
And yet He is the Light of Lights whose blossoming is Paradise,
That Beauty of the King which dawns upon the seers’ enraptured eyes.

I saw the King of Kings again, a miser with a heart grown cold,
And yet He is the Prodigal, the Spendthrift of the Heavenly Gold,
The largesse of whose glory crowns the blazing brows of cherubim,
And sun and moon and stars and flowers are jewels scattered forth by Him.

I saw the King of Kings descend the narrow doorway to the dust
With all his fires of morning still, the beauty, bravery, and lust.
And yet He is the life within the Ever-living Living Ones,
The ancient with eternal youth, the cradle of the infant suns,
The fiery fountain of the stars, and He the golden urn where all
The glittering spray of planets in their myriad beauty fall.

from "The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse", Nicholson & Lee, eds.,1917

(note: George William Russell (April 10, 1867 – July 17, 1935) who wrote under the pseudonym Æ, was an Anglo-Irish supporter of the Nationalist movement in Ireland, a critic, poet, and painter. He was also a mystical writer, and centre of a group of followers of theosophy in Dublin, for many years. He is not to be confused with George William Erskine Russell (1853 - 1919.)

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F from Blue Mountains, NSW Australia wrote me yesterday suggesting it was innapropriate publishing that photo (scroll down) of the 100 year-old lady lighting a cigarette from her birthday cake candles.

I explained that it was just light-hearted, it made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it; sometimes it's good to have a laugh. Laughing is good for your health. Smoking isn't, of course.

Some people are destined to live a long time, and bad habits don't seem to affect their longevity; sometimes the healthy die young. This of course is a weighty subject, and the topic for another blog, unless anyone wants to comment here.

Here's an interesting report published just recently. I thought this was obvious, but I guess people have forgotten some basics.

Daily Telegraph 08/01/2008

"A healthy lifestyle can increase a person's lifespan by as much as 14 years, scientists have claimed.

Researchers have calculated people can extend the length of their lives by up to 17 per cent by not smoking, drinking only moderately, eating healthily and keeping physically active.

Many studies have highlighted the health risks associated with cigarettes, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet and lack of exercise. However, few have looked at the combined effects of all four on longevity."

More...

Discuss (2 responses) Comment [2] Trackback [0] Extend Your Life