A Poem
"Shine, Republic" by Robinson Jeffers
The quality of these trees, green height; of the sky, shining; of water, a clear flow; of the rock, hardness
And reticence: each is noble in its quality. The love of freedom has been the quality of western man.
There is a stubborn torch that flames from Marathon to Concord, its dangerous beauty binding three ages
Into one time; the waves of barbarism and civilization have eclipsed but have never quenched it.
For the Greeks the love of beauty, for Rome of ruling; for the present age the passionate love of discovery;
But in one noble passion we are one; and Washington, Luther, Tacitus, Eschylus, one kind of man.
And you, America, that passion made you. You were not born to prosperity, you were born to love freedom.
You did not say “en masse,” you said “independence.” But we cannot have all the luxuries and freedom also.
Freedom is poor and laborious; that torch is not safe but hungry, and often requires blood for its fuel.
You will tame it against it burn too clearly, you will hood it like a kept hawk, you will perch it on the wrist of Caesar.
But keep the tradition, conserve the forms, the observances, keep the spot sore. Be great, carve deep your heel-marks.
The states of the next age will no doubt remember you, and edge their love of freedom with contempt of luxury.
(Robinson Jeffers, “Shine, Republic” from The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1988).© 1938, Robinson Jeffers, renewed 1966 and copyright © Jeffers Literary Properties. Used by permission Stanford University Press. )
Source: The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers (Stanford University Press, 1988)
I've ben thinking about time lately and how people have changed over the millenia - their view points, habits, goals, and ideals. I think we've reached a new, better age - though it still has its flaws. I agree with what Jeffers says about America today, though he wrote it almost 70 years ago. We do love our freedom, but it blinds us from greater goals and achievements, like sharing the freedom to love with others. People have gotten caught up in luxury and have forgotten the natural world, which I believe we are now attempting to move towards. With the Green Movement and a new sense of Global Community, maybe we can reach a new age of humanity that can outshine the old. Or maybe we'll just lapse into another "Hippie" moment that won't really amount to anything.
I also find it interesting to think about the fact that humans have been on this earth for about 800,000 years or so. When you think of Romans and ancient Greeks you don't necessarily consider them in league with the world of man today. And yet they were just as real as we are. They had their own lives they led and they were more then just characters in a history book. They lived and they are remebered for various reasons. I don't know.
I guess when you consider the passage of time you put things in greater perspective and you really start to question the things that matter in life. We all really want to make a mark on this world and be remembered, but more than that, we want to accomplish something others can admire. Something great that benefits more than the self and sends a message the rest of the world can connect to.
The quality of these trees, green height; of the sky, shining; of water, a clear flow; of the rock, hardness
And reticence: each is noble in its quality. The love of freedom has been the quality of western man.
There is a stubborn torch that flames from Marathon to Concord, its dangerous beauty binding three ages
Into one time; the waves of barbarism and civilization have eclipsed but have never quenched it.
For the Greeks the love of beauty, for Rome of ruling; for the present age the passionate love of discovery;
But in one noble passion we are one; and Washington, Luther, Tacitus, Eschylus, one kind of man.
And you, America, that passion made you. You were not born to prosperity, you were born to love freedom.
You did not say “en masse,” you said “independence.” But we cannot have all the luxuries and freedom also.
Freedom is poor and laborious; that torch is not safe but hungry, and often requires blood for its fuel.
You will tame it against it burn too clearly, you will hood it like a kept hawk, you will perch it on the wrist of Caesar.
But keep the tradition, conserve the forms, the observances, keep the spot sore. Be great, carve deep your heel-marks.
The states of the next age will no doubt remember you, and edge their love of freedom with contempt of luxury.
(Robinson Jeffers, “Shine, Republic” from The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers (Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1988).© 1938, Robinson Jeffers, renewed 1966 and copyright © Jeffers Literary Properties. Used by permission Stanford University Press. )
Source: The Collected Poetry of Robinson Jeffers (Stanford University Press, 1988)
I've ben thinking about time lately and how people have changed over the millenia - their view points, habits, goals, and ideals. I think we've reached a new, better age - though it still has its flaws. I agree with what Jeffers says about America today, though he wrote it almost 70 years ago. We do love our freedom, but it blinds us from greater goals and achievements, like sharing the freedom to love with others. People have gotten caught up in luxury and have forgotten the natural world, which I believe we are now attempting to move towards. With the Green Movement and a new sense of Global Community, maybe we can reach a new age of humanity that can outshine the old. Or maybe we'll just lapse into another "Hippie" moment that won't really amount to anything.
I also find it interesting to think about the fact that humans have been on this earth for about 800,000 years or so. When you think of Romans and ancient Greeks you don't necessarily consider them in league with the world of man today. And yet they were just as real as we are. They had their own lives they led and they were more then just characters in a history book. They lived and they are remebered for various reasons. I don't know.
I guess when you consider the passage of time you put things in greater perspective and you really start to question the things that matter in life. We all really want to make a mark on this world and be remembered, but more than that, we want to accomplish something others can admire. Something great that benefits more than the self and sends a message the rest of the world can connect to.
I think there are credible theories that suggest humans have only been around at MOST 100,000 years...some even suggest no greater than 30,000 years.
ReplyDeleteCalled "young earth" theory. I don't necessarily believe in it but I don't discount it as being totally impossible either.
Perhaps I'll bring that up for us to study and critique one day.
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Yah I couldn't remember whether it was 80,000 or 800,000 -I probably meant 80,000.
ReplyDelete