“The Guest House” by Jalaluddin Rumi. “This human being is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor” (translated by Coleman Barks). Rumi was a 13th century Persian poet born in Afghanistan. He was a Sufi mystic, but, like all of his work, “The Guest House” transcends cultures and religions. Read more of it (and other poems by Rumi) at peacefulrivers.homestead.com/Rumipoetry2.html.
“Desiderata” by Max Erhman. “Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should.” I first heard this poem in the late 60’s, when someone made a recording of it, mainly spoken, but with a couple of the lines put to music. For a long time, a rumor had circulated that “Desiderata” was found on a plaque in a 17th-century church, and that’s what we all heard when the recording came out. The poem was actually written by Erhman in the 1920’s.
“Desiderata” may not be a work of brilliance, but its modest advice is worth repeating when life seems too noisy and complicated. Read it here. http://www.fleurdelis.com/desidera.htm.
“Peonies” by Mary Oliver. All of Oliver’s poetry makes my heart sing, but “Peonies” is one is one of my favorites. You can find it at famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/mary_oliver/poems/15823. (This website has a great collection of other Oliver poems as well).
If any of you have favorite poems—especially ones you go to when you’re feeling stressed, depressed, or simply tired—I’d love to hear about them. Don’t post the poem itself unless you’re sure it is out of copyright, but let us know about it.
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Sources:
Katz, Barbara J., “Popular Prose-Poem Is No Work of the Ages: ‘Desiderata’: A Product of an Obscure Lawyer” The Washington Post 17 Nov, 1977: n.p.
Rumi, Jalaluddin. The Illuminated Rumi. Trans. Coleman Barks. New York: Broadway Books, 1997).