Tri Duong
 
I HOLD that when a person dies
His soul returns again to earth;
Arrayed in some new flesh-disguise
Another mother gives him birth.
With sturdier limbs and brighter brain
The old soul takes the road again.

Such is my own belief and trust;
This hand, this hand that holds the pen,
Has many a hundred times been dust
And turned, as dust, to dust again;
These eyes of mine have blinked and shown
In Thebes, in Troy, in Babylon.

All that I rightly think or do,
Or make, or spoil, or bless, or blast,
Is curse or blessing justly due
For sloth or effort in the past.
My life's a statement of the sum
Of vice indulged, or overcome.

I know that in my lives to be
My sorry heart will ache and burn,
And worship, unavailingly,
The woman whom I used to spurn,
And shake to see another have
The love I spurned, the love she gave.

And I shall know, in angry words,
In gibes, and mocks, and many a tear,
A carrion flock of homing-birds,
The gibes and scorns I uttered here.
The brave word that I failed to speak
Will brand me dastard on the cheek.

And as I wander on the roads
I shall be helped and healed and blessed;
Dear words shall cheer and be as goads
To urge to heights before unguessed.
My road shall be the road I made;
All that I gave shall be repaid.

So shall I fight, so shall I tread,
In this long war beneath the stars;
So shall a glory wreathe my head,
So shall I faint and show the scars,
Until this case, this clogging mould,
Be smithied all to kingly gold.
38 Responses

  1. dirtfarmer Says:

    awesome. i like to believe in reincarnation myself.


  2. Mithridates Says:

    One is All and All is One.

    All come from the Earth, and so shall all Return.

    Great poem.


  3. Anonymous Says:

    I used to think that I believed reincarnation was real, and then I decided I was fooling myself, and that I'd always known it wasn't really feasible. It's a nice poem, but I prefer others that you've posted more.


  4. Flippy Says:

    such an eerily serene yet thought provoking image. The dichotomy is really interestin there


  5. Drew Blues Says:

    Wow. That's really good. Sad, but some of the best art ever created is sad.

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  6. I really liked this. Reincarnation is something I often wonder about, and it's nice to see it discussed prettily.





  7. Squall Says:

    Caroline, you are awesome :)



  8. Anonymous Says:

    very beautiful man i like it very much


  9. did you shop that photo yourself? i love it!


  10. MySNsucks923 Says:

    So pretty.... 4.5/5 lol


  11. Nerd Life Says:

    wow, this mimics what I'm feeling... my gf just left to go to medical school



  12. Jimmy Volmer Says:

    is this actually a song?


  13. SC2 Strats Says:

    good stuff for sure. awesome blog, you got a new follower!


  14. I love his style. I dunno what it is about him but he always manages to stand out for other poets.



  15. BLUERAD Says:

    Long time no see Caroline, liking this poem very much, how has it been going lately?


  16. Very touching, going to remember this one.


  17. Anonymous Says:

    its really beautiful


  18. Anonymous Says:

    I always find poetry more enjoyable if I agree with the subject matter. Nicely written nonetheless, I've not encountered John Masefield before.


  19. Anonymous Says:

    Man, keep up the good work, I love your poems :]


  20. Nico Says:
    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

  21. Anonymous Says:

    beautiful story man





  22. Unknown Says:

    Good job! This is great poetry!







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