This ("Sabbaths, 2005, VII") is a beautiful one from Wendell Berry.
It begins like this:
I know I am getting old and I say so,
but I don't think of myself as an old man.
I think of myself as a young man
with unforeseen debilities.
and ends like this:
...And you, who are as old
almost as I am, I love as I loved you
young, except that, old, I am astonished
at such a possibility, and am duly grateful.
And now you must go here to read the dozen or so lines between that exquisite beginning and that sublime ending.
~~~~~~~~~~
Carol Varsalona has the Poetry Friday round-up today at Beyond LiteracyLink.
(Image by Mirka at Pixabay.)
Karen, the poem is powerful -knowing aging is upon us but not thinking of ourselves as ol is a great thought. "I love these lines from the poem. Time is neither
ReplyDeleteyoung nor old, but simply new, always
counting,
Thanks for this wonderful poem.
I love those lines, too, Carol. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOh, Karen, you always pick out such winners. This is lovely. I can say with Wendell Berry:
ReplyDelete"...that, old, I am astonished
at such a possibility, and am duly grateful."
Thanks, Denise, and oh, yes, I love those lines too. ❤️
DeleteI love the idea that even though we might be old, every day we are new. What a gift love is at any age.
ReplyDeleteYes, Janice, new every day. Such a gift.
DeleteEvery word, a gift, Karen, and the ending will take me through this beautiful day! I am grateful for Wendell Berry & your sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me happy to picture this one accompanying you through your day, Linda. ❤️ I'm grateful for you too!
DeleteAs I spend more time in this world, I appreciate all that my parents went through to stay together, to grow old, and to "love as I have loved you young." Thanks for this beautiful poem.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Margaret!
DeleteThank you Karen for pointing me to Wendell's Poem. I have read other works of his but not that one. I certainly can relate to it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, I can relate too. :)
DeleteWow -- what a poem (new to me). Just exquisitely stated, so full of wisdom, powerful. Much to ponder, to be inspired by, and be grateful for. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jama! Yes, I love Berry's calm wisdom and gratitude.
DeleteOh, Karen, I love that. What a great poem for today. Have you read Wendell Berry's novel "Hannah Coulter"? If not, I highly recommend it. I just read it last fall, and it's one of those books I didn't want to end.
ReplyDeleteSusan, yes, Hannah Coulter is one of my favorite novels. Have you read Jayber Crow? It's also set in the world of Port William. I didn't think it could possibly be as good as Hannah, but I absolutely loved it. Beautiful book!
DeleteI do love Wendell Berry! Thank you for sharing a poem of his I did not know.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Sarah! He has SO MANY POEMS, and there are so many I don't know yet. It's a lifelong mission. :)
DeleteLove W.B. — have got one of his collections in my morning book basket. Thank you, Karen, for sharing this one.
ReplyDeleteelli, starting your day with Berry sounds like a lovely idea. ❤️
DeleteWhen I saw that you were sharing a Wendell Berry poem, my heart lifted. And then it rose even more as I read the beautiful lines you shared. Love is such a triumph. Thanks for sharing this today!
ReplyDeleteMolly, it's such a beautiful one, isn't it?
DeleteThis poem is a great companion to "When You Are Old" by WB Yeatts. Thank you, Karen! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful pairing, Irene! Yes.
DeleteThank you for this loveliness! I've read other Wendell Barry poems, but this is a new one for me.
ReplyDeleteRose, you're welcome. We can't really go wrong with a Berry selection.
DeleteKaren, I have Jayber Crow on my shelf, but have not read it yet! I'm so happy to hear that it's up there with Hannah Coulter.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it, Susan!
DeleteKaren, thanks for this perfect poem to read right around my wedding anniversary. The older I get, the *more* grateful and astonished I am that my husband and I have made it this far (with some very tough times in there!).
ReplyDeleteLaura, us too! :)
DeleteOh, I love the closing lines both before and after reading the whole poem. Thanks, Karen, for introducing this poem to me!
ReplyDeleteCarmela, my pleasure! It's such a lovely one.
DeleteWow, wow and again, wow. This poem is one of those that hits home and home and home. Thank you. I've got these lines in my journal now.
ReplyDeleteBeginning and ending, sure, but for me today it's these middle lines:
ReplyDeleteThere is no science for this, or art either.
Even the old body is new—who has known it
before?—and no sooner new than gone, to be
replaced by a body yet older and again new.
which speak to the challenge I feel (yes, in my own body, full of awkward surprises) and in our body politic, our joint body of humanity which seems to grow no wiser, only crankier and crueler. Berry's words are a little like --well, elbow grease, but more elegant!
Heidi, yes, those lines are exquisite and I love everything you said here!
DeleteSigh. Thanks for this, for a dose of Wendell. These lines echoed my experience: "and no sooner new than gone, to be
ReplyDeletereplaced by a body yet older and again new."
My body never ceases to surprise me!
Mary Lee, I am constantly surprised these days. :)
DeleteMy grandmother would always say that she never *felt* old, and sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she would be surprised to see an "old lady" looking back at her!
ReplyDelete100% Jane. I'll be 65 in a couple months and I still feel ... I don't know? 40-ish? When I look at my hands, I see my mother's hands. :)
ReplyDelete