Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tired and Lonely by Dag Hammarskjöld

Tired
And lonely,
So tired
The heart aches.
Meltwater trickles
Down the rocks,
The fingers are numb,
The knees tremble.
It is now,
Now, that you must not give in.
On the path of the others
Are resting places,
Places in the sun
Where they can meet.
But this
Is your path
And it is now,
Now that you must not fail
Weep
If you can, 
Weep,
But do not complain.
The way chose you --
And you must be thankful.








Dr Garcia mentioned the first and last lines of this poem during Levinas class, I looked it up. It made me think of two people. She walks through a dark valley. I don't know why I thought of him; I haven't talked to him in months. But I trust in the universe and in intuition. I sent it to both of them.




Brevity and bluntness of the lines remind one of the slow and pained plodding of one exhausted beyond measure. Her most memorable lines are those that punch straight: Tired / and Lonely / So tired the heart aches. She rings so true, the lines are recognized with a pang of recognition.


An inner revolt accompanies the last lines The way chose you-- / And you must be thankful. To remember that one is human is consoling; we reserve the right to withdraw from hurt. Gratitude radically negates consolation and pain.




It's funny. This is both is and is not a poem of consolation. I recall Alain de Botton's Nietzsche.

2 comments:

  1. This is been one of my favorite poems for almost 50 years. I appreciated your comments.

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  2. It's been 11 years since you wrote this.
    Interestingly, I'm here because Dr. Garcia just read the poem in Levinas course.
    :-)

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