GO PLACIDLY AMID THE NOISE AND THE HASTE, AND REMEMBER WHAT PEACE THERE MAY BE IN SILENCE.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they, too, have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in you own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you for what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere live is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the council of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, 1927
Comments
Yes , it is our secret and we should keep it .I have already liked this line .We have the same line in Arabic language .
Thank you Anele.
I admire every single line of this worth poem . I will translate it into Arabic .I have come across similar prose in Arabic language. They have the same contents . Poems such Desiderataare never ending inspiration to someone like me. They enrich our lives and make us realize life as it is a truly precious gift and it must be treated morally .
Thanks once again , you always bright my day Anele .
I agree with you Hala , Anele has helped me since I joined EC. Her friendship gives me endless motives to move on .
The poem is a wonderful one .The poem has stood the test of time and has stood me well since I read it.
It is very generous of you to read our comments and the poem . Your comments always enrich my blogs dear Hala.
I like your sharp memory Anele .Yes it is a wise proverb .it is realistic enough to be debated. I have commented on a such saying recently .
Well….one day a student in our class asked teacher of history
“Why do we study history? Why we look back and study past events , Whereas we should look for future "
The teacher answered him
“We study it to consider from its events and to correct our previous faults in past time, to avoid those faults in future". I like this answer as much as I like history .
If I extend the comment a little bit more , according to my religious view, I could say that , Man should always look back ..to realize and to be thankful to God .The (human) self is inclined to evil When he feels that he becomes rich he should look back to his poverty in past and thanks God, when he overcomes his plights he should remember when he was involved in troubles….etc , so he should be mindful and thankful to live peacefully with himself .
Thank you so much Anele .
I enjoyed reading the comments as much as the poem itself ! How great to find a helping hand from a friend in desperate moments ,someone who encourage you to improve and believe in you .... this is really the true meaning of friendship .
This poem makes us focus on ourselves ,who we are and what truly love and want to do , a humanitarian view towards life and how we should strive for happiness and always be what we are .The poem is simple but has a profound meaning .Thank you Tawfeeq and Anele !
Best wishes my dear friends !
Thank you Anele for your nice comment .
Now, I know why you like this poem .I like this poem too as it has great lessons with easy simple language .
There was a close resemblance here to my first time in EC. When I joined EC , I was a beginner and I found many difficulties in writing ,I wasn’t good at English at all .
Once ,I wrote a comment which showed my impatience to continue because I could not write something correctly like other members and that was made me feel shy.
You were a friend of mine at that time ,you replied my comment as soon as you received it .you sent me a comment“ carry on Tawfeeq ……and a nice card in which there were effective words :
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself.
( Desiderata)
The comment has a great an influence on me, I recaptured myself with difficulty .It comforted me a lot . I disclaimed fatigue and I continued in EC trying to overcome my plight and don’t compare myself with others ,to learn and improve my skills, and to keep an optimistic view of the near future.
I like your comments Anele.
Thank you Ryszard for your nice comment ,your description is an amazing .