Spell Against Sorrow by Kathleen Raine

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Spell Against Sorrow

Who will take away
Carry away sorrow,
Bear away grief/

Stream wash away
Float away sorrow,
Flow away, bear away
Wear away sorrow,
Carry away grief.

Mists hide away
Shroud my sorrow,
Cover the mountains,
Overcloud remembrance,
Hide away grief.

Earth take away
Make away sorrow,
Bury the lark's bones
Under the turf.
Bury my grief.

Black crow tear away
Rend away sorrow,
Talon and beak
Pluck out the heart
And the nerves of pain,
Tear away grief.

Sun take away
Melt away sorrow,
Dew lies grey,
Rain hangs on the grass,
Sun dry tears.

Sleep take away
Make away sorrow,
Take away the time,
Fade away place,
Carry me away
From the world of my sorrow.

Song sigh away
Breathe away sorrow,
Words tell away,
Spell away sorrow,
Charm away grief.

Kathleen Raine, 1952

i found this poem years ago when i was going through a very sad time.  
I am not this sad now, i just remembered it and thought it was a nice one to share.

i watched 'Eat, Pray, Love' that same day i wrote the last entry.  i thought it would probably be one of those 'all you need is love' or 'everyone can have anything they want' stuff films.  its wasnt tho.  anyway, cut a long story short i liked the woman's general message which went something like :-

be courageous enough to leave everything behind (gulp!)
see everyone you meet on the way as a teacher
see me - see my memory
i cant remember the rest!!!!!

anyway it all made me realize how closed off and couried-in i have become, attached to all the props that give me the illusion of safety and of purpose.

another part of me just says 'accept'.  this is how i am. i have had enough of trying to improve myself for someone else - improve myself to be deserving. 

i have no idea why on earth i am blogging all this - talking to myself? and why not?!

Comments

dritanje said…
It is a lovely poem indeed. your words re eat sleep and pray or whatever the title was [don't think i've got it quite right] made me think - I only know of one person who let go of everything in his life i mean everything, and i've had the great pleasure to meet him. It's very different when you go away and know or think you know - for who really knows? that you will come back, that you have somewhere to come back to. It may take some courage but not so very much. I just had a conversation the other night re wanting to explore the unknown and also wanting to hang onto the familiar, i think this is very human and hey yes, why not accept ourselves the way we are? We all need props i don't know anyone who doesn't have them. The guy who went away for several years now lives in a house pretty much like most people. And continues to write. And suffer the usual trials that we all do and some that most of us fortunately do not have to. lots love M xxx
28 June 2011 at 18:47
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