The Madman

[Geoff-Allen]

I wasn't too sure where to post this. It isn't really a poem - I found it on the web many many years ago and forgot to record the author's identity and google doesn't help me pin it down ...

The Madman said to the wind: "They are
confused, for they have divided it into body,
mind and soul."

And the wind replied: "If two, moving in the
night, shall stumble upon total ecstacy, they
shall awaken from themselves and discover
one sound, one feeling, and the indescribable
joy of unseparated love. They will not perceive
a body, a mind and a soul, but one love dancing
into and out of time and form; happily blooming
and fading into that unapproachable mystery."

The madman asked: "When will they awaken
from sleep?"

And the wind replied: "What does it matter if they
do or not? Though each dream does not know
itself as the one dreamer, the one dreamer knows
itself as each dream. It is all just a happening, a
rising and a falling, like the waves of a great ocean.
Once a single wave has arisen, it fears falling back.
In its fear it invents infinite visions and dreams to
comfort itself; tales of powers and forces it tells
itself will make itself eternal. But when it falls back,
it laughs, as the ocean, at its ignorance as a wave."
The madman was surprised at this. Smiling to
himself, he departed, the flame burning brightly
in his heart.

The Madman 2

He turned to the wind and said:

"How long was I asleep? And why did not
you call to me?"

And the wind replied:

"I called to you from murmuring brooks and
golden ponds. I called to you from raging
storms and purple sunsets.I called to you
from heights of passion in the heat of night."
"I called to you from behind the eyes of babes,
and through the voice of sage and wizard."

"I called to you from white-capped hills across
the way; from beauty standing as a single rose
in fields of green; from voices of despair and grief
from those who passed by you; from the travail
and joy and art and sickness of humanity."
"I called to you but you could not hear, for you
were busy calling ME."

And his eyes lit up at this saying. And his feet
began to dance. And his mouth began to sing.
And his eyes began to weep for this: The light
turned fully on; the shadow gone into obscurity.

The Madman 4

He said to the wind: "Who am I?"

And the wind replied: "The one who is
asking: Ask him to ask himself that
question."

And he asked himself: "Who am I?"

And he listened but no answer came.

The wind smiled and left him in that state.

When he returned, he asked him: "Did you
find an answer?"

And he turned and said: "There was no one
to answer."

And the wind replied: "Then what has hap-
pened to the question?"

He said: "If there is no one to answer then
I shall never know."

And the wind said: "Then what of he who
asks?"

And he said: "If there was no one to answer,
how could there be someone to ask? That
seems fair, doesn't it?"

And they left, each laughing at this joke.

The Madman 5

The madman said: "They are destroying
themselves. It is as if they approach a cliff
with open eyes and take not even one step
backwards. What will become of them?"

The wind replied: "Let not your heart dwell
on the destiny of mankind. Call to them
gently and lovingly from your joy. Sing your
songs with happiness. The destiny of man
is mans' to choose. Some will listen and
awaken. Others will turn from you."

The madman said: "Even the noble lion
does not destroy himeself. It is sad, this
tragedy."

And the wind said: "Dwell not on the des-
tiny of man. It is their dream--neither sad
nor hopeful. Sing to them from within the
bliss. Some will hear and some will not.
It is but one dream amidst an infinity of
others. If you see someone caught in a
nightmare, shake him gently. If he does
not awaken, move away without regret."

But he was not yet still. "Must it come to
this?"

The wind said: "Stand in that stillness. Dwell
in the quiet. For what is still casts forth the
reflection of the one who looks upon it. Be
like a quiet pool: Those who come to it may
drink of its substance and replenish them-
selves. Those who are soiled may bathe in
it and become clean. Those who are heavily
burdened may relax in it and renew their
strength. Do nothing...... BE!"

And he understood this saying and became
silent--his heart at peace, his mind at rest,
his soul at one again with the way of life.

The Madman 6

And he, observing all the pain and suffering of man said:"I am confused. In
the fullness of creative love why is it not
different? Why must they have pain in
their experience? Why should they suffer
so? Even the children, the innocent among them suffer."

And the wind replied: "They are as much
blessed in their pain as in their pleasure.
Why does your heart look in only one di-
rection? Turn yourself in each of the four
directions and tell me what you see."

He turned himself and saw a world without
life. There were no manifested forms, neither
plant nor animal nor man. There was only
putrefication, the stench of death, for all had
perished. There was not one thing left alive.
He could not bear this sight and closed his
eyes to the desolation. His lips could not
speak the horrors he had seen.

And the wind said: "Through their pain shall
they know their needs. The flesh is weak and
cannot endure the onslaught of forces greater
than itself either from within or from without.
Through pain the form is given foresight, know-
ledge of the danger of its present state. Look
upon it totally and not from fear, that you may
know the fullness of compassion, and the
intelligence of love and creativity. Judge not
life, but seek to comprehend its ways completely and you will be subject neither to the
confusion of fear nor to the fear of confusion."
When he opened his eyes again he saw the
world in a different light. He was at peace with
the ways of life and comprehended within him-
self the action of love at work in the world.

Continues ...

 

[Geoff-Allen]

The Madman 7

And he said to the wind: "I am ready now. I have
studied them and know their ways. I have looked
upon the moon and the stars and see all things
clearly. I am ready now to speak to man, to teach
these things I have discovered".

And the wind replied: "There is one more thing".

And he rendered him dumb.

And the wind said: "Now you are ready".

But he, in his desire, could not hear truth. He
went away confused, deeply disturbed in his
heart. As he walked in the wilderness he came
upon a dying rose. His heart melted at its fading
beauty. He reached out his hand and touched it
and it was renewed.

And the wind smiled at him.

As he wandered the earth unable to speak, he
came upon two people fighting. He looked
at them, wishing he could speak to them, to
to say something that would help them see
what they were doing to each other. His pas-
sion opened his heart and he went up to them
and touched them. He looked at them deeply
and they understood and walked away together
in friendship.

And the wind smiled at this.

A wild animal approached him suddenly and
he was afraid. But his heart opened and he
saw its beauty and its power. Slowly he
approached the animal and reached out
his hand and touched it. And the animal sat
at his feet in calmness and peace.

Suddenly his voice returned to him and he
shouted with joy. He thanked the wind for
this great gift. He asked: "Why did you
give it back to me".

And the wind replied: "Because now you
no longer need it. The true power is not
in your words. It is in your heart and in your
intentions. That animal would not attack you,
and those men did not strike you. For both
animal and man recognize what is harmless,
what is still. And both are uplifted by love.
Words may startle, but the power of quiet
love works its way into the darkest heart
and the wildest spirit and calms it and restores
its own inward knowledge of its love. That
power is greatest which is unheard and un-
seen, for it completes its task before can be
discovered".

And he understood, and went away at peace
with himself.

The Madman 8

He asked the wind: "What is love, and who am I?"

He blinked his eyes but could not open them again. There was only an infinite, intelligent light. This light was exploding outwardly from itself in all directions, yet it was not moving in any space and was without any time. It did not begin or end but was present, moving.

He said: "What is this?"

And the wind said: "Behold yourself".

And he exploded into being as countless universes and worlds. It was the fierceness and calmness of energy, measureless, boundless. It was beyond joy, beyond word, beyond any possible expression. He was the fury of beauty creating itself without intention, the light becoming sound and mind and density. He was the possibility of action and the action of possibility. He was all things on all levels, yet there were no levels and there were no things.

He saw the same light explode and become an ocean, a tree, a cosmos, and knew it was also himself. He saw the whole immensity of human knowledge hovering in the spaceless, a single dot arising from the light amidst the fierceness of moving, changing love.

And he beheld his nature as humanity and knew each one of them was himself, his mind, a fleeting vision of his own expanding love. But they did not know themselves as him, as his own mind expanding, learning of itself as man, as body, as knowledge, feeling and idea. They were confused in their growth, feeling bound by what their eyes could see. They could not comprehend the blissful joy of light creating them without a single care. They were him, his own love, and knew it not.
And so, his compassion dwelt among them for a season, healing himself both with and without words. His touch, his gaze, the freedom of his unintended love healed the fires around them, and they knew it not , for they were seeking, hoping, searching for the light which was themselves. He smiled at himself through their eyes, the eyes of love moving towards itself.....

And after his eye had blinked and opened once again, he faced the wind but could not speak. No word was adequate, none big enough to say that love, that beauty. He walked alone along the path towards home, that light shining from his eyes. All who crossed his path, both animal and man, were refreshed, made vibrant, without knowing how or why.

But the wind knew. And he knew. In the blinking of an eye he had died and been reborn forever. He would never die again.

Madman 9

He said to the wind: "Why does man experience
anger, fear and violence. And what is peace?"
In that same moment a man appeared on the path,
came up to him and struck him a terrific blow. He
grew very angry and struck that man. And the
man disappeared.

The wind removed him from himself and showed
him his heart and mind, how he had appeared when
he was in that state. He was ashamed of himself and
declared that he would never be moved by anger
again.

In that same moment a man appeared on the path
and came up to him and struck him a terrific blow. His
face grew tense and his fingers curled themselves into
a fist. He drew back his hand but could not strike the
man. And the man disappeared. He was confused by
his own actions because his anger remained.

He asked the wind: "Why was I not able to strike that
man?"

The wind smiled and a third man appeared, came up to
him and struck his face. Suddenly, his vision changed
and he became the man who had struck him. He felt
the anger in his heart, the fear and sadness. His mind
saw the horrors of the past, his pain and sorrow, his
loneliness, his disappointments, the violence he had
endured. He saw visions of a child unloved and cast
aside.

And his soul was moved. The wind lifted his vision
and the stranger returned, raised his fist again and
struck him. But his heart quickened and became alive,
and his eyes filled with tears. He felt overwhelming
love descend upon himself and he embraced that man
and wept with him.

And when the man was gone the wind said to him:

"Why does man experience anger, fear and violence.
And what is peace?"

He did not answer but walked away, his soul at rest,
his eyes bright with joy.

The Madman 10

The madman said: "I have heard that love is
born in humanity, that that light is there from
the beginning. If that is so, why is there such
suffering, such sorrow in the world? Why does
not that light shine?"

The wind cast forth a seed upon the ground
and said to the madman: "What do you see?"

And he answered: "It is a common seed".

The wind said: "Let not your eyes blind you to
the truth of life. The same light that is in that
seed is in humanity. Mankind will say that a
tree of a hundred feet will manifest from this
seed one day, but I tell you that tree exists al-
ready. It exists now in its fullness or it could
not exist at all."

His mind could not hold that saying, and he
became confused.

The wind smiled at him and said: "Do not be
disturbed at this. It is one light, one love. It
is neither broken nor made less by the shape
it takes. The sorrow of humanity is the sorrow
of the shape which does not see its fulness and
thus, believes it is abandoned, devoid of light
and must therefore, seek it.

"But the seed, the shape, is the light, and is on-
ly light. It is the eye, and the mind which looks
through the eye, that blinds man to the light of
the world. And so, he stumbles along in igno-
rance, feeling isolated, afraid, and jealously de-
fending what he tells himself is light. He clings
to each small shape and form he sees, fighting
for them, killing for them, not seeing that all
things, as himself, are light."

"It is sorrow for nothing, for he is born complete
and can never be incomplete. He is fooled by the
outer shape, by the manifestation. The light is
ever shining, ever bright. And when humanity
will cast from itself its belief in darkness, in that
instant shall the fulness of light shine forth
in them and make them whole and heal them."

He went away in silence, comprehending the truth
about himself and the world. And his heart was
healed.

 

[Craig Sedok]

I wasn't too sure where to post this. It isn't really a poem - I found it on the web many many years ago and forgot to record the author's identity and google doesn't help me pin it down ...

The Madman said to the wind: "They are
confused, for they have divided it into body,
mind and soul."

And the wind replied: "If two, moving in the
night, shall stumble upon total ecstacy, they
shall awaken from themselves and discover
one sound, one feeling, and the indescribable
joy of unseparated love. They will not perceive
a body, a mind and a soul, but one love dancing
into and out of time and form; happily blooming
and fading into that unapproachable mystery."

The madman asked: "When will they awaken
from sleep?"

And the wind replied: "What does it matter if they
do or not? Though each dream does not know
itself as the one dreamer, the one dreamer knows
itself as each dream. It is all just a happening, a
rising and a falling, like the waves of a great ocean.
Once a single wave has arisen, it fears falling back.
In its fear it invents infinite visions and dreams to
comfort itself; tales of powers and forces it tells
itself will make itself eternal. But when it falls back,
it laughs, as the ocean, at its ignorance as a wave."
The madman was surprised at this. Smiling to
himself, he departed, the flame burning brightly
in his heart.

The Madman 2

He turned to the wind and said:

"How long was I asleep? And why did not
you call to me?"

And the wind replied:

"I called to you from murmuring brooks and
golden ponds. I called to you from raging
storms and purple sunsets.I called to you
from heights of passion in the heat of night."
"I called to you from behind the eyes of babes,
and through the voice of sage and wizard."

"I called to you from white-capped hills across
the way; from beauty standing as a single rose
in fields of green; from voices of despair and grief
from those who passed by you; from the travail
and joy and art and sickness of humanity."
"I called to you but you could not hear, for you
were busy calling ME."

And his eyes lit up at this saying. And his feet
began to dance. And his mouth began to sing.
And his eyes began to weep for this: The light
turned fully on; the shadow gone into obscurity.

The Madman 4

He said to the wind: "Who am I?"

And the wind replied: "The one who is
asking: Ask him to ask himself that
question."

And he asked himself: "Who am I?"

And he listened but no answer came.

The wind smiled and left him in that state.

When he returned, he asked him: "Did you
find an answer?"

And he turned and said: "There was no one
to answer."

And the wind replied: "Then what has hap-
pened to the question?"

He said: "If there is no one to answer then
I shall never know."

And the wind said: "Then what of he who
asks?"

And he said: "If there was no one to answer,
how could there be someone to ask? That
seems fair, doesn't it?"

And they left, each laughing at this joke.

The Madman 5

The madman said: "They are destroying
themselves. It is as if they approach a cliff
with open eyes and take not even one step
backwards. What will become of them?"

The wind replied: "Let not your heart dwell
on the destiny of mankind. Call to them
gently and lovingly from your joy. Sing your
songs with happiness. The destiny of man
is mans' to choose. Some will listen and
awaken. Others will turn from you."

The madman said: "Even the noble lion
does not destroy himeself. It is sad, this
tragedy."

And the wind said: "Dwell not on the des-
tiny of man. It is their dream--neither sad
nor hopeful. Sing to them from within the
bliss. Some will hear and some will not.
It is but one dream amidst an infinity of
others. If you see someone caught in a
nightmare, shake him gently. If he does
not awaken, move away without regret."

But he was not yet still. "Must it come to
this?"

The wind said: "Stand in that stillness. Dwell
in the quiet. For what is still casts forth the
reflection of the one who looks upon it. Be
like a quiet pool: Those who come to it may
drink of its substance and replenish them-
selves. Those who are soiled may bathe in
it and become clean. Those who are heavily
burdened may relax in it and renew their
strength. Do nothing...... BE!"

And he understood this saying and became
silent--his heart at peace, his mind at rest,
his soul at one again with the way of life.

The Madman 6

And he, observing all the pain and suffering of man said:"I am confused. In
the fullness of creative love why is it not
different? Why must they have pain in
their experience? Why should they suffer
so? Even the children, the innocent among them suffer."

And the wind replied: "They are as much
blessed in their pain as in their pleasure.
Why does your heart look in only one di-
rection? Turn yourself in each of the four
directions and tell me what you see."

He turned himself and saw a world without
life. There were no manifested forms, neither
plant nor animal nor man. There was only
putrefication, the stench of death, for all had
perished. There was not one thing left alive.
He could not bear this sight and closed his
eyes to the desolation. His lips could not
speak the horrors he had seen.

And the wind said: "Through their pain shall
they know their needs. The flesh is weak and
cannot endure the onslaught of forces greater
than itself either from within or from without.
Through pain the form is given foresight, know-
ledge of the danger of its present state. Look
upon it totally and not from fear, that you may
know the fullness of compassion, and the
intelligence of love and creativity. Judge not
life, but seek to comprehend its ways completely and you will be subject neither to the
confusion of fear nor to the fear of confusion."
When he opened his eyes again he saw the
world in a different light. He was at peace with
the ways of life and comprehended within him-
self the action of love at work in the world.

Continues ...

There are six directions. North, south, east, west, up and down. A world is what we are born into. Love is a binder. Three rings of metal and then a book before. What an old memory. If one of these individuals of the papyrus days comes back to say a few things, would this world disparage his ideas or accept his reverberations of thoughts as truth?