The seeker's universe
Thirteen Love-Flames
//Thirteen Love-Flames// was written by Sri Chinmoy while he was flying from New York to Trinidad on Pan Am, on 25 April 1971.1.
God is a Man,I love His Face,
His blue-gold Love,
My heaven-bound race.
2.
God is a Woman,I am Her doll.
She is my Love,
She is my All.
3.
A world of Silence-LightBeckons my brooding night.
A world of Light's Delight
Devours my bondage-blight.
4.
O Lord, my Master-Love, how far are we?How far from ecstasy's silence-embrace?
Heavy is my heart with sleepless
sighs and pangs;
I know my bleeding core, our meeting-place.
5.
A week of ecstasy's highest heightDrank deep my tiny life's feeble breath.
At last, beyond the bondage-night,
My fulfilled world, my transformed death.
6.
Ah!simple to learn my Supreme's
Message-Light,
Easy to do His glowing and fulfilling Task.
In me now sings and sports His Nectar-Day,
In His Glory's Sky, my Goal and I shall bask.
7.
Easy to succeed but hard to failIn feeding my bosom's climbing flame.
Therefore I sail and on I sail:
My life, my Beloved's promise-game.
8.
My life began with duty's pride,My life shall live with beauty's light.
My life shall sport with reality's soul,
My life shall end with Divinity's Height.
9.
He is gone, my Love, my Lord Supreme is gone,Leaving me safe our tempest-ecstasy's sky.
He is gone, my Love, my Lord Supreme is gone,
Leaving me safe His Wings to Him to fly.
10.
A life of joy is the love of GodAnd God's Concern is a life of love.
And life in love and love in life,
Man's Perfection-Dawn below, above.
11.
Into the world of beauty's flame,Into the world of offering's game,
Into the world of lustre-flood,
I came, I came, my existence came.
12.
O how can I live with myself alone?O how can I, and why?
Without my Supreme's Heart of Love.
My life, a barren sigh.
13.
O Lord, where is the Truth?"Where your Beloved is."
Who is my Beloved, who?
"In Whom your life is peace."
Thirteen Teardrops
//Thirteen Teardrops// was written while Sri Chinmoy was flying from Trinidad to Jamaica on British West Indies Airways, on 26 April 1971.1.
My Lord is gone, my world is gone.Him my bleeding breath never shall see.
My Love is gone, my Goal is gone.
In me now grows a venom-tree.
2.
I journeyed into time,I journeyed into space,
I journeyed into skies,
I failed to see His Face.
3.
Where do You live, O Silence-Guest?Where is Your Nest, where is Your Nest?
O Silence-Host, where do You stay?
Where is Your Spirit's endless Ray?
4.
Go away, doubt!Don't laugh, don't shout.
Alas, doubt-knife,
You have punctured my life.
5.
Lifeless is the seed of Time in me.Goalless is my eyeless journey's start.
Although I cry, although I sigh,
Within, without looms large death-dart.
6.
Fear-tear all-where,Sheer-cheer nowhere.
Love-dove flew away,
Night-blight here to stay.
7.
I lost my soul when I was born,I lost my heart when earth I embraced.
I lost my Goal when doubt I fed,
I lost my All when hope I chased.
8.
One thing, for sure, I know: how to cry.Two things I know, indeed: cry and sigh.
Three things I know: cry, sigh and sink.
What more do I need before I die?
9.
With doubt my mind began,With fear my heart began,
With clay my life began,
All in this shortest span.
10.
Again and againStark bondage-chain
Captures my world,
Threatens my reign.
11.
No will to live, no life to love,No joy to share, no thought to think,
No peace to breathe, no Goal to see:
My life and I, together we sink.
12.
There is no rhyme for my Lord save Love.There is no rhyme for my life save Power.
I know, I know, yet dare I not
Smash asunder my ignorance-Tower.
13.
Ah!there He comes and there He goes.
Hope-seeds in my sleepless heart He sows.
Ah!
there He comes and there He goes.
To a goalless shore my life-boat flows.
Thirteen Sky-Wings
//Thirteen Sky-Wings// was written by Sri Chinmoy while he was staying at the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Kingston, Jamaica.1.
Thirteen Love-Flames,Thirteen Teardrops,
Thirteen Sky-Wings
Made me God-Crops.
2.
Sleeping sound and crying long,Singing sweet and dancing pure,
I saw my only Own.
In me my God shall endure.
3.
Just a little love, just a little loveFrom me You received.
In return, me You gave Your All:
Fulfilment achieved.
4.
An ant like me to saveYou came into this world of dust and clay.
A beggar like me to love
And give me a role sublime in
Your Cosmic Play.
5.
Only once I loved God,His Love and Height are won.
He now is my perfect slave;
I am His Fulfilment-son.
6.
None came to me, none came and noneshall come.
Only my Supreme Beloved came, only He.
I cried for His Smile, and He, for my
selfless love.
Sleepless in me He grows His Vision-Tree.
7.
O high I flew to see God's HomeAnd far I ran to see God's Eye
And deep I dived to feel God's Love.
Behold the wings of my victory-sky!
8.
Today, today, todayAlone with God I stay;
Tomorrow and forever
With His Compassion-Ray.
9.
There was a time when I stumbledand stumbled,
But now I only climb and climb beyond
And far beyond my Goal's endless Beyond.
And yet my Captain commands:
"Go on, go on!"
10.
For just a little smile from You,You I gave my body, heart and soul!
For just a little love from You,
You I made all my lives' only Goal!
11.
I sighed and wailed with frustration-night,And then I sailed with Salvation-Light,
And now I sing with Perfection-Height:
Delight, delight, a flood of delight.
12.
Long dead the night of my mind,Long awake the dawn of my heart,
Long revealed the sun of my soul.
God and man!
Am I not smart?
13.
O Supreme, my Father-Son,Now that we two are one,
And won by each other, won,
Nothing remains undone.
Editor's preface to first edition
This book of spiritual poetry has been published in 1971 by the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Jamaica, West Indies.The Master offers his deepest joy and blessings to Satyavan and Savitri (Mr. Edgar and Mrs. Pansy de Mercado) for their dedicated service in connection with the publication of A seeker's universe.
Cover design by Purna (Miss Laurie-Ann Hoo).
