♫ MEDWYN GOODALL - Water Song (Music for Relaxation & Meditation)

Het Water

Ik staar over het water

Dat net als ik

Ooit in beweging was

Peilloos diep en dreigend zwart

Net als wat ik in je ogen las

Stekeblind, oostindisch doof

Wil ik voor altijd zijn

Om maar niet te zien of kunnen horen

Dat alles is verloren

Zonder jou kan ik niet

Eten, slapen, lopen, dansen, leven

En dus blijf ik hier nu zitten
En blijf ik hier nu wachten
Tot het water ooit weer in beweging komt
En dan drijf ik mee
Tot aan de zee
Waar jij
Op mij zal wachten

De lucht is licht
En eindeloos

En zo ver boven mij

Onaantastbaar en toch

Zo dichtbij

Net als jij

Het staat in de lucht geschreven

Maar op m'n lippen blijft het kleven

Zonder jou kan ik niet

Eten, slapen, lopen, dansen, leven

Dus blijf ik hier nu zitten

En blijf ik hier nu wachten

Tot het water ooit weer in beweging komt

En dan drijf ik mee

Tot aan de zee

Waar jij

Op mij zal wachten

Ik staar over het water
Dat net als ik
Ooit in beweging was

Marco Borsato: Het Water

No Water

Here is no water but only rock
Rock and no water and the sandy road
The road winding above among the mountains
Which are mountains of rock without water
If there were water we should stop and drink
Amongst the rock one cannot stop or think
Sweat is dry and feet are in the sand
If there were only water amongst the rock
Dead mountain mouth of carious teeth that cannot spit
Here one can neither stand nor lie nor sit
There is not even silence in the mountains
But dry sterile thunder without rain
There is not even solitude in the mountains
But red sullen faces sneer and snarl
From doors of mudcracked houses

If there were water

And no rock
If there were rock
And also water
And water
A spring
A pool among the rock
If there were the sound of water only
Not the cicada
And dry grass singing
But sound of water over a rock
Where the hermit-thrush sings in the pine trees
Drip drop drip drop drop drop drop
But there is no water

From T.S.Eliot: The Wasteland; What the Thunder said

Psalm 23

"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." (New International Version)

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul." (New King James)

"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength." (New Living Translation)

"The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. He gives me new strength. " (Good News Bible)

"The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my strength."(New American Bible)

"The Lord ruleth me and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture. He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment: He hath converted my soul." (Douay-Rheims)

"Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing. In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my spirit."(New Jerusalem Bible)

"The Lord takes care of me as his sheep; I will not be without any good thing. He makes a resting-place for me in the green fields: he is my guide by the quiet waters. He gives new life to my soul." (Bible in Basic English)

"You, LORD, are my shepherd. I will never be in need. You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams of peaceful water, and you refresh my life."(Contemporary English Version)

Hesychia Stillness

Today I was reading about Hesychia Stillness in a piece written by John Michael Talbot.

He uses an analogy of a pond to explain the effect of stillness. I quote it here because I cannot write it better than he does:

"The waters are usually agitated in the winds of this world. This stirs up the waters so that they become muddy, and unclear. Where once they could reflect an image of God and his wonderful creation like a fine mirror, now they are unable to reflect any image purely. All that remains is a distortion of the original image.

It is only when the waters settle for a great time that they finally are calm and still. Then we can really see what is within the pond of our soul. Then we can reflect all life around us, and the very image of God. This is why it took Jesus forty days and nights of fasting and prayer in the Judean desert. It is why it takes most serious monks a lifetime. It takes years for us as well.

But this is not the end. This is really just the beginning. Once we can really see within the pond of our soul, we discover that there are all kinds of trash that has been tossed into our life over many years of false patterns of senses, emotions, and thinking. The deepest bottom of our soul has become a collection place of all kinds of garbage. All of this can now be cleaned out as well.

Cleaning out the garbage from our soul is a long process. It took years to collect. It can sometimes take years to clean out as well. It is usually just plain hard discipline and work. Furthermore, it usually stirs the waters of our soul again. Sometimes it seems that after we begin the process of spiritual rebirth, all hell breaks loose. In a sense it has. All the discarded and negative and destructive stuff of our life is now coming to the surface as we haul it out. Our pond may seem downright ugly for a while. But this is just temporary. Compared to living in a continual state of agitation and unclarity, this is definitely doable if we but keep our eyes on the divine goal of the eventual clear and clean waters of our human soul."

http://www.johnmichaeltalbot.com/Reflections/index.asp?id=142

All in grace ...

"All (in grace) is of the same quality, though not of the same quantity. The drop of dew on the blade of grass is as truly water as the ocean."

Attributed to Hawker.

Quoted in The Gospel Standard Magazine, January 1874