Know Yourself

For years before the narrow windows of my senses I stood, Trying to pierce the nebulous world of outer reality, Hoping to find GOD, One year was following the other, yet I was: Still wondering, Still inquiring, Still demanding. I was lost in the tenebrous world of materiality’s Phenomena, While the true essence of things, evasive as ever, Persistently, escaped the grasp of my disarranged Perception. Unable to see behind the impenetrable veil of Isis, And disappointed with reason’s constant failure, My impatient voice towards the starry heavens I lifted, Asking aloud: Where are You, oh LORD?* For I have been seeking for You so many years now, But I have found You not! I have kept my eyes wide open to see, As many colors of Your creation as possible, And not even for a moment have I shut them, For fear, I missed your resplendent light, But I saw Thee not! I have kept my ears wide-open to hear As many sounds of your creation as possible, And not even for a second have I covered them up For fear, I missed Your sacred voice, But I heard You not! I have kept my hands extended to touch As many things of Your creation as possible And not even for a minute have I held them back, For fear, I missed Your spiritual touch but I Touched You not! I have kept my nostrils wide-open to scent As many perfumes of Your creation as possible And not even for an instant have I held my breath For fear, I missed Your holy aroma but I Scent You not! I have become a famed gourmet to taste As many delicacies of Your creation as possible And not even for an hour have I withheld my appetite For fear, I missed Your heavenly feast, But I tasted You not! WHY? Then, the thunderous voice of the Lord, Coming deep down from the twilight of time, Tearing the eternal heavens apart, Answered me and said: Dear innocent child of Mine; Hasn’t Time taught you: That I am neither to be seen by eyes Nor to be heard by ears? That I am not to be touched by hands Nor to be scent by nostrils? That I am not to be tasted by palates But I am only to be felt by enraptured hearts? Trembling and puzzled, in a shaky timid voice, I dared ask: How could this be done, oh Lord? For I am so weak and ignorant, I do not know the way. Then the compassionate voice of the Lord answered me And said: Don’t call yourself weak and ignorant for I have endowed you with power and knowledge so great, You have only to unearth this incalculable treasure Hidden deep down in your soul and you will be In touch with Me, with eternity, with the universal law, With the light, with the truth, and with every single existence, But first, you have to listen carefully to what I command: Close your eyes for they cannot see Me And cover your ears for they cannot hear Me, Pull back your hands for they cannot touch Me, And hold your breath for it cannot scent Me. Shut your mouth, for it cannot taste me, And stand completely still for you To sense Me At once, I rushed to obey God's divine command, thus: I closed my eyes and saw no more And covered my ears and heard no more I pull back my hands and touched no more And held my breath and scent no more I shut my mouth and tasted no more And stood dead still for a moment, just for a moment alone! And BEHOLD: I felt His ethereal presence enveloping my heart And I saw His celestial light caressing my mind And I heard His heavenly voice calling to my spirit And I touched His angelic essence with my elated thought And I scent His seraphic aroma with my sacred, now, breath And I tasted His rapturous divinity with my blissful soul. Then, immediately, the gates of revelation opened their Heavenly passages wide And in a magnificent lofty parade, in front of my Soul’s dazzled eyes the mysteries of life, one by one, were Unveiled to the last, thus making everything known. And now my enraptured self, jubilant before the eternal truth, In ecstasy exclaims: Thank you, oh Lord, for showing me Thy blessed Essence, Thank You for allowing me to know You now! And the Lord, enigmatically, smiled at me and with His Divine thought tenderly declared: No, my loving child, you only know YOURSELF! © Demetrios Trifiatis 18 February 2021 *Refers to Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto! The sun God and God of fine arts, music, prophecy, poetry, and eloquence! Over the entrance of Apollo’s most famous temple, at Delphi, it was written “ YOU EXIST,” meaning that the only thing man knows about God is that GOD EXISTS, but for Man to acquire wisdom to know God, he had first to follow Apollo’s command to Man, which was “ Know Yourself.” ** This poem was written in 1985 when I was teaching philosophy in Montreal, Canada. It was posted here in 2012 with the title " KNOW THYSELF " Now, after being edited, I repost it with the title" KNOW YOURSELF."