William Kelii Kekaula Poet Prose Poetry

Notes About The Poem

To Thine Own Self Be True: A Mountain's Lesson

Just as a mountain, with its ancient, stony heart, does not try to be a shifting dune or a winding river, but stands in its own immense truth, so must the self stand in its own immutable nature. 

It does not mimic the gentle slope of the foothills, nor envy the ocean’s fleeting tides.  It is simply itself, forged of its own earth and rock, with a single purpose: to endure.

And just as the mountain’s shadow must fall, so does sincerity follow from this internal truth.  The mountain, honest to its very core, casts a shadow that is an unfailing reflection of its own form.

The shadow does not lie; it cannot be false to the mountain, for it is born of the mountain’s very existence.  In the same way, the shadow of a true self—our character, our deeds—must be an honest projection of our inner nature, impossible to betray.

So too does the mountain’s honesty reveal itself to the surrounding valley.  The valley does not question the mountain’s silence or its unyielding strength, for it understands that this is the mountain’s true state of being.

The rivers that carve its face and the trees that cling to its soil learn its boundaries and its seasons, and they grow accordingly.  There is no deceit, no shifting foundation, only the certainty of what is.

In this way, all who interact with the mountain know its reliable truth.  To thine own self be true, and your shadow will never mislead; others will learn to trust the mountain’s steadfast presence, and it must follow, as the night the day, that you cannot be false to any man.

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sara Etgen-Baker October 30, 2025 at 5:50 PM I enjoyed the overarching mountain metaphor. So much wisdom to be found in nature. This poem is a brilliant masterpiece! Faving William Kelii Kekaula October 31, 2025 at 11:28 AM Twas a memorable write, thank you, and your eve, a wela ka hau time! Aloha~William.