Best Heraclitus Poems
...Apologies to Heraclitus and W. H. Auden...
We, defeated by the merest things,
in defeat, endure...for now.
No abiding truth in faith:
origins and destinations
we cannot differentiate,
all random, unguided
by any prescient power;
but, not illogical
(there is no illogic.)
We impose all universal order,
influence what subsequently occurs,
to learn, or not, through endless repetition,
endless failure...and we are
but a current iteration,
here for now -- in constant flux,
defeated by the merest things.
Courage and nobility derived
from continued confrontation,
continued endless struggle,
let us show an affirming flame.
The amount of good and evil
Constant remains
Throughout space and time
There is
No more suffering than good fortune
No more good fortune than suffering
In the universe and in the human soul
This is the law of being,
A constant flux of the two forces
Expression of a single reality in
Perfect balance.
The one cannot exist without the other
Even if we like it or not
Even if we wish it or not,
We have to accept it and live in peace
Or deny it and live in suffering,
That is the will of the universe:
A harmonious unity of the two opponents
Based on collaboration and coexistence
Of each individual part
For
The whole to be maintained
Under
The watchful eye of the
Universal justice!*
(c) Demetrios Trifiatis
15 November 2016
-
*Old Testament Isaiah 45: 5,6,7. KJV
-
5: I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me : I girded thee, though thou hast not known me.
6: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.
7: I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
-
** Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, sixth century B.C., (Kirk, Raven, 209) “To God all things are beautiful and good and just but men suppose some things to be just and others unjust!"
-
Heraclitus!
Can we never step in the
Same water twice?
For other waters are forever
Flowing onto us!
I try to think of ways to
Cheat your wisdom.
What if the waters are frozen?
Surely then I can keep what
I never want to lose?
But a frozen stream like
An icy soul denies
And bars admittance.
Were they only dreams?
Things already past!
Nothing endures but change
You say? Then tell me man
Why ever pain; seems the only
One to stay?
Continuation from previous poem
We reached the footer of a castle steep,
Seven times by walls encircled very tall,
Defended by a river hard to leap.
We overpassed it as hard ground at all;
Through seven doors I entered with these wise:
We reached a fresh green lawn nice to enthrall.
There were people with old and severe eyes
Whose appearance exuded mighty guide:
They seldom spoke, had voices with sweet rise.
We were turned out then walking far outside,
In open terrain, tall and full of light,
Such as the view of all was just implied.
There straight on, staying over the green bright,
The wonderful souls I was clearly shown
That seeing them in me I feel delight.
I saw Elettra with mates not alone,
Hector and Aeneas were there,
Caesar armed, with eyes of rapacious tone.
I saw Camilla and Pantasilea in pair;
On other side I saw the Latin king
With child Lavinia sat on a chair.
Bruto who Tarquinio pushed out bring,
Lucrets, July, Marsia and Cornelia;
And saw Saladin to solitude cling.
After I elevated a bit more my cilia
I saw sat the master and those who know
Philosophers’ memorabilia.
All him admire, just all is honor grow:
I then saw Socratis and Plato here,
Who well closer to him than others stow;
Democritus, whose world is random mere,
Diogenes, Anaxogoras and Thales then
Empedocles, Heraclitus , Zenon were;
And the good collector I saw when
Dioscoris was; and Orpheus I saw,
Tulio, Lino , Seneca moral been;
Euclid geometric, Ptolemy raw,
Hippocrat, Avicen, Galien too,
Averois, who the great comment foresaw.
I cannot fully tell of all just through,
But the full theme is pushing me so long,
That many times my word becomes not true.
The group of six is now of two less strong:
Another way is choosing my guide bright
Out of the quiet air, to trembling wrong.
And I am going where there is no light.
When my pen hits the paper
I grow anxious and eager to write another caper
Steadily and gracefully then I lift my pen
I ponder with my thoughts on subject matter and where to begin
I hunger for one last metaphorical rhyme
As my thoughts race to my fingers, words form into sentences line after line
As a child of destiny I accept my fate
I have a lifetime of transgressions that awaits
So many words are buried deep in my sympathetic soul
The metaphoric rhyming words and phrases start to flow
Right away I start to contemplate and calculate
My words have to inspire and its meaning has to have weight
I will never stop from exerting my efforts, this is a must
God only knows how to guide us
We all know that evolution is inevitable
Also that nothing is contingent and coincidental
Our faults are no secret, despite our mistakes His love will never abate
To be honest our destiny is ours and we control our own fate
Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny.
Harry S Truman
A man's character is his fate.
Heraclitus
I'm not somebody that thinks about destiny and fate, but I don't walk away from it when something unfolds.
Angelina Jolie
A white city here lies –
a trace of centuries gone.
An old man Heraclitus
awoke freely at dawn.
At the bank of the sea
was a heavenly drop.
In the valley at hills
became ripened its crop.
Great sons of Artemis –
so her wrath to go down –
offered gifts to their miss –
a bleeding girl.
King of all – Alexander
built around a great wall.
Trajan fountain over there
made water fall.
To the Brothel itself,
from the Heracles Gate,
marched a Hellene himself
not afraid of gods` hate.
From far regions away,
from other lots,
brought St. John a God’s word
in the temple of gods.
Marble white shining on,
carcass, pieces and bits.
There is quite Odeon –
its descendants fame is.
Greek philosopher Heraclitus:
“We can’t, though this sounds ridiculous,
dip even our five toes
into water that flows
through the same stream twice; ‘flux’ won’t let us."
FRIEND of WISDOM
Philosopher, they call me,
Following Pythagoras of old,
A friend of wisdom it means and
Nothing more.
For years philosophy’s principles
I tried to understand and
For decades her ethics strived
To apply
Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Heraclitus
My subjects were, thus
Faithfully devoted to
Their teaching
With no success, I confess
From my part
But not because of a lack
Of trying
And now,
That my life's end, I discern clearer
By the day
To my horror came to realize
That although loyal a FRIEND of WISDOM
I have remained to this day
WISDOM herself NEVER thought of me
THE SAME WAY!
© Demetrios Trifiatis
13 January 2013
I
At home with Shankara & Ramanuja
As with Spinoza, Kant, and Buber
Seventy years on earth, to 1950, heir
To Thought of East, West, 'Father Nature'
Fought for Independent India, from 'Raj'
Taught we must do spiritual evolution
Community and nation are a good start
But dissolve they must, peace past nationalism
Separation is overcome by One Identity
II
Sri Aurobindo could use Brahman, Lila, and Supermind as with Heraclitus' Logos, and yet see "solidarity ... and mutability" as the great future, based on individual consciousness that evolves with supramental download s
In the beginning there was logos
Said Heraclitus!
In the beginning there was word
Said the Bible!
Sticks and stones
Or words said
The sadistic torturers of all times!
When words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain
Said Shakespeare.
Then he invented many of his own;
From barefaced to sanctimonious.
Words. Words. Words.
I grew up loving words.
From querky words to
Absurds. To profane.
The French. The English.
The Italian. Ancient Greek.
The Turkish. The Parse
The Hindi. Shakespeare's words
Keats words, Amy Winehouse's
Words.
All of them indiscriminately.
My children inherited my
Love of words.
And use them
Liberally.
My son is drawn to scientific
Ones.
From dodecahedron
To ontology.
My daughter to profanities.
From poo to bum bum!
Words. Words. Words.
My husband uses northern
Slangs. My friends:
European twangs.
I eavesdrop into fellow
Passengers' twangs.
Sometimes pick up a few.
" I says words don't come easily!'
Words. words. Words.
Why art thou so fearsome
To some?
The cause of jailings, torture,
The inhumane treatment
Of fellow human beings?
Words. Words. Words.
These days it is the simplest ones
Like "I luv u mama"
Give me the most delight.
In the beginning there was logos
Said Heraclitus!
In the beginning there was word
Said the Bible!
Sticks and stones
Or words said
The sadistic torturers of all times!
When words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain
Said Shakespeare.
Then he invented many of his own;
From barefaced to sanctimonious.
Words. Words. Words.
I grew up loving words.
From querky words to
Absurds. To profane.
The French. The English.
The Italian. Ancient Greek.
The Turkish. The Parsee.
The Hindi. Shakespeare's words
Keats words, Amy Winehouse's
Words.
All of them indiscriminately.
My children inherited my
Love of words.
And use them
Liberally.
My son is drawn to scientific
Ones.
From dodecahedron
To ontology.
My daughter to profanities.
From poo to bum bum!
Words. Words. Words.
My husband uses northern
Slangs. My friends:
European twangs.
I eavesdrop into fellow
Passengers' twangs.
Sometimes pick up a few.
" I says words don't come easily!'
Words. words. Words.
Why art thou so fearsome
To some?
The cause of jailings, torture,
The inhumane treatment
Of fellow human beings?
Words. Words. Words.
These days it is the simplest ones
Like "I luv u mama"
Give me the most delight.
Oh, you Happiness,
Do not look at me with contempt
For
I am, Unhappiness, your twin sister,
Who, without my presence, your name
Would be unknown!*
© Demetrios Trifiatis
07 February 2017
* Things become known to us because of their opposites, Heraclitus,
Greek philosopher, sixth century BC
The only permanent thing in this world we live in is change
Incessantly, it manages everything that exists to rearrange*
© Demetrios Trifiatis
15 May 2021
*"Nothing endures but change."
~ Heraclitus, Greek philosopher 544-480 BC
Zeno on Vacation
- In praise of immobility
It certainly isn’t far from his room
to the ocean. A few steps. Easily
navigable, he says to himself. Not
a thing to it. On with the sandals and
away we go. The sun’s cooperative
enough. So is the sand. But wait. Hold
everything. A proof, clouds of logic
blowing in from memory. The waves
farther away now, much farther. Not
going anywhere. Ever. Statuesque. And
no way even to call his pal Heraclitus
at the Tiki Bar. No way to meet the girls.
How they got there, of course, he hasn’t
the slightest idea.
It’s a hard, hard thing to conceal
When you live in fear of ‘the real’
A terrible thing is to feel
When you’re a wheel within a wheel
I look in your bright blue eyes
For a moment, I’m tantalized
The pupil darts back into grey
Well what is the shade of today
Under the same old sun
The Same meaning for everyone
But there was a time when it wasn’t
The center of everything
When there were circles up in Heaven,
We were frozen by them forever
Depart from the insidious “Never”
Control our own flow together
or just vermin underneath weather
Let me taste of this world
Its sweet delights, I must unfurl
Tantalus of Twenty-nineteen
Break this clockwork machine
Back in the Middle Ages,
The days were unbreakable cages
An eternity of rigid ruin
Stone walls and unthinkable doom
Thanks for these changes,
Heraclitus
Thanks for bestowing
a window inside us