Lillian is the host of dVerse today. Lillian says:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 American Standard Version (ASV)For everything there is a season, and a time for every [a]purpose under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
So – morphing into today’s prompt, I’d like you to do one of three things:
1) pick one or two of the times mentioned in the Ecclesiastes quotation and include it/them word for word, in a poem;
OR 2) pick one or two of the times mentioned in the Ecclesiastes quotation and let it/them motivate your poem – no need to mention it/them word for word but we should be able to identify the reference;
OR 3) create your own time frame and write a poem that includes the words “a time to _____________” OR “a time for _____________” (you fill in the blank).
OK, I chose to write on part of Ecclesiastes 3:2, “a time to be born, and a time to die”. Depending on how you want to look at it the rest of the verse “a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted” may be inferred by how one chooses to live their life.
This is also an imperfect pantoum, so I will probably link it in the pantoum challenge for the month.
A Time to be Born, and a Time to Die
Sprung from mysterious mother
One of the ten thousand* things
You, who are you, not other
Rise, who you are, with your wings
One of the ten thousand things
Born to connect with the rest
Rise, who you are, with your wings
Soar vistas as you leave your nest
Born to connect with the rest
As the winds control ebb and flow
Soar vistas as you leave your nest
With your flock, migrate from snow
As the winds control ebb and flow
You’ll live for a bit in the warm
With your flock migrated from snow
Rest in peace, where there’s no harm
You lived for a while in the warm
Flying and learning to love others
Now it’s time, in the ways of transform,
To return to mysterious mother
*the 10,000 things is not to be taken literally. look here for more information
Tao Talk 
…a time to be born….to rise with wings….to leave the nest to soar…
and death seen as a transformation, a return to the mysterious mother.
One of the ten thousand things….
This, to me, is mythical.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m glad you see it that way :)
LikeLike
You touch and connect to so much with these words, nature, great birds, birth, death as a doorway; magically poetically metaphysical. I feel like one of quad-zillions though, unumberable.
LikeLiked by 2 people
a term in Chinese philosophy that encompasses “all that is” — and that includes alive and dead — as “the 10,000 things”, so it applies to you. i will add that as a note in the pantoum section
LikeLike
Pantoums always remind me of the line by Khayyam … “but evermore came out the same door as in I went”. You’ve mastered the form, however.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beverly, it’s based on philosophical daoism, where it talks about the mysterious mother, from which all things spring and to which all things return. Thank you for the kind words. I want to do more pantoum!
LikeLike
I like the cycle of life and returning to the mysterious mother Jade. The ebb and flow of the repetitive lines worked for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Grace.
LikeLike
powerful and profound, great poem!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Kate!
LikeLiked by 2 people
most welcome!
LikeLiked by 2 people
An interesting poem Jade. Born to be connected. Warm awhile cold awhile… live and then return to the earth!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dwight, I like your insight into the poem. Did not think of it that way until you made note of it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It seemed clear to me that the human connection is an essential part of life!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Love the mention of the return to The Great Mother. It’s a particular journey I’m on at the moment. You did great justice to the form.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Petru. Without her there would be nothing. There wouldn’t even be nothing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a really sweeping, soaring poem. The idea behind it is magnificent and it makes a good pantoum too.
I wondered if in the first line of the last stanza, substituting ‘while’ for ‘bit’ might sound better. There’s the alliteration too. Bit is a snappy sort of word to my ear :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked the poem and thank you for the suggestion. I like your suggested substitution and have changed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad it was useful :)
LikeLiked by 2 people
:)
LikeLiked by 2 people
firstly on the poetics, you dealt with a difficult theme and dealt with it with much grandeur, love how it just takes off and soars. i would lose the word bit, maybe use “time” for more effect. and this is your best pantoum and one of the best I have read thus far, you keep to form and a classic example of the imperfect pantoum – the resolution at the end is brilliant. it could not have been done better. Jade you inspire me!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for all you said. High praise! Jane suggested “while” instead of bit. Now I need to ponder which one to use :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
oh and i did the same i wrote a pantoum for this prompt too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
An interesting response to Ecclesiates. I admire your use of pantoum, it works well with your theme, Jade.
LikeLiked by 1 person
how to spell Ecclesiastes ?!
LikeLiked by 2 people
never even noticed, knew what you meant :)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Lynn!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice lines: “You lived for a while in the warm
Flying and learning to love others”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Frank. Glad you like them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely embodiment of the Tao Te Ching, with vibrant images, and a delightful use of the form!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much, Frank. Glad you are familiar with the TTC.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Jade! I’ve read translations of the TTC since college. My favorite rendition is Ursula K Le Guin’s. It’s truly a poet’s TTC!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I started reading them in around 1995. My favorite is Witter Bynner’s, which is also very poetic. There are a lot of good ones out there. I think I read it is the 2nd most translated work after The Bible but am not sure that’s true or not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This fits so well to the cycle of returning, at the same time I think the way you used the metaphor of migrating birds worked very well… and returning from a time in the warmth is in itself a rebirth
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you again. I love the cyclicity of things, constantly in a state of losing/dying and gaining/birthing.
LikeLike