dimanche, août 15, 2010

The Inner Eye


How many see the heavens above and fail to see God?

This week, over at Poets United, poets all over were prompted to wax lyrical over the subject of eyes. For my take on the prompt, come over . Somehow, I went a bit off tangent and did a tribute to one of my favourite authors growing up, Agatha Christie.

However, it came to my notice that many of the bloggers wrote about the fear of losing our eye sight. Poets are almost always avid readers and as such, this is a very real fear indeed. Imagine a world without words running over the unblemished of white expense. A true tragedy.

This fear and the inexcapable terror that comes with blindness sparked off this rather philosophical post of mine. For if you really think about it, what is sight without insight?

How many see the forest and hear dams instead of tigers roaring in the distance?

How many walk past a broken down playground and miss the sound of children's laughter?

How many start great wars and yet do not see the fallen, just the outcome?

How many face an old relic and see a new shopping mall?

How many appreciate the art on the wall but fail to recognise nature's true beauty?

How many see and yet do not see what matters the most.

17 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

Ninotaziz - Ho true it is that so many of us fail to see and appreciate the world around us.

I admit blindness is something I would fear most. I can't think why as I know of only two blind people and both led full lives. I think I fear the dependance on others.

Thank you for this post it gives me the chance to examine that thought!

ninotaziz a dit…

Dear Madame Butterfly,
This post is just as much a reminder to myself as to all who visits.

Thank you for venturing deeper into my blog world...

Sherry Blue Sky a dit…

Oh, wow, this is so profoundly true. Thankfully, my eyes have always "seen". Nature has been my lover all my life, so my pantry is richly stocked with amazing images, having lived in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Tofino. Happy to have found you in blogland!

ninotaziz a dit…

Dear Sherry,
I must find out more about Tofino then! Lovely of you to drop by...

If only the politicians have the soul of a poet? Maybe there will be more will to save nature.

Karen S a dit…

So true. It's akin to hearing but not really listening.

ninotaziz a dit…

Oh yes, Karen.
That is another piece of truth.

Thank you for reminding me.

Cat-from-Sydney a dit…

Aah...Aunty Ninot....waxing lyrical over that very important organ. Imagine having to choose between an ear or an eye. Which one would you choose? Everyone's having different coloured eyes in our family. Tom's greenish blue, mine and Nikki's dark blue, Nicole's light blue, Angelina's yellowish green, Brad's greenish yellow. Mama's? Chocolat? roar! roar! roar!

Wan Sharif a dit…

Salam Ninot,
You are probably talking about what we say "mata hati" in Malay..
Should not we tell our friend CiS that chocolat is not a color in English or Australian for that matter.. it is a color only to Trengganu folks or it is to the Malays as well.. he, he..

Aishah a dit…

Assalamualaikum dear Ninot,

I pray that I see before I lose it.

ninotaziz a dit…

CiS my dear,
Ayoh Wang got you there. Chocolat in French is that sinfully delicious chocolate, my furry friend! By the way, I am looking to visit. How's your Mum's schedule after SPM?

I would think if you lose your hearing it is more tragic - a world of silence, no raindrops, music, laughter. Losing eyesight , you can at least imagine and dream still. Oh, seriously - this post has made me appreciate anugerah Tuhan better.

Ayoh Wang
You got her! Frankly, you got me too. I did not see that until I saw your post.

In Malay, mata is a very versatile word - there is mata mata (policeman), mata air(sweetheart) , mata hati(inner eye), matahari (sun), airmata (tears or sadness), anak mata (iris), rambang mata (indecisive) pandangan (views)...that's all I can think of offhand.

Waalaikumussalam.
So do I Aishah...so do I.

ninotaziz a dit…

Oh yes Ayoh Wang,
Pusing mata (feeling faint), besar mata (jealous), mata ikan (unseeing)

In the phrase, nafsu beraja di mata, bersultan di hati, this indicates mata as the first contact/invitation/opening to worldly desires

It's lovely this chance to see how wonderful the heritage of our language is.

Wan Sharif a dit…

Dear Ninot,
Your "It's lovely this chance to see how wonderful the heritage of our language is" reminds me of the Malay words for carry.. bimbit, pikul, usung, dukung, kelek, junjung, galas, kepit dll.
BTW, I left comments on your lagu warisan.. on an elusive song.
Beraja dimata, bersultan dihati..
wow memang tepat.. desire/nafsu
and usually relate to the negative..

ninotaziz a dit…

Dear Ayoh Wang,
I wanted to mention this - please do drop by Pantun for the finalised version of Ikan Keli turun ke laut...

Kathe W. a dit…

so thoughtful-nicely done!

ninotaziz a dit…

Thanks Kathe! Lovely to see you here away from our poetry wonderland...

Cat-from-Sydney a dit…

Aunty Ninot & Ayoh Wang,
Used chocolat to describe Mama's eyes because it makes me melt in love when I look her in the eyes. Best Mama in the world. purrr.....meow!

Yes, Angelina is back.

ninotaziz a dit…

Very good comeback, CiS!

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