Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

SABCL 26

Fragment ID: 7941

Q: Once the consciousness is aware of a certain vibration and poetic quality, it is possible to reach out towards its source of inspiration. As poetry for us here must be a way of Yoga, I suppose this reaching out is a helpful attempt; but it would become easier if there were some constant vibration present in the consciousness which we know to have descended from the higher ranges. Very often the creative spark comes to me from the poems I read. I shall be obliged if you mil indicate the origin of the few examples below – only the first of which is from my own work.

1. Plumbless inaudible waves of shining sleep.

2. The diamond dimness of the domed air.

3. Withdrawn in a lost attitude of prayer.

4. This patter of Time’s marring steps across the solitude

Of Truth’s abidingness. Self-blissful and alone.

5. Million d’oiseaux d’or, 6 future vigueur!

6. Rapt above earth by power of one fair face.

7. I saw them walking in an air of glory.

8. Solitary thinkings such as dodge

Conception to the very bourne of heaven,

Then leave the naked brain.

9. But felt through all this fleshly dress Bright shoots off everlastingness.

10. I saw Eternity the other night,

Like a great ring of pure and endless light,

All calm, as it was bright.

A: 1. Illumined Mind.

2. Illumined Mind.

3. Intuition.

4. Illumined Mind with an intuitive element and a strong Overmind touch.

5. Illumined Mind.

6. Difficult to say. More of Higher Mind perhaps than anything else – but something of illumination and intuition also.

7. It is a mixture. Something of the Illumined Mind, something of the Poetic Intelligence diluting the full sovereignty of the higher expression.

8. Higher Mind combined with Illumined.

9. Illumined Mind with something from Intuition.

10. Illumined Mind with something from Overmind.

7-3-1934