Sri Aurobindo

Letters on Poetry and Art

SABCL - Volume 27

Part 1. Poetry and its Creation
Section 1. The Sources of Poetry
Examples of Overhead Poetry

Evaluations of 1932 – 1935 [5]

Is this table showing the degrees of style and rhythm of revelation in mystic poetry correct? —

1) solitary thinkings; such as dodge

Conception to the very bourne of heaven

{{0}}(Higher Mind)[[{{SA}}combined with Illumined [Sri Aurobindo’s addition] ]]

2) I saw Eternity the other night

Like a great Ring of pure and endless light,

All calm, as it was bright.

(Illumined Mind)

3) Your spirit in my spirit, deep in the deep,

Walled by a wizardry of shining sleep

(Intuition)

4) Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone.

(Overmind)

Though the expression and the rhythm differ, the substance of 1, 2, 4 is Overmind: what about 3? I suppose the table would be more consistent if the substance came in each case from the Overmind.

Overmind is very various in its expression. All forms and rhythms are there in the Overmind.

From what planes are these lines?

Withdrawn in a lost attitude of prayer ...

The lonely waters of eternal ease ...

A hush dew-drenched with immortality ...

A sea unheard where spume nor spray is blown ...

Eternal truth’s time-measuring sun-blaze ...

The first two are intuitive. The last is higher mind mixed with illumination. The other two are mixed.

23 March 1935