~Desiderata~
"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."
(c) 1927 ~ by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945) ~
Desiderata
Hi Linmag & Susanne~
Thanks ladies; this has always been a favourite. It was recorded on a wonderful compilation (1972 Warner Bros. label) called "Les Crane's Desiderata". 'Desiderata' was beautifully narrated with musical backing with the lines: "You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars [.....] no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should", sung by a choir as the chorus. It was actually a hit on Australian radio at the time.
Love & Light,
Makera
Thanks ladies; this has always been a favourite. It was recorded on a wonderful compilation (1972 Warner Bros. label) called "Les Crane's Desiderata". 'Desiderata' was beautifully narrated with musical backing with the lines: "You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars [.....] no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should", sung by a choir as the chorus. It was actually a hit on Australian radio at the time.
Love & Light,
Makera
- Byron
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One of the interesting aspects of this beautiful piece of work is that it was published by Old Saint Paul's Press, in Los Angeles, California in 1971.
The interesting bit of a possible?? connection, is that a Desiderata dated 1692, was found in 'Old Saint Paul's Church,' in Baltimore, and it is dated 1692. I'm sure that someone out there can confirm whether or not it is the same beautiful piece of literature, brought up to date. I've searched the British Library Archives, but cannot retrieve their copy of the 1692 piece. Can anyone help?
Byron 'sends his regards.'
The interesting bit of a possible?? connection, is that a Desiderata dated 1692, was found in 'Old Saint Paul's Church,' in Baltimore, and it is dated 1692. I'm sure that someone out there can confirm whether or not it is the same beautiful piece of literature, brought up to date. I've searched the British Library Archives, but cannot retrieve their copy of the 1692 piece. Can anyone help?
Byron 'sends his regards.'
"Bipolar is a roller-coaster ride without a seat belt. One day you're flying with the fireworks; for the next month you're being scraped off the trolley" I said that.
Yes, I remember first seeing the printed Desiderata as a freshman in college, and then hearing the recording over here, too, later. One of those "can't-go-wrong"s when you put such a piece to music and bring in an angelic choir in the background. I hope you're able to find that information to explain all of that, Byron .
FYI: From Lawton R Smith's Home Page
Re: Desiderata
"This poem has been wrongly attributed in the past to an unknown author who left it in a church in Baltimore MD. The poem was not found in St Paul's at Baltimore in 1692, but written by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945, a Harvard philosopher and lawyer) in 1927 and published in 1948 after his death by his widow in "The Poems of Max Ehrmann". The church in Baltimore was founded in 1692, and the Reverend Kates used this poem on the church paper somewhere between 1956 and 1961. On the church paper, the Baltimore logo was used together with 'founded in 1692' (the Parish, that is). Somebody mixed this up and changed 'founded' to 'found', thus changing the date of the poem by 200 years.
My thanks to R.J. de Vries for bringing this to my attention."
The copy of Desiderata, posted above, is from a book of Ehrmann's poems: (c)1954 Bertha K. Ehrmann
Trust this has now clarified the matter, once and for all.
~Makera
Re: Desiderata
"This poem has been wrongly attributed in the past to an unknown author who left it in a church in Baltimore MD. The poem was not found in St Paul's at Baltimore in 1692, but written by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945, a Harvard philosopher and lawyer) in 1927 and published in 1948 after his death by his widow in "The Poems of Max Ehrmann". The church in Baltimore was founded in 1692, and the Reverend Kates used this poem on the church paper somewhere between 1956 and 1961. On the church paper, the Baltimore logo was used together with 'founded in 1692' (the Parish, that is). Somebody mixed this up and changed 'founded' to 'found', thus changing the date of the poem by 200 years.
My thanks to R.J. de Vries for bringing this to my attention."
The copy of Desiderata, posted above, is from a book of Ehrmann's poems: (c)1954 Bertha K. Ehrmann
Trust this has now clarified the matter, once and for all.
~Makera
- Byron
- Posts: 3171
- Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2002 3:01 pm
- Location: Mad House, Eating Tablets, Cereals, Jam, Marmalade and HONEY, with Albert
Makera. An excellent piece of research done all those years ago by someone else, answers my question. Thank you for typing it into the forum. Now why doesn't everyone else attend to simple requests in the same simple way. It shows that such tasks are possible if people have the time to spend on reading reliable sources and people put their mind to it. You must have listened to someone else who taught you how to behave.
Bye from mini george. (Still enjoying my newly aquired wooden spoon)
Bye from mini george. (Still enjoying my newly aquired wooden spoon)
"Bipolar is a roller-coaster ride without a seat belt. One day you're flying with the fireworks; for the next month you're being scraped off the trolley" I said that.