They Blend
SOMEWHERE
Somewhere there waiteth in this world of ours
for one lone soul, another lonely soul -
Each chasing each through all the weary hours,
And meeting strangely at one sudden goal;
Then blend they - like green leaves with golden flowers,
Into one beautiful and perfect whole -
And life's long night is ended, and the way
Lies open onward to eternal day.
- Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904)
In keeping with the theme of recent blogs on commitment and relationship, I found myself studying this small poem by the old English poet Sir Edwin Arnold. What struck me was his interchanging use of the words "lone" and "lonely," and the image conjured from his use of the phrase of "they blend." Not as one might think blue and red blend to purple, but that the colors combine to make something new, something not present before. In this poem, Arnold chooses symbolism wherein leaves join petals and make a whole fresh thing- a flower.
But what of the idea of two souls lone and lonely? Are these words contextually or even metaphorically the same? I would argue not, at least not in the way I define them. "Lone" is for me the definition of alone: to be by one's self, in solitude, unaccompanied. The fact of the self alone may be separate from how one feels about such solitude. I personally value my alone time a great deal. It is fecund, creative, inward. Necessary to spiritual balance. Time devoted within self, both rich and treasured. But the poet uses "lonely" as the companion to his "lone," suggesting the solitariness of alone is met with an emotional vacancy that is of infinite melancholy; unfulfilled, pining in the absence of companionship. A condition of longing that may only be relieved by the presence of the perfect other.
There are those who might tartly suggest there is greater loneliness in life paired to the wrong other. That human loneliness is resolved less by conjoined physical presence than by something more intrinsic; a comfort anchored in the blend of two souls in genuine companionship. And what is such companionship? The presence of feeling shared. The equation of you plus me equals more than either of us taken alone. We are all, I suppose, Looking for Arnold's perfect blend "into one beautiful and perfect whole." And yes, I think we seek those idealistic relationships which transcend the individuals involved and stand apart - unique and worthy and strong. Rare, I believe. But real. But perhaps the ideal is always in flux: somewhere between lone and lonely, blend and whole.
Somewhere there waiteth in this world of ours
for one lone soul, another lonely soul -
Each chasing each through all the weary hours,
And meeting strangely at one sudden goal;
Then blend they - like green leaves with golden flowers,
Into one beautiful and perfect whole -
And life's long night is ended, and the way
Lies open onward to eternal day.
- Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904)
In keeping with the theme of recent blogs on commitment and relationship, I found myself studying this small poem by the old English poet Sir Edwin Arnold. What struck me was his interchanging use of the words "lone" and "lonely," and the image conjured from his use of the phrase of "they blend." Not as one might think blue and red blend to purple, but that the colors combine to make something new, something not present before. In this poem, Arnold chooses symbolism wherein leaves join petals and make a whole fresh thing- a flower.
But what of the idea of two souls lone and lonely? Are these words contextually or even metaphorically the same? I would argue not, at least not in the way I define them. "Lone" is for me the definition of alone: to be by one's self, in solitude, unaccompanied. The fact of the self alone may be separate from how one feels about such solitude. I personally value my alone time a great deal. It is fecund, creative, inward. Necessary to spiritual balance. Time devoted within self, both rich and treasured. But the poet uses "lonely" as the companion to his "lone," suggesting the solitariness of alone is met with an emotional vacancy that is of infinite melancholy; unfulfilled, pining in the absence of companionship. A condition of longing that may only be relieved by the presence of the perfect other.
There are those who might tartly suggest there is greater loneliness in life paired to the wrong other. That human loneliness is resolved less by conjoined physical presence than by something more intrinsic; a comfort anchored in the blend of two souls in genuine companionship. And what is such companionship? The presence of feeling shared. The equation of you plus me equals more than either of us taken alone. We are all, I suppose, Looking for Arnold's perfect blend "into one beautiful and perfect whole." And yes, I think we seek those idealistic relationships which transcend the individuals involved and stand apart - unique and worthy and strong. Rare, I believe. But real. But perhaps the ideal is always in flux: somewhere between lone and lonely, blend and whole.
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