Rest Me There
SIREN. Come, worthy Greek, Ulysses, come,
Possess these shores with me;
The winds and seas are troublesome,
And here we may be free.
Here may we sit and view their toil
That travail in the deep,
And joy the day in mirth the while,
And spend the night in sleep.
ULYSSES. Fair nymph, if fame or honor were
To be attained with ease,
Then would I come and rest me there,
And leave such toils as these.
But here it dwells, and must I
With danger seek it forth;
To spend the time luxuriously
Becomes not men of worth.
- from "Ulysses and the Siren," by Samuel Daniel
I was mulling over a recent essay in a blog I read on the idea, oft promoted by self-help and self-actualization experts, that all that is required of us as modern human beings is to dial into our abundant natural talents, and success and happiness will flow forth. That much of our frustration and unhappiness is from pursuits of work and relationships that are not in harmony with our intrinsic natures. There is of course a nugget of wisdom in this idea. We are most usually happiest at what we are good at, and vice versa. The "right life is the sweet life" might be the ideal of today's modern men and women. But as I read in the poetry of Samuel Daniel this morning, an English poet who lived from 1562- 1619, a decidedly un-easy period of world history, I was struck by the last two lines of Ulysses' reply to the siren in Daniel's poem Ulysses and the Siren- "To spend the time luxuriously/Becomes not men of worth." This classic idea of struggle and merit are entwined throughout Homer's Odyssey, from which Daniel's poem draws, but is not often mentioned these days.
I do not necessarily hold that the worthy is by definition difficult, but it has often been so in my personal experience. Self-sacrifice, determination, endeavor, commitment, completion...all are worthy attributes which describe goals and choices anchored by unflagging effort. There is a saying in my friend Patricia's family, "If it were easy, anyone could do it." The most common denominator in human behavior is usually the easiest default option or behavior. What is uncommon is extraordinary effort. Ulysses speaks from a time when the heroic was much admired, noteworthy and difficult, and, if a true choice of courage and will, viewed as a measure of noble character. To be worthy was to be capable of great self-sacrifice and determination.
In my corner of the 21st Century, today is the first sunny warm spring day in months. Robins are plucking at the hyacinth along the walkway, a squirrel naps on the fence rail in a patch of sun. As I sit in front of my laptop twiddling through excuses to avoid an honest day's work, thinking Well, I could wait until I feel truly motivated...I realize I am indulging in the wrong kind of thinking. What I really need is not the Siren in my ear, but a good ol' kick in the pants from Ulysses. The most ordinary fame and honor, as our hero puts it, does not reside in the easy and the comfortable but out there, in the travails of the deep. Beyond the blinking cursor. Knew that. But somedays it helps to be reminded.
Possess these shores with me;
The winds and seas are troublesome,
And here we may be free.
Here may we sit and view their toil
That travail in the deep,
And joy the day in mirth the while,
And spend the night in sleep.
ULYSSES. Fair nymph, if fame or honor were
To be attained with ease,
Then would I come and rest me there,
And leave such toils as these.
But here it dwells, and must I
With danger seek it forth;
To spend the time luxuriously
Becomes not men of worth.
- from "Ulysses and the Siren," by Samuel Daniel
I was mulling over a recent essay in a blog I read on the idea, oft promoted by self-help and self-actualization experts, that all that is required of us as modern human beings is to dial into our abundant natural talents, and success and happiness will flow forth. That much of our frustration and unhappiness is from pursuits of work and relationships that are not in harmony with our intrinsic natures. There is of course a nugget of wisdom in this idea. We are most usually happiest at what we are good at, and vice versa. The "right life is the sweet life" might be the ideal of today's modern men and women. But as I read in the poetry of Samuel Daniel this morning, an English poet who lived from 1562- 1619, a decidedly un-easy period of world history, I was struck by the last two lines of Ulysses' reply to the siren in Daniel's poem Ulysses and the Siren- "To spend the time luxuriously/Becomes not men of worth." This classic idea of struggle and merit are entwined throughout Homer's Odyssey, from which Daniel's poem draws, but is not often mentioned these days.
I do not necessarily hold that the worthy is by definition difficult, but it has often been so in my personal experience. Self-sacrifice, determination, endeavor, commitment, completion...all are worthy attributes which describe goals and choices anchored by unflagging effort. There is a saying in my friend Patricia's family, "If it were easy, anyone could do it." The most common denominator in human behavior is usually the easiest default option or behavior. What is uncommon is extraordinary effort. Ulysses speaks from a time when the heroic was much admired, noteworthy and difficult, and, if a true choice of courage and will, viewed as a measure of noble character. To be worthy was to be capable of great self-sacrifice and determination.
In my corner of the 21st Century, today is the first sunny warm spring day in months. Robins are plucking at the hyacinth along the walkway, a squirrel naps on the fence rail in a patch of sun. As I sit in front of my laptop twiddling through excuses to avoid an honest day's work, thinking Well, I could wait until I feel truly motivated...I realize I am indulging in the wrong kind of thinking. What I really need is not the Siren in my ear, but a good ol' kick in the pants from Ulysses. The most ordinary fame and honor, as our hero puts it, does not reside in the easy and the comfortable but out there, in the travails of the deep. Beyond the blinking cursor. Knew that. But somedays it helps to be reminded.
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midnightfaerie
(new)
Apr 12, 2012 05:00AM
Never heard of Daniel, will have to look him up. Read Iliad last year, but have yet to pick up Odyssey. I think there is a happy medium between enjoying your time and what you do being worthwhile. For me, I think it's both, what I do is enjoyable. But there are some things, one of my pet peeves for example, watching tv. I do it, not as often as others, but I do. But if someone says that they enjoy watching tv, and tv is worthwhile, I would be a little hesitant to agree. Just my humble opinion. Interesting topic though.
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Interesting point, Janine! My guy, Greg, often scowls at the TV but finds solace in the controls offered via internet services which allow consumers exactly what they want to see, when they want to see it, without the continual bombardment of inane advertising. In the early years of my widowhood, I realized television had become a kind of companion in the empty rooms. Peter Jennings shared my glass of wine at the end of the day. Balance, and the needs of the day?
