Late Ripeness by Czesław Miłosz (8th June 2015)

[Jenny]

Late Ripeness
by Czeslaw Milosz

Not soon, as late as the approach of my ninetieth year,
I felt a door opening in me and I entered
the clarity of early morning.

One after another my former lives were departing,
like ships, together with their sorrow.

And the countries, cities, gardens, the bays of seas
assigned to my brush came closer,
ready now to be described better than they were before.

I was not separated from people,
grief and pity joined us.
We forget—I kept saying—that we are all children of the King.

For where we come from there is no division
into Yes and No, into is, was, and will be.

We were miserable, we used no more than a hundredth part
of the gift we received for our long journey.

Moments from yesterday and from centuries ago—
a sword blow, the painting of eyelashes before a mirror
of polished metal, a lethal musket shot, a caravel
staving its hull against a reef—they dwell in us,
waiting for a fulfillment.

I knew, always, that I would be a worker in the vineyard,
as are all men and women living at the same time,
whether they are aware of it or not.

from Collected Poems 1931-1987

[Jenny]

In jumping in I thought I'd use the chance to post another poem by our soon to be 'Seasonal Poet' This doesn't mention a translator, so I imagine Milosz wrote it in English or translated it himself, as he did with many of his poetry.

Here you can find the thread for our Summer Poet.

[Dhanaraj]

I love Milosz. The reason is that he writes poems that have themes which can be classified as existential with a spiritual colour.

He has also written poems that are purely pastoral, autobiographical, political and poems that speak of war. They are also very moving and powerful.

[Leslie]

Very thought-provoking. I will be reading this again, I am sure. Thanks for the preview of our next group poet Jenny!

[Greg]

Oh wow, I love this poem Jenny, the retrospective flavor, not despairing at all though there is some quiet regret. The sentiment actually reminds me a lot of late Denise Levertov poems actually.

There's wisdom here as well. "For where we come from there is no division
into Yes and No, into is, was, and will be." How true!

I love the lines "we used no more than a hundredth part / of the gift we received for our long journey."

The poem feels deeply rooted in faith to me - when I read "vineyard" at the end, I think of the Biblical parable, though I guess it could also refer to other labor. Likewise "the King" puts me in mind of Christ the King.

But there's something so touching and human in his letting go of his sorrow (like ships departing).

I also like the inventory of the second to last stanza - an odd mixture of the commonplace & intimate (applying makeup) and the dramatic (musket and sword).

[Susie]

I liked the flow of this poem and the chosen words paint a beautiful serene scene, (I believe) of deep reflection approaching end of days.
It moves me that it is never too late to 'have a door open' in me.
Happy he is a 'seasonal' poet...looking forward to reading more from him.

[Greg]

Susie wrote: "I liked the flow of this poem and the chosen words paint a beautiful serene scene, (I believe) of deep reflection approaching end of days.
It moves me that it is never too late to 'have a door ope..."

Love the way you talk about this poem Susie! Yes, never too late! There's some resignation in this poem, but it's mixed with a healthy dose of hope & gratitude. A fantastic tone to it.