I was reading through my favorite blogs the other day and was thrilled to find Atrios' post on a Spanish poet I had never heard of before, Miguel de Unamuno. I was fascinated by Unamuno's biography, that he stood up to fascism during his time. I was inspired by the poem Atrios posted, titled "Throw Yourself Like Seed."
Here is the content of the bio and the poem:
When the fascist General Milan-Astray stormed into the University of Salamanca to confront the elderly professor and poet-philosopher Miguel de Unamuno over his criticism of Franco and the fascist cause, Unamuno said to him: "At times to be silent is to lie. You will win because you have enough brute force. But you will not convince. For to convince you need to persuade. And in order to persuade you would need what you lack: reason and right."
The general shouted, "Death to intelligence! Long live death!" and drove the ailing poet out of the university at gunpoint. The poet suffered a heart attack and died within the week.
*****
Shake off this sadness, and recover your spirit;
Sluggish you will never see the wheel of fate
That brushes your heel as it turns going by,
The man who wants to live is the man in whom life is abundant.
Now you are only giving food to that final pain
Which is slowly winding you in the nets of death,
But to live is to work, and the only thing which lasts
Is the work; start there, turn to the work.
Throw yourself like seed as you walk, and into your own field,
Don’t turn your face for that would be to turn it to death,
And do not let the past weigh down your motion.
Leave what’s alive in the furrow, what’s dead in yourself,
For life does not move in the same way as a group of clouds;
From your work you will be able one day to gather yourself.
Unamuno’s thoughtful, nearly mystical phraseology and message is enlightening. I love the image that people can spread (share) their lives, as if the action of spreading goodness and offering lovingkindness is like throwing seed onto fertile soil that one day can be harvested.
It lends credence to my belief that developing awareness allows us to be responsible human beings and more able to help and server others.
I also think his notion of work lends viability to the plain and simple truth that we are responsible for our actions. The Zohar, one of the Jewish mystical canon, teaches that "a person should always imagine that the fate of the whole world depends upon his or her actions." (II:42a).
Understanding and being accountable for our responsibilities, actions, and words not only enriches us but enriches the lives of others. Life ultimately is more consistently rewarding.
And what is the meaning of his last two lines?
"For life does not move in the same way as a group of clouds; From your work you will be able one day to gather yourself."
With beautiful imagery, possibly that the results of our actions are not random or fleeting as the everchanging formation of clouds. They are as solid and real as the grain and vegetables we gather in the harvest.
