{"id":1625,"date":"2015-11-25T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T05:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/mission-and-identity\/?p=1625"},"modified":"2019-09-18T16:49:06","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:49:06","slug":"nov-25-if-only-i-were-a-candle-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2015\/11\/25\/nov-25-if-only-i-were-a-candle-in-the-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Nov 25 &#8211;  \u201cIf only I were a candle in the dark\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Wednesday, November 25 \u2014 \u00a0the \u00a0U.S. Thanksgiving Day break<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Each year on this day our campus eases toward stillness. \u00a0 Students have headed out to where they will gather for the most peace-oriented of the U.S. national holidays. \u00a0The non-academic side of campus heads in the same direction later this afternoon. \u00a0The university\u2019s new main entrance inches closer to its finished state, exciting lots of university on-lookers. \u00a0Some in our community\u00a0carry sharp griefs, news of illnesses taking threatening turns, gatherings to cherish people who have died very recently, some like Justin Schaffer, a volunteer in the city of Detroit, \u00a0or the adult children of Betty Nelson and Victoria Spalone, each too young by far. \u00a0 All of us hear, cannot avoid hearing, hateful talk and\u00a0fearful talk. \u00a0All of us can listen to voices of sheer beauty that we find ourselves able to speak to one another.<\/p>\n<p>Lots of us\u00a0pray for the grace of a break from mean spirits during these few days and for the taste of sacred beauty on our tongues.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Strong poetry, a poet friend likes to say, places every word carefully with flint-hard, tender\u00a0language, opening readers to grief and joy sometimes so close together that they touch.<\/p>\n<p>Best to read the poem out loud.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>john sj<\/p>\n<p><strong>Today\u2019s Post: \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Mahmoud Darwish wrote the\u00a0poem about the 1982 Israeli 88 day siege of Beirut<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThink of Others\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As you prepare your breakfast, think of others<br \/>\n(do not forget the pigeon\u2019s food).<br \/>\nAs you conduct your wars, think of others<br \/>\n(do not forget those who seek peace).<br \/>\nAs you pay your water bill, think of others<br \/>\n(those who are nursed by clouds).<br \/>\nAs you return home, to your home, think of others<br \/>\n(do not forget the people of the camps).<br \/>\nAs you sleep and count the stars, think of others<br \/>\n(those who have nowhere to sleep).<br \/>\nAs you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others<br \/>\n(those who have lost the right to speak).<br \/>\nAs you think of others far away, think of yourself<br \/>\n(say:\u00a0\u201cIf only I were a candle in the dark\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>The original Arabic:<\/p>\n<p>\u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<\/p>\n<p>\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a\u064e \u062a\u064f\u0639\u0650\u062f\u064f\u0651 \u0641\u0637\u0648\u0631\u0643\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<br \/>\n\u0644\u0627 \u062a\u064e\u0646\u0652\u0633\u064e \u0642\u0648\u062a\u064e \u0627\u0644\u062d\u0645\u0627\u0645<br \/>\n\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a\u064e \u062a\u062e\u0648\u0636\u064f \u062d\u0631\u0648\u0628\u0643\u064e\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<br \/>\n\u0644\u0627 \u062a\u0646\u0633 \u0645\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u064a\u0637\u0644\u0628\u0648\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0633\u0644\u0627\u0645<br \/>\n\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a\u064e \u062a\u0633\u062f\u062f \u0641\u0627\u062a\u0648\u0631\u0629\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0645\u0627\u0621\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<br \/>\n\u0645\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u064a\u0631\u0636\u064e\u0639\u064f\u0648\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u063a\u0645\u0627\u0645\u064d<br \/>\n\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a\u064e \u062a\u0639\u0648\u062f\u064f \u0625\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0628\u064a\u062a\u060c \u0628\u064a\u062a\u0643\u064e\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<br \/>\n\u0644\u0627 \u062a\u0646\u0633 \u0634\u0639\u0628 \u0627\u0644\u062e\u064a\u0627\u0645\u0652<br \/>\n\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a \u062a\u0646\u0627\u0645 \u0648\u062a\u064f\u062d\u0635\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0643\u0648\u0627\u0643\u0628\u064e\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<br \/>\n\u062b\u0645\u0651\u0629\u064e \u0645\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u0644\u0645 \u064a\u062c\u062f \u062d\u064a\u0651\u0632\u0627\u064b \u0644\u0644\u0645\u0646\u0627\u0645<br \/>\n\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a \u062a\u062d\u0631\u0651\u0631 \u0646\u0641\u0633\u0643 \u0628\u0627\u0644\u0627\u0633\u062a\u0639\u0627\u0631\u0627\u062a\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u063a\u064a\u0631\u0643\u064e<br \/>\n\u0645\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u0641\u0642\u062f\u0648\u0627 \u062d\u0642\u064e\u0651\u0647\u0645 \u0641\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0643\u0644\u0627\u0645<br \/>\n\u0648\u0623\u0646\u062a \u062a\u0641\u0643\u0631 \u0628\u0627\u0644\u0622\u062e\u0631\u064a\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0628\u0639\u064a\u062f\u064a\u0646\u060c \u0641\u0643\u0650\u0651\u0631 \u0628\u0646\u0641\u0633\u0643<br \/>\n\u0642\u064f\u0644\u0652: \u0644\u064a\u062a\u0646\u064a \u0634\u0645\u0639\u0629\u064f \u0641\u064a \u0627\u0644\u0638\u0644\u0627\u0645<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/170\/2015\/11\/Mahmoud_Darwish.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1626\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/170\/2015\/11\/Mahmoud_Darwish.jpg\" alt=\"Mahmoud_Darwish\" width=\"166\" height=\"264\" \/><\/a>\u201cThink of Others\u201d by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.adab.com\/en\/modules.php?name=Sh3er&amp;doWhat=ssd&amp;shid=1\">Mahmoud Darwish,<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Almond Blossoms and Beyond. Translated from the original Arabic by Mohammed Shaheen. \u00a9 Interlink Books, 2010.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wednesday, November 25 \u2014 \u00a0the \u00a0U.S. Thanksgiving Day break Each year on this day our campus eases toward stillness. \u00a0 Students have headed out to where they will gather for the most peace-oriented of the U.S. national holidays. \u00a0The non-academic &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2015\/11\/25\/nov-25-if-only-i-were-a-candle-in-the-dark\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1627,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1625\/revisions\/1627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}