Perhaps just a bit of trivia. Browsing through some old collectables the other day I came across my old copy of the Desiderata. Dont know where I got it from but was so impressed I tucked it away for future reference. That was way back in about 1963. Research at the time indicated it was found in old St Pauls church in Baltimore (Indiana) in 1692 but a current internet looksee reveals it was in fact written in 1927. Anyway, I thought it might it might have some Facebook interest. Ive also included some of its history. Desiderata. A Poem by Max Ehrmann Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. History The text, largely unknown in the author’s lifetime, came to the attention of the public first for its usage in a church hymnal which dated it, mistakenly, to the 17th century, then for its being found on the bedside table of Adlai Stevenson upon his death in 1965.[1] The poem was actually written in 1927.[1] In approximately 1959, the Reverend Frederick Kates, rector of Saint Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of devotional materials he compiled for his congregation. At the top of the handout was the notation: “Old Saint Paul’s Church, Baltimore A.D. 1692.” In the 1960s, the poem was widely circulated with the claim that it had been found in Baltimore, Maryland’s Saint Paul’s Church, and that it had been written by an anonymous author in 1692, the year of the founding of Saint Paul’s.[1] When Adlai Stevenson died in 1965, a guest in his home found a copy of Desiderata near his bedside and discovered that Stevenson had planned to use it in his Christmas cards.[1] The publicity that followed lent widespread fame to the poem, and to the poem’s connection with Saint Paul’s Church of Baltimore. On August 26, 2010, a bronze statue of Max Ehrmann sitting on a park bench was unveiled in Terre Haute, Indiana, his hometown, with the sculpture done by Bill Wolfe. On a nearby walkway, some lines of the poem are also available to be read by passersby.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 07:58:01 +0000
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