we are sevenThank you so much for this beatiful poem
I put it in a nice word-page and keep it with my other inspiring texts.
As I read it out loud for myself I was moved by the poem and by my own
feelings. A tear, a sigh and then a 'yes'.
And only then I realised the real pain behind it: who is not mentioned in this
poem?
That is the real systemic layer of it
with love
Margreet
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Vinay Gunther
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 1:19 PM
Subject: [ConstellationTalk] we are seven
Hi folks. Came across this poem from Wordsworth, I think expressing a deeper
understanding that we seek in constellation work
regards
Vinay Gunther
We Are Seven
by William Wordsworth
A simple child...
That lightly draws its breath
And feels its life in every limb,
What should it know of death?
I met a little cottage girl-
She was eight years old, she said;
Her hair was thick with many a curl
That clustered 'round her head.
She had a rustic, woodland air
And she was wildly clad;
Her eyes were fair, and very fair;
Her beauty made me glad.
"Sisters and brothers, little maid,
How many may you be?"
"How many? Seven in all," she said
And wondering looked at me.
"And where are they? I pray you tell."
She answered, "Seven are we;
And two of us at Conway dwell
And two are gone to sea."
"Two of us in the churchyard lie,
My sister and my brother
And in the churchyard cottage, I
Dwell near them with my mother."
"You say that two at Conway dwell
And two are gone to sea,
Yet, ye are seven! I pray you tell,
Sweet maid, how this may be."
Then did the little maid reply,
"Seven boys and girls are we;
Two of us in the churchyard lie,
Beneath the churchyard tree."
"You run about, my little maid,
Your limbs they are alive;
If two are in the churchyard laid
Then ye are only five."
"Their graves are green, they may be seen,"
The little maid replied,
"Twelve steps or more from my mother's door
And they are side by side."
"My stockings there I often knit,
My kerchief there I hem;
And there upon the ground I sit
And sing a song to them."
"And often after sunset, sir,
When it is light and fair
I take my little porringer
And eat my supper there."
"The first that died was sister Jane;
In bed she moaning lay,
Till God released her of her pain
And then she went away."
"So in the churchyard she was laid
And, when the grass was dry
Together round her grave we played,
My brother John and I."
"And when the ground was white with snow
And I could run and slide,
My brother John was forced to go
And he lies by her side."
"How many are you, then," said I,
"If they two are in heaven?"
Quick was the little maid's reply,
"O master! We are seven."
"But they are dead; those two are dead!
Their spirits are in heaven!"
'T was throwing words away; for still
The little maid would have her will
And said... "Nay, we are seven!"
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Northern Rivers Gestalt Institute
15 Coleman St, Lismore,
NSW, 2480 Australia
Ph/Fax (02) 66 213 911
admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage."
- Anais Nin
* GESTALT training in the Northern Rivers:
http://www.gestalt.org.au
* GANZ (Gestalt Australia And New Zealand):
http://www.ganz.org.au
* Advice for men about relationships with women:
' How A Man Loves A Woman: Secrets of Success'
By Steve Vinay Gunther
Now available at http://www.manlovesawoman.com
* Prout - an alternative socio-economic vision:
http://www.prout.org
* Follow your life-dream - excellent support from Barbara Sher:
http://www.barbarasher.com
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