“Ten”
A major theme that is emerging in poem “Ten” in the Tao collection is balance. The author is discussing whether it is possible to find a perfect balance between two opposing entities. For example, within the first sentence “Carrying body and soul and embracing the one” the author is questioning if the physical body and spiritual soul can be joined together and work in harmony. The sentence “Giving birth and nourishing, Bearing yet not possessing” is another example as to how there is an attempt to reach a balance. This sentence is talking about nurturing and embracing children but at the same time understanding that children are separate beings from you. The final sentence “This is the Primal Virtue” is placing emphasis on the need for balance within an individual. The word primal means first and the word virtue refers to a standard to which something is set. The meaning behind the common quote “Patience is a virtue” is referring to being able to wait for something to happen (patiently) without getting stressed out. If one is patient, then there will be a notion of reward in the self. The poem “Ten”, is placing importance on being in balance with one’s self and noting that, if one reaches balance they will feel rewarded in the end and express attributes of a good person.
2 responses so far ↓
s.domosi // Feb 2nd 2017 at 9:21 am
I agree that one of the main themes of poem “Ten” is balance. Another line of the poem that clearly demonstrates this which was not included in this response is “Can you avoid separation?” I word that was used very well in this response was “harmony.” The poem describes many aspects of being alive existing in harmony, meaning both sides of a coin are needed for a fulfilled life. The author of the poem writing “Giving birth and nourishing, Bearing yet not possessing” is definitely referring to finding balance between nurturing and embracing children. I believe this line goes even deeper and can be interpreted as the balance needed between guiding children in their grown, but also allowing them to blossom into the person that they feel they are meant to be.
t.lewkowicz // Feb 2nd 2017 at 8:30 pm
I completely agree with your idea that a main theme within the poem “Ten” is balance. I also liked that you included patience. Having patience is indeed crucial for feeling satisfaction and rewarded after waiting for something. The line ” working yet not taking credit, leading yet not dominating” sat with me in terms of balance. For many people it is hard to find that balance when working hard on something, but not taking credit. Or leading and not dominating. This ties into what you stated about allowing the physical body and spiritual body work together in harmony. When you are working on something that is your physical body, but having the ability to not take credit would stem from your spiritual body.
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