The poem I chose was the first poem listed called ( Twenty- five). The theme in this poem appears to be the presence of a higher being. The poem is written and first person where a person describes a being much more powerful and indescribable. This person says she doesn’t know what to call it so they call it “ TAO” which can also be interpreted as “ Great”
“I do not know its name
Call it Tao.
For lack of a better word, I call it great.”
In the second stanza it describes this higher being as being far away but returning.
“Being great, it flows
I flows far away.
Having gone far, it returns”
This can be interpreted as how we see god. He is in heaven (far away ) but when we need him and when we pray he returns to us.
The last stanza confirms that in fact this higher being is a being that we follow and that we look up to as humans. As humans we have earth, but earth has heaven and heaven has god. ( TAO )
“Man follows Earth.
Earth follows heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
Tao follows what is natural”
1 response so far ↓
ml155866 // Feb 1st 2017 at 11:24 pm
I completely agree with your analysis that Tao is referring to a higher being. The last four sentences show a link between Man and Tao with a notion that Man will eventually find or reach Tao. The poem also says “I do not know its name, Call it Tao”; this is in line with how individuals refer to God. Different religious groups have their own God but the word for God is universal. I like how you noticed that the poem was written in first person and they are describing someone distant and out of reach.
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