The Choir Conductor’s Thoughts After A Reading On Hell
I had read the thoughts of an ancient, very famous poet in a mentor classic, in beautiful verse “The immortal drama of a journey through hell” something like that was said. It was so praised by famous, learned people, translated into so many languages. I only succeeded to read half way, as it was a scare, - even worse than a sermon threatening the listeners with hell - of the nine circles of hell, of sinners, of the damned, of the great poets of all time, Homer, Ovid, Horace, Lucan, Virgil, including himself, of “the blest and beauteous shining of the Heavenly cars, ...”
I can’t imagine a God so pitiful, so weak that He could ever be offended, blasphemed by His creatures and take measures for the insult, wrong doing by punishing them in such a torturous way. A God so partial who would take sides, welcome the chosen and reject the damned.
As I think of human dignity, who could pride himself to be a better man than another? How degrading, to praise one and humiliate the other, more so for a God. I imagine God far greater, far more generous, impartial, no words ever could grasp, rather than a God so humanlike as depicted that way.
And I thought of the wonderful songs, thoughts so heartening and so hitting the mark as “Bliss”*, “I Believe**” and for days am I in a happy, cheerful mood. I would rather sing those songs than recite the credo of the church: “I believe in God the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost …”
To watch the wonderful flight of dragonflies in the air, so light, so fast “jumping, diving” catching small insects, of the pigeon’s solo flight with powerful wing-strokes skiing, soaring high up in the sky, of the flutter of two, tree butterflies chasing after one another in the wind, see the leaves of the flamboyant as snowflakes falling, see fallen flowers on the grass as a milk white 4-petal tea tray of the barringtonia asiatica, see angsana blossoms as a yellow carpet on the ground, watch the little honey bees, flitting hovering, perching, visiting flowers, … while leisurely sitting with my wandering thoughts. I could endlessly write about paradise that’s around me.
I remember a Chinese painter said about painting beauty with the least possible strokes or with the most possible strokes and I thought of beauty just composed as a simple song or beauty as rich as composed as a symphony or find a paradise in a short story and I think of O Henry and Andersen or in a novel.
Why keep myself occupied, busy with hell, as I listen to Elly Ameling singing Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, … songs. I remember some one saying “See heaven in a wild flower” or remember the wonderful thought: “One Earth, One Sky, One Humankind” or have my picnic on the bank of a lake, a river or on the side of a brook, … What delight!
But I might judge him wrong. Perhaps am I a bad church choir master to have such unreligious, disrespectful ideas.
Thus he disclosed his thoughts to me.
Bliss* (Seligkeit)
Joy and peace and love reign in heaven above;
Angels praise God’s glory, such the ancient story.
Would that I were there such sweet bliss to share!
…
I would rather stay here, with thee says May,
Sit here at thy side, love, as thy bonnie bride, love!
And with one sweet kiss seal our heavenly bliss!
I Believe**
I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows.
I believe that some where in the darkest night, a candle glows.
I believe for every one who goes astray, some one will come to show the way.
I believe above the storm the smallest prayer will still be heard.
I believe that some one in the great some where hears every word.
Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the sky, then I know why I believe!
December 2008
I had read the thoughts of an ancient, very famous poet in a mentor classic, in beautiful verse “The immortal drama of a journey through hell” something like that was said. It was so praised by famous, learned people, translated into so many languages. I only succeeded to read half way, as it was a scare, - even worse than a sermon threatening the listeners with hell - of the nine circles of hell, of sinners, of the damned, of the great poets of all time, Homer, Ovid, Horace, Lucan, Virgil, including himself, of “the blest and beauteous shining of the Heavenly cars, ...”
I can’t imagine a God so pitiful, so weak that He could ever be offended, blasphemed by His creatures and take measures for the insult, wrong doing by punishing them in such a torturous way. A God so partial who would take sides, welcome the chosen and reject the damned.
As I think of human dignity, who could pride himself to be a better man than another? How degrading, to praise one and humiliate the other, more so for a God. I imagine God far greater, far more generous, impartial, no words ever could grasp, rather than a God so humanlike as depicted that way.
And I thought of the wonderful songs, thoughts so heartening and so hitting the mark as “Bliss”*, “I Believe**” and for days am I in a happy, cheerful mood. I would rather sing those songs than recite the credo of the church: “I believe in God the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost …”
To watch the wonderful flight of dragonflies in the air, so light, so fast “jumping, diving” catching small insects, of the pigeon’s solo flight with powerful wing-strokes skiing, soaring high up in the sky, of the flutter of two, tree butterflies chasing after one another in the wind, see the leaves of the flamboyant as snowflakes falling, see fallen flowers on the grass as a milk white 4-petal tea tray of the barringtonia asiatica, see angsana blossoms as a yellow carpet on the ground, watch the little honey bees, flitting hovering, perching, visiting flowers, … while leisurely sitting with my wandering thoughts. I could endlessly write about paradise that’s around me.
I remember a Chinese painter said about painting beauty with the least possible strokes or with the most possible strokes and I thought of beauty just composed as a simple song or beauty as rich as composed as a symphony or find a paradise in a short story and I think of O Henry and Andersen or in a novel.
Why keep myself occupied, busy with hell, as I listen to Elly Ameling singing Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, … songs. I remember some one saying “See heaven in a wild flower” or remember the wonderful thought: “One Earth, One Sky, One Humankind” or have my picnic on the bank of a lake, a river or on the side of a brook, … What delight!
But I might judge him wrong. Perhaps am I a bad church choir master to have such unreligious, disrespectful ideas.
Thus he disclosed his thoughts to me.
Bliss* (Seligkeit)
Joy and peace and love reign in heaven above;
Angels praise God’s glory, such the ancient story.
Would that I were there such sweet bliss to share!
…
I would rather stay here, with thee says May,
Sit here at thy side, love, as thy bonnie bride, love!
And with one sweet kiss seal our heavenly bliss!
I Believe**
I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows.
I believe that some where in the darkest night, a candle glows.
I believe for every one who goes astray, some one will come to show the way.
I believe above the storm the smallest prayer will still be heard.
I believe that some one in the great some where hears every word.
Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the sky, then I know why I believe!
December 2008
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