The Herdsman
I’m herdsman of a flock. The sheep are my thoughts And my thoughts are all sensations. I think with my eyes and my ears And my hands and feet And nostrils and mouth. To think a flower is to see and smell it. To eat a fruit is to sense its savor. And that is why, when I feel sad, In a day of heat, because of so much joy And lay me down in the grass to rest And close my sun-warmed eyes, I feel my whole body relaxed in reality And know the whole truth and am happy.
Poetry Foundation, Vol 87, no. 1, 1955. Translated By Edouard Roditi.
Love the simplicity and the metaphor
this is a delightful poem . I first think while reading that’s it’s as if told by a child— a beautiful and pure child, and then I think—wow,, Fernando, what a lucky being you are to be such, or at least such a beautiful spirit. Thank you for this poem.