To Stand and to See
©June 12th, 2016
by Vijaya Sundaram
I stand in the midst of thought
And, my mind ripening, I marvel
At fields of golden grain before me.
Where the sun pours down generous light.
My eyes and mind rejoice at sudden
Dawning comprehension, a glimpse
Of what it means to live, and to grow,
Where life shouts out in defiance of death.
And death is but a step away, here, where
I stand among the flowers in the valley below
And forget everything in fields of poppies
And meadows where asphodel and narcissus bloom.
Planting myself firmly in the midst of all
That is, was, and will be, I do not flinch
When things are born, ripen, decay, die –
Knowledge blooms in sun, and in darkness.
I stand among all this, and know it as truth.
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Understanding
I found out to my delight that the word “understand” has its roots in Sanskrit, at least the “under” part. See the Online Etymology Dictionary, from which I quote the excerpt below:
Old English understandan “comprehend, grasp the idea of,” probably literally “stand in the midst of,” from under + standan “to stand” (see stand (v.)). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning “beneath,” but from Old English under, from PIE *nter- “between, among” (source also of Sanskrit antar “among, between,” Latin inter “between, among,” Greek entera “intestines;” see inter-).