Opening Remarks
The force of life moves in a dangerous Intermediate Zone from where it is difficult to escape.
Gaze of life
There was an ardour in the gaze of Life
That saw heaven blue in the grey air of Night:
The impulses godward soared on passion’s wings.
There was an intensity in the gaze of Life that could imagine heaven even in the grey Night. Its godward impulses soared on wings of passion.
Heaven-leap of the Gods
Mind’s quick-paced thoughts floated from their high necks,
A glowing splendour as of an irised mane,
A parure of pure intuition’s light;
Its flame-foot gallop they could imitate:
Mind’s voices mimicked inspiration’s stress,
Its ictus of infallibility,
Its speed and lightning heaven-leap of the Gods.
The mind under the influence of life paced with quick thoughts floating on high necks maned with irised splendour from an intuitive light as if from glowing jewels. Galloping with flame-foot these voices could imitate the stress of inspiration. They seemed infallible as if leaping towards heaven with the speed and lightning of the Gods.
Almost divine
A trenchant blade that shore the nets of doubt,
Its sword of discernment seemed almost divine.
The sharp edges of its thought seemed to be beyond all doubts. Its sword of discernment seemed almost divine.
Borrowed sun’s
Yet all that knowledge was a borrowed sun’s;
The forms that came were not heaven’s native births:
An inner voice could speak the unreal’s Word;
Its puissance dangerous and absolute
Could mingle poison with the wine of God.
Yet all this seemingly intuitive knowledge was a borrowed one and hence could not be regarded as free from error. The forms that this knowledge took did not originate from the higher consciousness. An inner voice could speak the Unreal as true. Its dangerous and seemingly absolute power could mingle poison with the wine of God.
Magnificent lie
On these high shining backs falsehood could ride;
Truth lay with delight in error’s passionate arms
Gliding downstream in a blithe gilded barge:
She edged her ray with a magnificent lie.
The vital world and its forces can imitate truth. Falsehood could gallop on its shining steeds and truth happily concede to the error’s passionate grip gliding downstream upon a glimmering boat covering its edges with a magnificent lie.
Life’s nether realm
Here in Life’s nether realms all contraries meet;
Truth stares and does her works with bandaged eyes
And Ignorance is Wisdom’s patron here:
Those galloping hooves in their enthusiast speed
Could bear to a dangerous intermediate zone
Where Death walks wearing a robe of deathless Life.
Here in Life’s nether realms all contraries meet. Truth stares and does the works of falsehood with covered eyes and Ignorance is the patron of Wisdom here. These galloping hooves could carry in their speed to a dangerous intermediate zone where Death imitates deathless life.
Trapped Souls
Or they enter the valley of the wandering Gleam
Whence, captives or victims of the specious Ray,
Souls trapped in that region never can escape.
Or else these souls enter the valley of false glimmers where captives of the deceiving Ray they are trapped in that region without escape.
Agents, not masters
Agents, not masters, they serve Life’s desires
Toiling for ever in the snare of Time.
These souls then become agents rather than masters of Life’s desires toiling forever in the snare of Time.
Sink of Nought
Their bodies born out of some Nihil’s womb
Ensnare the spirit in the moment’s dreams,
Then perish vomiting the immortal soul
Out of Matter’s belly into the sink of Nought.
These beings born out of some Inconscient Nihil ensnare the spirit in a moment’s dream before perishing and regurgitating the immortal soul into a narrow blank oblivious state.
Some uncaught, unslain
Yet some uncaught, unslain, can warily pass
Carrying Truth’s image in the sheltered heart,
Pluck Knowledge out of error’s screening grip,
Break paths through the blind walls of little self,
Then travel on to reach a greater life.
Yet some pass through this realm uncaught, unslain carrying the image of Truth in their heart sheltered in the Divine. They pluck knowledge out of the screen of error and its grip, break paths through the blind limits of our little self and then travel on to a greater life.
Closing Remarks
Thus Savitri passes through this dangerous Intermediate zone of the deceiving vital world, or the valley of false glimmers, without being caught or trapped.
