Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 3

Letter ID: 799

Sri Aurobindo — Roy, Dilip Kumar

August 8, 1936

Yesterday I saw a dream rather lovely about Divine Grace: as though it retiring everything seemed black. But it was present even when it had seemed to recede. A voice said so anyhow, “It waits for you to greet it, it is greeting you always. See if it recedes for a moment one finds it impossible even to breathe. The fact, therefore, that you breathe is significant – proving that it supports your breathing – that the channel is not stopped, etc.”

A very fine dream experience – also a true voice.

The poem has been a long one, and growing longer. I will send you the thing tomorrow. Lovely images are coming. So.

I send you the song on Clouds. While singing the idea of Shiva came and so I had to alter it a good deal. See now. It seems much better ... picturesque rather. How is it that poems are often so infinitely improved by chiselling? Does the inspiration so improve when chiselling and polishing?

It is a second inspiration improving on the first. When the improving is done by the mind more than by the inspiration, then the retouches spoil more often than they perfect.

Nishikanta’s poem too see.

Very beautiful.