Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1938

Letter ID: 2180

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

September 4, 1938

[Sri Aurobindo and the Mother]

You found no answer to my questions, so the delay in sending my notebook?

Well, your arguments are not so overwhelming that I would find it difficult to answer; it was the time to answer that I did not find.

You may note that you quoted some time back [31.3.38] Dante’s line: “In His will is our peace” and said that written in Italian it is one of the greatest lines in all poetic literature. Well, judging by the translation (not knowing Italian rhythm), I fear again it doesn’t stir me much, but it stirs you much more because you see the profound significance behind it.

How can you judge a line of poetry from a translation? That would be an astonishing feat. I simply gave the meaning of the line in order to point out that poetry can be simple and straightforward in expression and yet rank as the greatest poetry. Its not stirring you would only prove that your plexus is not receptive to great and stirring poetry, it would not prove that the poetry is not great and stirring.

R is going tonight, I hear. I would like to offer the coffee tin and cheese to you, if you won’t take the jam and butter. But I will be really glad if you accept everything. R won’t take them back.

[Mother:] Send me the coffee and cheese and keep the butter and jam.