Sri Aurobindo

Letters of Sri Aurobindo

Volume 2. 1938

Letter ID: 2203

Sri Aurobindo — Nirodbaran Talukdar

October 4, 1938

“A tranced silver flame of thy delight,

Within my rapturous solitude I bear

The occult mysteries of the Infinite

Hidden in a bright seed of tranquil prayer.”

A flame bearing mysteries in a seed is a mixed metaphor.

“Life breaks no more with multitudinous waves

Upon my luminous silence; its irised fire

Lights only the forlorn shadowy caves

On the edge of time with foams of moth-desire.”

A fire lighting a cave with foam and a moth foaming! In English one must be careful to avoid mixture of metaphors whether implied or explicit.

Where are the sonnets or lyrics you have written? We have seen very few of them!

Unseen they count, but not in numbers.

And what did you mean by “for the rest” which you rewrite 20 or 30 times? Did you mean your “Savitri”?

Of course.

Do you think it will greet us one day?

Well, perhaps after ten years if I get time.