Sri Aurobindo

Collected Poems

CWSA.- Volume 2

Part Seven. Pondicherry
Sonnets from Manuscripts, c. 1934 – 1947

Man the Mediator¹

A² dumb Inconscient drew life’s stumbling maze,

A night of all things, packed and infinite:

It made our consciousness a torch that plays

Between the Abyss³ and a supernal Light.

Our mind was framed a lens of segment sight

Piecing out inch by inch the world’s huge mass,

And reason a small hard theodolite

Measuring unreally the measureless ways.

Yet is the dark Inconscient whence came⁴ all

The self-same Power that shines on high unwon:

Our Night shall be a sky purpureal,

Our⁵ torch transmute to a vast godhead’s sun.

Rooted in mire heavenward man’s nature grows,–⁶

His soul the dim bud of God’s flaming rose.

Earlier edition of this work: Sri Aurobindo Birth Century Library: Set in 30 volumes.- Volume 5.- Collected Poems.- Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Asram, 1972.- 625 p.

¹ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: The Dumb Inconscient

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² 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: The

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³ its night (the variant is mentioned in 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5)

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⁴ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: come

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⁵ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: The

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⁶ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: Man is a narrow bridge, a call that grows,

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