Sri Aurobindo

Collected Poems

CWSA.- Volume 2

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

Creation¹

Since² Thou hadst all eternity to amuse,

O sculptor of the living shapes of earth³,

O dramatist of death and life and birth,

World-artist revelling in forms and hues,

Hast Thou shaped the marvel of the whirling spheres,⁴

A scientist passing Nature through his tubes,

And played with numbers, measures, theorems, cubes,

O mathematician Mind that never errs,

Building a universe from⁵ Thy theories?

Protean is Thy spirit of delight⁶,

Craftsman minute and⁷ architect of might,

World-adept⁸ of a thousand mysteries.

Or forged⁹ some deep Necessity, not Thy whim,

Fate and Inconscience and the net¹⁰ of Time?

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 Conscious Inconscient

Back

² 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: Because

Back

³ In 1972 ed. this line is placed after the next one

Back

⁴ In 21972 ed. this and next three lines run:

A mathematician Mind that never errs,

Thou hast played with theorems, numbers, measures, cubes,

Passed cells, electrons, molecules through Thy tubes,

World-forces for Thy Science’s ministers,

Back

⁵ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: And made a universe of

Back

⁶ 'In 1972 ed. this line is placed after the next one

Back

⁷ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: an

Back

⁸ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: An adept

Back

⁹ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: built

Back

¹⁰ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: snare

Back