A naked and silver-pointed star
Floating near the halo of the moon;
A storm-rack, the pale sky’s fringe and bar,
Over waters stilling into swoon.
My mind is awake in stirless trance,
Hushed my heart, a burden of delight;
Dispelled is the senses’ flicker-dance,
Mute the body aureate with light.
O star of creation pure and free,
Halo-moon of ecstasy unknown,
Storm-breath of the soul-change yet to be,
Ocean-self enraptured and alone!
Notes on Text
16 October 1933. There are two handwritten manuscripts and one typed manuscript, which is dated “16.10.33”. In the same letter in which Sri Aurobindo wrote about the composition of “The Bird of Fire” (see below), he noted that “Trance” was written “at one sitting — it took only a few minutes”.
