I am merely a shadow, born of sunrise,
And my touch to you, I know, is nothing;
And my words to you, I know, are whispers,
Torn by wind to shreds, and you could never hear me
/
I am merely a shadow, melting in the white noon;
What are my sweat and blood to you?
They are naught but water, coloured by pain
Dripping down your slopes onto the ground;
/
I am merely a shadow, dreading the night
By whose spreading wings I’ll be consumed;
In my armour of rock, encrusted with stars
I will become one of your faceless sisters
/
I am merely a shadow, I will disappear;
What are my triumphs to you, oh Mountains?
It could be that my last breath is this very one
While for you wild gale up high will breathe forever
/
Oh Mountains, may you be blessed
For you keep bearing our passing shadows
To your proud, unyielding summits,
Upon which Light burns down Time
To nothing
Powerful and beautiful.
I’m glad you liked the poem, Elizabeth! Thank you for reading!
It is not a matter of narcissism or egocentricity. But the realization that we are mere shadows is demoralizing. On the other hand we need of dose of humility now and then.
Thank you for the interesting comment! I agree with you, Carl, in that we couldn’t face the challenges of our daily lives if we constantly reminded ourselves that we are only shadows. However, having spent all this time in the mountains watching my shadow glide over rocks and ice, I was fascinated by how not a trace of it – of me – remained on them. The scale and power of the Himalayas certainly inspired me with humility and more appreciation for my small life than I’d ever had before; it was the opposite of demoralizing, really.
What a brillian poem to capture the not only the climbers perspective but that of the mountain…kudos!
Thank you! One tries to make sense of her surroundings and find her place in them.