THE SEARCH

 

Published in 1927

 

( All rights reserved )

 

Printed in Great Britain by

Unwin Brothers, Ltd, Woking

 

 

I HAVE been a wanderer long

In this world of transient things.

I have known the passing pleasures thereof.

As the rainbow is beautiful,

But soon vanishes into nothingness,

So have I known,

From the very foundation of the world,

The passing away of all things

Beautiful, joyous and pleasurable.

In searh of the Eternal

I lost myself in the fleeting.

All things have I tasted in search of Truth.

 

In bygone ages

Have I known the pleasures of the transient

world-

The tender mother with the children,

The arrogant and the free,

The beggar that wanders the face of the earth,

The contentment of the wealthy,

The woman of enticements,

The beautiful and the ugly,

The man of authority, the man of power,

The man of consequence, the bestower and the

 guardian,

The opressed and the oppressor,

The liberator and the tyrant,

The man of great possessions,

The man of renunciation, the sannyasi,

The man of activity and the man of dreams,

The arrogant priest in gorgeous robes and the

humble worshipper,

The poet, the artist and the creator.

 

At all the altars of the world have I worshipped,

All religions have known me,

Many ceremonies have I performed,

In the pomp of the world have I rejoiced,

In the battles of defeat and victory have I fought,

The despiser and the despised,

The man acquainted with grief

And agonies of many sorrows,

The man of pleasure and abundance.

In the secret recesses of my heart have I danced,

Many births and deaths have I known,

In all these fleeting realms have I wandered,

In passing ecstasies, certain of their endurance,

And yet I never found that eternal Kingdom of

Happiness.

 

Once

I sought for Thee-

The imperishable Truth,

The eternal Happiness,

The culmination of all Wisdom-

On the mountain top,

In the star-lit sky,

In the shadows of the soft moon,

In the temples of man,

In the books of the learned,

In the soft spring leaf,

In the dancing waters,

On the face of man,

In the bubbling brook,

In sorrow, in pain,

In joy and ecstasy-

I did not find Thee.

 

As the mountaineer that climbs great heights,

Leaving his many burdens at each step,

So have I climbed,

Throwing aside all transient things.

 

As the sannyasi, with his robes of gold,

With the begging bowl of happiness,

So I have renounced.

 

As the gardener who kills

The destructive weed of the garden,

So I have annihilated the self.

As the winds,

So am I free and untrammelled.

 

Fresh and eager as the wind

That seeketh the hidden places of the valley,

So have I sought

The secret abodes of my soul,

And purged myself of all things,

Past and present.

 

As, suddenly, the robes of silence

Fall over the noisy world,

So, instantly, have I found Thee,

Deep in the heart of all things and in mine own.

On the mountain path

I sat on a rock,

And Thou wert beside me and in me,

All things being in Thee and in me.

Happy is the man that findeth Thee and me

In all things.

In the light of the setting sun,

Through the delicate lace of a spring tree,

I beheld Thee.

In the swift passing bird,

Disappering into the black mountain,

I beheld Thee.

 

Thy glory has awakened the glory in me.

As I found, O world,

The Truth, the eternal Happiness,

So do I desire to give.

 

Come, let us consider together,

Ponder together and be happy together,

Let us reason together and bring forth Happiness.

 

As I have tasted,

And know full well the sorrows and pains,

The ecstasies and joys

Of this fleeting world,

So do I know your travail.

The glory of a butterfly passeth in a day,

So, O world, are thy sorrows and pains,

Many pleasures leading to many sorrows,

Many sorrows to greater sorrows,

Continual strife and ceaseless small victories.

As the delicate bud, suffering the long winter,

Blossoms forth and gives delicious scent to the air,

And withers away before the setting of the sun,

So are thy struggles, thy achievements, and thy

death-

A wheel of pain and pleasure,

Birth and death.

 

As I lost myself in the transient things

In searh of the eternal Happiness,

So, O world, art thou lost in the fleeting.

Awake and gather thy strength,

Look about and consider.

 

The unfading Happiness-

The Happiness that is the only Truth,

The Happiness that is the end of all search,

The Happiness that is the end of all questionings

and doubt,

The Happiness that brings freedom from birth and

death,

The Happiness that is the only law,

The Happiness that is the only refuge,

The Happiness that is the source of all things,

The Happiness that gives the eternal comfort,

The true Happiness that is Enlightenment-

Abides within thee.

 

As I have gained strength,

So would I give

This Happiness.

As I have gained affectionate detachment,

So would I give

This Happiness.

As I have gained passionate dispassion,

So would I give

This Happiness.

As I have conquered life and death,

So would I give

This Happiness.

 

Throw aside, O world, thy vanities

And follow me,

For I know the way up the mountain,

For I know the way through this turmoil and grief.

 

There is only

One Truth,

One Law,

One Refuge,

One Guide,

To that eternal Happiness.

 

Awake, arise,

Consider and gather the strength.

 

 

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 The Search   translated to russian 

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