To entertain to gain applause
is our life's attention
beloved lovers
praising
To write to be heard
is our signature
beloved lovers
imparting
To be high to feel numb
on life or substance
beloved lovers
flying
To seek God or befriend the devil
for our companion
beloved lovers
following
To live and to seek death
for our glory
beloved lovers
exalting
To love to be loved that
is our life's quest
beloved lovers
searching
Author notes
Written September 6th, 2004
In a list
A contest entry
- I Think, Therefore I Write by Martooni.
300 points, ended September 10, 2004, 8 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 11 of 11
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I like this very much.
This shows the decisions that are to be made and that we have a choice and are not following blindly. So when we do make the choices we are satisfied with what we find out. -
The question I ask is what is man's motive for doing what he does. The answer I suggest is to love and to loved. Perhaps that is more psychoanalytical that philosophical, but I would argue that it is both for philospophy asks 'why' not just 'what'
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Classical Greek philosophy well recognised the tension between two forms of love: hedonistic love represented by Aphrodite, and platonic love represented by Plato and Socrate. The very word philospophy derives from the Greek word Philos - love and spohia - wisdom. Love was the subject of many Greek writings. I, myself, did a paper on Greek piece written about love.
Here's an example of a socratic dialogue taken from Symposium:
"Then now", said Socrates, "let us recapitulate the argument. First, is not love of something and of something too which is wanting to a man?"
"Yes", he replied.
"Remember further what you said in your speech, or if you do not remember I will remind you: you said that the love of the beautiful set in order the empire of the gods, for that of deformed things there is no love -- did you not say something of the kind?"
"Yes", said Agathon.
"Yes, my friend, and the remark was a just one. And if this is true, Love is the love of beauty and not of deformity?"
He assented.
"And the admission has been already made that Love is of something which a man wants and has not?"
"True", he said.
"Then Love wants and has not beauty?"
"Certainly", he replied.
"And you would call that beautiful which wants and does not possess beauty?"
"Certainly not."
"Then would you still say that love is beautiful?"
Agathon replied: "I fear that I did not understand what I was saying."
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i like it, melph, but i'm really having to stretch to pick out the philosophy here -- the closest thing is "to love to be loved that / is our life's quest", but even that's more psychoanalytical than philosophical. I guess what I'm trying to say is that philosophical truths need to withstand three tests: rational, universal and objective. you could argue that this is universal -- but there's always going to be those who find meaning in other things -- but love and rationality (or objectivity, for that matter) just don't co-exist well .
This is a very touching piece though. As I said, I do like it, but I don't think this reaches far enough past the emotional aspects of life. Good poetry but iffy philosophy. -
Interesting way to put it.. To me this spoke of personal motivations as they would apply on a 'universal' level. Perhaps we all live to love, or all love to live, but I'm not sure. There are those who say love is simply a state of mind, found or not found, quested for only by those who give it value...
Still I like the way you laid this out 'beloved lovers' ..
The loved and the loving..
Oh and .!! good luck in the contest!
~~whims
Edited on Sep 06, 5:04 p.m. because ''. -
A wonderful poem about writing, I liked it a lot- a very deep poem
Keep writing and good luck in the contest
PS Do you want to enter my contest? -
That's the beatify of poetry. The reader doesn't necessarily see the author's intent. The reading brings his/her own experiences to the piece and has an entirely new conversation with it than the author originally had.
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Lol. You see how sad that makes me. I see love poem and automatically think "Love... that doesn't inspire anyone! Psh". I'm so freakin' jaded. lmao. But I definitely see your point.
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It's offering a philosophical answer to the question of the reason why we do what we do.
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hmm... Nice poem. I think the line i liked best was To seek God or befriend the devil. Shows the relation ship of many things.
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Hmmm. I wouldn't necessarily say this is particularly philosophical, but it certainly IS a very nice poem! The reptition adds a little punch to it.
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