Translatable as “The Book of The Virtuous Middle Path”, the Tao Te Ching was written around the 6th Century BC bv a Chinese wise man called Lao Tzu. Ever since, this admirable compilation of poems has become the main sourcebook of Taoism – possibly comparable to a Bible for that religion. Halfway between a sacred text and a poetry anthology, the Tao Te Ching comprises 81 compositions which are worth revisiting often. The present visualization was (somewhat freely) adapted from the 11th poem in the book.

This visualization is based on the text “Aedh Wishes For The Heavenly Cloths” by Yeats. Aedh is a recurring archetypical character (one of the three “principles of the mind” that represents romantic affection.

Simple and sweeping, this text remains one of the most widely known works by this Irish author, who remains one of the most influential authors of the XX century.

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

This lyrical visualization is adapted from a sonnet written by Manuel Maria du Bocage.

He was one of the greatest Neoclassic Portuguese poets, who’s reknowned mostly for his romantic overtones. True to its origins, “The Remorse” is a grandiose reflection on a simple emotion that all human beings are bound to experience in their own turn.

This poem was written by Alberto Caeiro, one of the main heteronyms spawned by Fernando Pessoa – who is arguably the most widely influential modern Portuguese poet: an author of such gigantic creativity that his own self was overflown.

Pessoa consciously developed numerous creative personas; unlike a mere pseudonym, they were complex and multifaceted aspects of himself: complete with their own identities, creative styles and agendas, life stories and even astral charts. He created dozens of such “other selves”(at least 81 are documented), four of whom were so thoroughly developed they could easily be regarded as real people.

Alberto Caeiro was thus one of Pessoa’s forefront heteronyms. He was envisioned as a simple country person, with little in the way of aspirations and ambitions. Caeiro was uneducated and simple-minded, wholly unencumbered by the burden of thought. Pessoa conceived him as one who “sees things with the eyes only, not with the mind.” Given his effortless sense of being, the other heteronyms (including Pessoa Himself) regarded and revered Alberto Caeiro as the naive Master.

Today’s illustrated poetry is a homage to Kenji Miyazawa, one of the dearest poets in Japan.

He lived a simple and unpretentious life; a poet in the guise of teacher and social activist, doing his best to help the farmers in his home village. His message is one of compassion, human hopefulness, and perseverance. The poem here adapted, originally titled “Ame ni mo makezu” is his most famous poem, and neatly summarizes his ideals of life.

For this visual adaptation, we mostly relied on the translation by David Sulz. Given the complexities of the Japanese language, we recommend you look at other translations if you would like a clearer understanding of some passages of this composition. We hope you enjoyed learning about (or getting reacquainted with) this masterful Japanese lyricist!

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ANTHERO DE QUENTAL

“To a Poet”

Calm spirit, that beneath the cedar-tree
Bent down with years, art resting, slumber-swayed,
E’en as a Levite in the altar’s shade,
Far from the noisy strife of earth and free.

Awake ! ’tis time ! The sun in majesty
Has put to flight the ghosts, the spectres laid,
And a new world waits but the signal made
To rise from out the bosom of the sea.

List thou ! for ’tis the people’s clamouring !
And they who rise, thy brethren ! Lo they sing
A battle-song, and give the alarm afar !

Up, soldier of the Future, rise at last,
And from the rays that purest dreams have cast,
Thou dreamer, forge thyself a sword for war !