Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].

Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.

Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.

This has been my life; I found it worth living.

adapted by Bertrand Russell

  Posted By tyna     Jun 5, 2009         

7 Comments

• At 2009.06.05 19:51, BupSpeespag said:

  Hi, Congratulations to the site owner for this marvelous work you’ve done. It has lots of useful and interesting data.

  [Reply]
• At 2009.06.06 10:26, beauty supplies said:

  Thanks for another great post. I read your blog regularly, and it’s always interesting.

  [Reply]
• At 2009.06.06 12:45, Dominik said:

  I love your poem. You are a good poet. You really look great in that picture and this poem of your inspires me to be more passionate. thank you for posting this.

  [Reply]
• At 2009.06.08 07:01, latonyadeg said:

  Willingly I accept. In my opinion, it is actual, I will take part in discussion. Together we can come to a right answer. I am assured.

  [Reply]
• At 2009.06.09 03:21, beibee said:

  thought-provoking poem. sometimes we look at others with so much pity that we tend to forget, even momentarily of our problems and we begin to dream of how we can help such ones.

  incidentally, in the depth of such pitiable reflection we all come to harsh conclusion and reality that we suffer too…we’re just another aspect of the pity that surrounds the world.

  beibees last blog post..CURRENT LATEST LIST OF JOBS IN NIGERIA TODAY: JUNE 9, 2009

  [Reply]
• At 2009.06.09 05:45, Isqil Najim said:

  “…With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
  I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
  I have wished to know why the stars shine…”

  I love this…It is great source of inspiration. I think every man should endeavour to do the same…

  [Reply]
• At 2009.06.11 06:14, beibee said:

  sad to note: knowledge isn’t the pursuit of every man.

  beibees last blog post..Re: ANSWER A QUESTION WITH A QUESTION ( Continue )

  [Reply]