In Beauty May I Walk
In beauty
may I walk
All day long
may I walk
Through the returning seasons
may I walk
Beautifully
will I possess again
Beautifully birds
beautifully joyful birds
On the trail marked with pollen
may I walk
With grasshoppers about my feet
may I walk
With dew about my feet
may I walk
With beauty may I walk
with beauty before me
may I walk
With beauty behind me
may I walk
With beauty above me
may I walk
With beauty all around me
may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, lively,
may I walk
In old age, wandering on a trail of beauty, living again,
may I walk,
It is finished in beauty.
It is finished in beauty.
From the Navajo
Originally from a little book I acquired, "In beauty may I walk... words of wisdom by native Americans", 1997, edited by Helen Exley.
The Wisdom of Beauty: My Thoughts on in Beauty May I Walk
Each individual tribe has their own word for beauty, but they all express the same concept.
But what does it mean?
First and foremost, one must think of it is a way of life.
Beauty, to the Native American way of thinking, which isn’t quite as mundane as it is in the English language. Beauty is a way of life. It is a way of feeling connected to this world, to nature and the Universe. It is also a statement on how the world was viewed and their place in it.
Feminine is it's gender and nature, I think of it much like the Yin element in Yin / Yang in Chinese.
Nizhóní is the Navaho word for Beauty.
The Navajo idea of beauty goes beyond mere appearances though. Beauty is a sense of being, and is comprised of harmony and balance that is felt within. Things outside of our own minds can remind us of that beauty, and those things are called nizhóní.
Nizhóní is a term that is related to hózhó, which is harmony. The word harmony has deeper meanings, and too is often equated with the Navajo way of life.
In the sense of this poem beauty has more to do with appreciation of the many diverse forms of life, giving thanks for all that we are given, to walk bravely and not fearfully through life, do no harm to our Mother, the Earth.
What would you add? What are your insights?
Great montra!
Oh yes, it could be. Hadn't thought about it in that light before ;-)