Musings at Midnight

Unfortunately you will not be enlightened by my views on the point of poetry, because that post decided to delete itself. Since that train of thought has now completely left me, I decided to read “The Waste Land” and blog about something in that. I have no idea if this will make any sense, because the only thing keeping me awake is chai tea and Nutella, but here it goes.
In lines 401-422, T.S. Eliot’s way of closing out the poem intrigued me. “Datta, Dayadhvam, Damyata” mean “give, sympathise, control” as the handy footnotes explain. The lines that interest me most are 402-409:
“My friend, blood shaking my heart
The awful daring of a moment’s surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract
By this, and this only, we have existed
Which is not to be found in our obituaries
Or in memories draped by the beneficent spider
Or under seals broken by the lean solicitor
In our empty rooms.”
I do not know for sure to what T.S. Eliot is referring, but I know in my own life this struck a chord. It reminded me of my relationship with God. The fearfulness when you are hesitating to surrender your whole life to Christ, then the daring when you decide (rationally or abruptly) to give Him complete control. In the world’s eyes this is foolish, and is seen as a rash act that no amount of rational recompense can retract. (alliteration=fun:]) However, these moments of surrender- bowing to God’s will- are the moments in which true joy and peace are experienced. These are that make life worth living. Yes, it’s dangerous and not advisable if you want a safe life, but this is when God is truly free to fulfill His purpose for you. These times of complete humility and brokenness before Christ, when He takes the broken vessel that is you and shapes it into something beautiful, and fills it with His power… these are important moments in your life; however, they rarely have any impact on those around you. It will not be something people write in your obituary, nor will it be a memory others have of you. It’s not something you can pass on to those left behind; it’s something truly personal- giving yourself to God.
The next two parts reflect this journey, I think. “Dayadhvam” is speaking of each person in his own chains (sympathizing with one another) but the key brings freedom. Then, “Damyata” is referring to a joyful and obedient vessel. So, surrender comes first, then freedom, and then because of that freedom we are to be obedient.
Mark 8:34 “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
So… surrender, exchange chains of sin for bondage to Christ, and obedience.
This was an amazing picture in my head that I did not expect to find in “The Waste Land.” Who knows, I might be reading it all wrong; I guess we’ll see in class tomorrow!
P.S. commented on Tori’s “Like a lost falcon”