Dag Hammarsjöld (1905-1961)

Dag Hammarsjöld: Mountains in Markings Edited by Peter Y. Chou WisdomPortal.com

Markings (Published 1964)

First entry in Markings— Thus it was (1925) I am being driven forward Into an unknown land. The pass grows steeper, The air colder and sharper. A wind from my unknown goal Stirs the strings Of expectation. Still the question: Shall I ever get there? There where life resounds, A clear pure note In the silence. (page 5) ************************************************************************ Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was. (1930, page 7) ************************************************************************ Last entry in Markings— August 24, 1961 Is it a new country In another world of reality Than Day's? Or did I live there Before Day was? I awoke To an ordinary morning with gray light Reflected from the street. But still remembered The dark-blue night Above the tree line. The open moor in moorUight, The crest in shadow. Remembered other dreams Of the same moimtain country: Twice I stood on its summits, I stayed by its remotest lake. And followed the river Towards its source. The seasons have changed And the light And the weather And the hour. But it is the same land. And I begin to know the map A nd to get m y bearings. (page 222) ************************************************************************ The Dag Hammarskjöld interview with biographer Roger Lipsey Arriving in NY in 1953, he was asked if he liked mountain climbing. Hammarskjöld said: "This much I know of the sport, that the qualities it requires are just those which I feel we all need today: perseverance and patience, a firm grip on realities, careful but imaginative planning, a clear awareness of the dangers but also of the fact that fate is what we make it and that the safest climber is he who never questions his ability to overcome all difficulties." (By David P. Gushee, Read the Spirit, 6-9-2013) ************************************************************************