Notes to Poem: Meditations on 41

NOTES TO POEM: MEDITATIONS ON 41:
Mystic Knot of Star Lovers

By Peter Y. Chou, WisdomPortal.com

Line in Poem Literary Sources

God said "Let there be light!"
Delight thee with the juice.
The Tao nourishes all things—
Be merciful and raise me up
40th word (God): Genesis I:3 (4000 BC)
Rig Veda, III.41.6 (1500 BC)
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 41 (517 BC)
King David, Psalms 41:10 (1000 BC)

to see secrets of the heavens—
Let thy light come upon me,
keep your mind undivided—
review daily acts before sleeping.
Book of Enoch 41:1 (105 BC)
Pistis Sophia 41:14 (150 AD)
Lao Tzu, Hua Hu Ching 41 (517 BC)
Pythagoras, Golden Verses 41 (500 BC)

A sage delights in the Higher Self—
Stand before God in your prayer
nourishing a solitary purity
work diligently on yourself.
Astavakra Gita 18.41 (400 BC)
Evagrios the Solitary, On Prayer, Text 41 (399 AD)
Tung-fang Shuo, Ling Ch'i Ching 41 (300 AD)
Rinza, Zen Teachings 41 (866 AD)

Mind of a sage is unceasing purity—
heart on goodness & free from evil.
Enlightened state is non-being.
Reality is everywhere and nowhere.
Chu Hsi, Chin-ssu lu IV.41 (1200)
Sage Ninomiya's Evening Talks, Section 41 (1937)
Wei Wu Wei, Open Secret, Ch. 41 (1965)
Paul Brunton, Notebooks 16.3.2.41 (1988)

Pure life force flows through all—
Keep a mind clear like space
Every instant we are dying—
the pearl rolled into the ground.
Subramuniyaswami, Merging with Siva, Lesson 41 (1999)
Seung Sahn Whole World Is A Single Flower, Koan 41 (1992)
Rumi's Daylight, Verse 41 (1273)
Pearl Poet, Pearl, Line 41 (1400)

Bliss transcending all pleasure—
What will the Oak tree say?
Gazing upon the sky and dream—
the fountains of beauty in this life.
100 Poems of Kabir, Poem 41 (1518)
Emily Dickinson, Poem 41 (1859)
Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 41 (1912)
A.E. Song and Its Fountains, Page 41 (1932)

After a goodnight's rave and rumble—
I and my love are alone
with fresh-made bread on the table,
and old witch in the woods waiting.
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 41.14 (1939)
e.e. cummings, 73 Poems, Poem 41 (1963)
Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 41 (1960)
Robert Bly, Poem 41 in Stealing Sugar from the Castle (2013)

Rocks are flying, rocks are rolling...
Beyond what I see, I imagine more—
light of daybreak over spheres
circling without beginning nor end.
Tomas Tranströmer, Poem 41 "Allegro", Selected Poems, (1987)
Mary Oliver, 41st Poem "Imagine", Evidence (2009)
Jane Hirshfield, Poem 41 Women in Praise of the Sacred (1994)
Hildegard of Bingen, The Circling Wheel (1179)

There's Prudence in the Pyramid—
Mystic Knot of Star Lovers
binds this Triangle Universe
while the Sun Pillar shines on.
Numerology: Prudence = 41; Pyramid = 41;
Mystic Knot = 26 + 15 = 41; Star Lovers = 13 + 28 = 41;
Triangle = 41; Universe = 41;
Sun Pillar = 9 + 32 = 41

Line in Poem	Literary Sources
God said "Let there be light!" Delight thee with the juice. The Tao nourishes all things— Be merciful and raise me up	40th word (God): Genesis I:3 (4000 BC) Rig Veda, III.41.6 (1500 BC) Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching 41 (517 BC) King David, Psalms 41:10 (1000 BC)
to see secrets of the heavens— Let thy light come upon me, keep your mind undivided— review daily acts before sleeping.	Book of Enoch 41:1 (105 BC) Pistis Sophia 41:14 (150 AD) Lao Tzu, Hua Hu Ching 41 (517 BC) Pythagoras, Golden Verses 41 (500 BC)
A sage delights in the Higher Self— Stand before God in your prayer nourishing a solitary purity work diligently on yourself.	Astavakra Gita 18.41 (400 BC) Evagrios the Solitary, On Prayer, Text 41 (399 AD) Tung-fang Shuo, Ling Ch'i Ching 41 (300 AD) Rinza, Zen Teachings 41 (866 AD)
Mind of a sage is unceasing purity— heart on goodness & free from evil. Enlightened state is non-being. Reality is everywhere and nowhere.	Chu Hsi, Chin-ssu lu IV.41 (1200) Sage Ninomiya's Evening Talks, Section 41 (1937) Wei Wu Wei, Open Secret, Ch. 41 (1965) Paul Brunton, Notebooks 16.3.2.41 (1988)
Pure life force flows through all— Keep a mind clear like space Every instant we are dying— the pearl rolled into the ground.	Subramuniyaswami, Merging with Siva, Lesson 41 (1999) Seung Sahn Whole World Is A Single Flower, Koan 41 (1992) Rumi's Daylight, Verse 41 (1273) Pearl Poet, Pearl, Line 41 (1400)
Bliss transcending all pleasure— What will the Oak tree say? Gazing upon the sky and dream— the fountains of beauty in this life.	100 Poems of Kabir, Poem 41 (1518) Emily Dickinson, Poem 41 (1859) Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 41 (1912) A.E. Song and Its Fountains, Page 41 (1932)
After a goodnight's rave and rumble— I and my love are alone with fresh-made bread on the table, and old witch in the woods waiting.	James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 41.14 (1939) e.e. cummings, 73 Poems, Poem 41 (1963) Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 41 (1960) Robert Bly, Poem 41 in Stealing Sugar from the Castle (2013)
Rocks are flying, rocks are rolling... Beyond what I see, I imagine more— light of daybreak over spheres circling without beginning nor end.	Tomas Tranströmer, Poem 41 "Allegro", Selected Poems, (1987) Mary Oliver, 41st Poem "Imagine", Evidence (2009) Jane Hirshfield, Poem 41 Women in Praise of the Sacred (1994) Hildegard of Bingen, The Circling Wheel (1179)
There's Prudence in the Pyramid— Mystic Knot of Star Lovers binds this Triangle Universe while the Sun Pillar shines on.	Numerology: Prudence = 41; Pyramid = 41; Mystic Knot = 26 + 15 = 41; Star Lovers = 13 + 28 = 41; Triangle = 41; Universe = 41; Sun Pillar = 9 + 32 = 41

Meditation Notes to Poem:

This poem was written for my niece Elisa's 41st birthday on February 27, 2018.
For context of sources for the lines, consult my web page On Number 41 to see how this poem was constructed. Despite the difference in space and time of the composition of each line, what unites these writers quoted is the number 41.
The writer's words appeared in verse 41, sonnet 41, chapter 41, line 41, or page 41.
The poem was arranged essentially in chronological order from "Delight thee with the juice" in Rig Veda I.41.6 (1500 B.C.) to "Be merciful and raise me up"— Psalms 41.10 of King David (1000 B.C.) and to Mary Oliver's "Beyond what I see,
I imagine more" from Poem 41 "Imagine" in Evidence (2009).

The last stanza is not based on literary texts, but on numerology as letters in the words add up to 41. The Latin prudentia means "foresight, sagacity". It is often associated with wisdom, insight, and knowledge. Since pyramid is linked with power, wisdom, and courage, we may connect Prudence and Pyramid together. The Mystic Knot = 41 or Endless Knot symbolizes the eternal continuum of mind. I've chosen Perseus & Andromeda as "Star Lovers" instead of the Chinese fairy tale "Star Lovers" of Weaver Maiden & Cowherd who meet in heaven on the 7th Day of the 7th Moon. In Greek mythology, Perseus freed Andromeda from the dragon, and both were placed as constellations in the sky. Johann Ehlert Bode's 1805 map drawing shows Perseus, Andromeda and Triangle Constellations. As Triangle = 41 in numerology, it was surprising to find Triangulum between "Star Lovers" = 41 (Perseus & Andromeda). "Triangle Universe" may refer to Platonic Lambda Λ that God created "Soul of the Universe" in the shape of a triangle Λ (Plato's Timaeus 35b). The "Sun Pillar" or "Light Pillar" is a vertical band of light created by the reflection of light from numerous tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere or clouds. Wikipedia's 10 images of Light Pillars are quite beautiful.