Notes to Poem: Meditations on 96

NOTES TO POEM: MEDITATIONS ON 96

By Peter Y. Chou, WisdomPortal.com

Line in Poem Literary Sources

Be
pure and lucid as a clear lake,
evenness of mind, peace ever the same.
The enlightened sage knows the secret One—
sings a joyful song of earth, hills, and sea.
Genesis I.6 (word 95 = be) (1000 BC)
Buddha, Dhammapada, Verse 95 (240 BC)
Bhagavad Gita, Verse 95 (II.48)
Rig Veda, I.95.4,8 (1500 BC)
Psalms, 95.1,4-5

The Buddha's language— Have a cup of tea!
Knowledge of Suchness—
the dragon lurks
in a cloud of waters
splendour bright.
Mountain finches soar into the blue sky.
Blue Cliff Records, Case 95 (1052 AD)
Lankavatara Sutra, II.95 (440 AD)
Blue Cliff Records, Case 95 (1052 AD)
Book of Enoch, 95.1 (64 BC);
Pearl Poet, Pearl, line 95 (1400)
Tung-fang Shuo, Ling Ch'i Ching, 95 (400 AD)

Atom by atom
dance in my blood— dancing perfectly free,
freed from doubt when she smiled at me—
I'm broken open
by an arrow— my Love has come back.
Bodhicayavatara, V.82 (700 AD)
Rumi, Mathnawi, III.95-97 (1273)
Dante, Paradiso I.95-96 (1321)
Rumi, Mathnawi, III.95-97 (1273)
Hafiz, Verse 95 (1389)

A knight's adventure— the fig & olive,
white snow under the blood
so precious
budding beauty, sweet & lovely fragrant rose
Bless thy name and all things turn to fair.
Sir Gawain, line 95 (1400); Koran 95 (650 AD)
Wolfgang von Eschenbach, Parzival, VI.95 (1195) Omar Khayyam, Rubáiyát, 95 (1122)
Shakespeare, Sonnet 95 (1616)
Shakespeare, Sonnet 95 (1616)

The stone bird and angelic spirits
O departed joys from the fading past
moonlight on the grove, music on the wind
the summer twilight now past away.
Swedenborg, Worlds in Space, 95 (1758)
Thomas Cole, "Poem 95" (1848)
Thomas Cole, "Poem 95" (1848)
Thomas Cole, "Poem 95" (1848)

Be careful doing improving your work.
Patient till Paradise— whisper
of morning prayer— magic is made
open out into this vast mystery.
Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 95 (1851)
Emily Dickinson, Poem 95 (1886)
Emily Dickinson, Poem 95, New Poem 95 (1876)
Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 95 (1912)

Be aware of this moment, love this life
and love death as well—
O breezes! Sip
the pure mountain dew, sighings, paintings
all the birds and all the buds in the bush.
Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 95 (1912)
Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 95 (1912)
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 95.18-19, 24 (1939)
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 95.25, 32 (1939)
James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 95.9, 36 (1939)

A robin will sing, a world grows greener,
bring to that love by snow and spring,
make our kisses fall one by one,
fall into far near blue—
let us love,
let's touch the sky
e.e. cummings, 95 Poems, Poem 95 (1958)
Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 95 (1960)
Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 95 (1960)
e.e. cummings, 95 Poems, Poem 95 (1958)
Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 95 (1960)
e.e. cummings, 95 Poems, Poem 95 (1958)

Line in Poem	Literary Sources
Be pure and lucid as a clear lake, evenness of mind, peace ever the same. The enlightened sage knows the secret One— sings a joyful song of earth, hills, and sea.	Genesis I.6 (word 95 = be) (1000 BC) Buddha, Dhammapada, Verse 95 (240 BC) Bhagavad Gita, Verse 95 (II.48) Rig Veda, I.95.4,8 (1500 BC) Psalms, 95.1,4-5
The Buddha's language— Have a cup of tea! Knowledge of Suchness— the dragon lurks in a cloud of waters splendour bright. Mountain finches soar into the blue sky.	Blue Cliff Records, Case 95 (1052 AD) Lankavatara Sutra, II.95 (440 AD) Blue Cliff Records, Case 95 (1052 AD) Book of Enoch, 95.1 (64 BC); Pearl Poet, Pearl, line 95 (1400) Tung-fang Shuo, Ling Ch'i Ching, 95 (400 AD)
Atom by atom dance in my blood— dancing perfectly free, freed from doubt when she smiled at me— I'm broken open by an arrow— my Love has come back.	Bodhicayavatara, V.82 (700 AD) Rumi, Mathnawi, III.95-97 (1273) Dante, Paradiso I.95-96 (1321) Rumi, Mathnawi, III.95-97 (1273) Hafiz, Verse 95 (1389)
A knight's adventure— the fig & olive, white snow under the blood so precious budding beauty, sweet & lovely fragrant rose Bless thy name and all things turn to fair.	Sir Gawain, line 95 (1400); Koran 95 (650 AD) Wolfgang von Eschenbach, Parzival, VI.95 (1195) Omar Khayyam, Rubáiyát, 95 (1122) Shakespeare, Sonnet 95 (1616) Shakespeare, Sonnet 95 (1616)
The stone bird and angelic spirits O departed joys from the fading past moonlight on the grove, music on the wind the summer twilight now past away.	Swedenborg, Worlds in Space, 95 (1758) Thomas Cole, "Poem 95" (1848) Thomas Cole, "Poem 95" (1848) Thomas Cole, "Poem 95" (1848)
Be careful doing improving your work. Patient till Paradise— whisper of morning prayer— magic is made open out into this vast mystery.	Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 95 (1851) Emily Dickinson, Poem 95 (1886) Emily Dickinson, Poem 95, New Poem 95 (1876) Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 95 (1912)
Be aware of this moment, love this life and love death as well— O breezes! Sip the pure mountain dew, sighings, paintings all the birds and all the buds in the bush.	Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 95 (1912) Tagore, Gitanjali, Verse 95 (1912) James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 95.18-19, 24 (1939) James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 95.25, 32 (1939) James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 95.9, 36 (1939)
A robin will sing, a world grows greener, bring to that love by snow and spring, make our kisses fall one by one, fall into far near blue— let us love, let's touch the sky	e.e. cummings, 95 Poems, Poem 95 (1958) Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 95 (1960) Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 95 (1960) e.e. cummings, 95 Poems, Poem 95 (1958) Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets, Sonnet 95 (1960) e.e. cummings, 95 Poems, Poem 95 (1958)

Meditation Notes to Poem:

This poem was written in honor of my Cornell Professor Harold A. Scheraga's 96th birthday on October 18, 2017. He was my doctorate advisor in Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules (1963-1970). For the context of sources for the lines, consult my web page 96-1.html>On Number 96 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 96. That is, the writer's words appeared in verse 96, sonnet 96, chapter 96, line 96, or page 96. This poem was arranged essentially in chronological order from "be"— the 95th word of Genesis (1000 B.C.) and Buddha's "clear lake" in Dhammapada (240 B.C.) to e.e. cumming's "Poem 95" (1958) and Neruda's "Love Sonnets 95" (1960).