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The other day I came across a poem that I had read years ago and hadn't seen since, so I thought I'd share it with you:
“If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul”
― Moslih Eddin Saadi
I first read it at the Reader's digest at my grandma's house. We didn't grow up surrounded by books as my kids have and would read whatever we could get our hands on. We were hardly deprived, and it was great as we got to read a load of stuff we would never have discovered otherwise.
The Reader's digest was great for that, I read up on a load of weird and wonderful subjects, but this poem stuck in my mind.
It accompanied a short story about a couple who didn't have much money but had saved up to get a babysitter for the whole weekend and go away together. When the babysitter asked them how they could afford what was obviously an expensive treat for them, the mother replied by giving her a copy of this poem.
While today I'm doing pretty well on the mortal goods front I still think it's important to feed the soul.
What poems have stuck in your mind and why?
This may well become a regular Saturday thing so if you'd like to send me your favourites and an explanation why I'd love to share them.
