Saturday, August 08, 2009

Prayer of the Woods

I got an e-mail from someone asking about "Prayer of the Woods." He's seen web sources that say that it is over 1000 years old, and that it was translated from Portuguese.

Surely there's someone in this community who can confirm the origins, and maybe even give us more detail.

Prayer of the Woods

I am the heat of your hearth on cold winter nights, The friendly shade from the summer sun, and my fruits are refreshing draughts quenching your thirst as you journey on.

I am the beam that holds your house, and the board of your table. The bed on which you lie, and the timber that builds your boat.

I am the handle of your hoe. The door of your homestead, the wood of your cradle and the shell of your coffin.

I am the bread of kindness and the flower of beauty. Ye who pass by, listen to my prayer: Harm me not.

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5 comments:

  1. Will McLean11:13 AM

    It's at least a hundred years old:

    http://books.google.com/books?id=82oDAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA621&lpg=RA1-PA621&dq=I+am+the+handle+of+your+hoe.+The+door+of+your+homestead,+the+wood+of+your+cradle+and+the+shell+of+your+coffin.&source=bl&ots=PGv2-wrFfA&sig=krO6gAuGYXQ6vfi3DQThKr4JmFo&hl=en&ei=Q0aAStPyI4T8tgfM9_jnAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false

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  2. Derek the Ænglican10:23 AM

    It's not one I've ever encountered before FWIW...

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  3. Anonymous7:23 AM

    This Prayer of the Woods is posted by the state in a few of our local state parks, and I've always wondered about the author. Still no clue.

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  4. cheap viagra12:11 PM

    I think that it is really new to me Prayer of the Woods is something so strange, I think that it is really good, is it the Portuguese Origin??22dd

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  5. Luikart11:37 AM

    Veiga Simões, Arganil, Maio de 1914
    http://inlovewithlisbon.com/2007/09/15/ao-viandante-a-portuguese-poem/

    Ao Viandante

    Tu que passas e ergues para mim o teu braço,
    Antes que me faças mal. Olha me bem.
    Eu sou o calor do teu lar nas noites frias de inverno
    Eu sou a sombra amiga que tu encontras
    Quando caminhas sob o sol de agosto
    E os meus frutos são a frescura apetitosa
    Que te sacia a sede nos caminhos.
    Eu sou a trave amiga da tua casa, a tábua da tua mesa,
    A cama em que descansas e o lenho do teu barco
    Eu sou o cabo da tua enxada a porta da tua morada,
    A madeira do teu berço e do teu próprio caixão
    Eu sou o pão da bondade e a flor da beleza
    Tu que passas, olha-me bem e não faças mal

    Veiga Simões, Arganil, Maio de 1914
    Veiga Simões was a brilliant Portuguese politician, diplomat, writer and journalist.

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