Poetry by Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986)

I have been a wanderer long 
In this world of transient things. 
I have known the passing pleasures thereof. 
As the rainbow is beautiful, 
But soon vanishes into nothingness, 
So have I known, 
From the very foundation of the world, 
The passing away of all things 
Beautiful, joyous and pleasurable. 

If thou wouldst concern thyself with the lasting, 
With the eternal, with the indestructible, 
With divinity, with immortality, 
With wisdom which is the pool of Heaven, 
If thou wouldst know of that everlasting Kingdom of Happiness, 
If thou wouldst know of that Beauty that never fades or decays, 
If thou wouldst know of that Truth that is imperishable and alone— 
Then, O world, 
Look deep within thyself

Thou hast been taught to seek Truth in the fleeting, 
Thou hast been nourished by the transient things, 
In these thou shalt never find that Happiness 
For which thy soul doth seek and suffer. 

So must thou establish thy hidden strength deep within thyself, 
And play with the passing world. 
As the swift-running river knows its source, 
So must thou know thine own being. 
As the soft blue lake whose depth no man knows, 
So must thy depth be unfathomable. 

If thou wouldst know thyself,
Thou must cut thyself free from this weed that binds thee,
That suffocates thee,
That destroys thy vision,
That kills thine affection,
That prevents thy thought.

As, suddenly, the robes of silence
Fall over the noisy world,
So, instantly, have I found Thee,
Deep in the heart of all things and in mine own.

On the mountain path 
I sat on a rock, 
And Thou wert beside me and in me, 
All things being in Thee and in me. 
Happy is the man that findeth Thee and me 
In all things. 
In the light of the setting sun, 
Through the delicate lace of a spring tree, 
I beheld Thee. 
In the twinkling stars 
I beheld Thee. 
In the swift passing bird, 
Disappearing into the black mountain, 
I beheld Thee.