Sri Aurobindo

Collected Poems

CWSA.- Volume 2

Part Seven. Pondicherry
Sonnets from Manuscripts, c. 1934 – 1947

Discoveries of Science

I saw the electric stream on which is run¹

The world turned motes² and spark-whirls of a Light,

A Fire of which the³ nebula and sun⁴

Are glints and flame-drops, scattered, eremite;

And veiled⁵ by viewless⁶ Light worked⁷ other Powers,

An Air of movement endless⁸, unbegun,

Expanding and contracting in Time’s hours⁹

And the intangible ether of the One.

The surface finds, the screen-phenomenon,¹⁰

Are Nature’s offered ransom¹¹, while¹² behind

Her occult mysteries lie¹³ safe, unknown,

From¹⁴ the crude handling of the empiric Mind.

Our truths¹⁵ discovered are but dust¹⁶ and trace

Of the eternal Energy in her race.

Earlier edition of this work: Sri Aurobindo Birth Century Library: Set in 30 volumes.- Volume 5.- Collected Poems.- Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Asram, 1972.- 625 p.

¹ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5:
Only by electric hordes your [variant: the] world is run?

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² 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: But they are motes

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³ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: your

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⁴ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: your sun

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⁵ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: Veiled

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⁶ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: the unseen

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⁷ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: act

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⁸ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: endless movement

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⁹ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: Time-hours

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¹⁰ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: These surface findings – screen-phenomenon –
variant (ibid.):

These things, a front, a screen-phenomenon,

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¹¹ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: reasons

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¹² 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: but

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¹³ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: lurk

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¹⁴ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: To

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¹⁵ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: All yet | Your truths

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¹⁶ 1972 ed. SABCL, vol.5: mire

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