Moments (Again) by Luis Jorge Borges
It was about a year ago that I met Nogah from Israel in Argentina. I received an email from her today and I am sure we will get together in Jerusalem in May. In the meantime, I remembered the great poem by Borges called Moments that Nogah showed me and that I had put on this site a year ago. I have been struggling a bit on this leg of the trip mainly because I keep wondering about what I am doing and going to do with my future and I keep wondering if I am suppose to be back in Africa with Pamela and worrying about a future there. So, it was good to re-read the following and try to stop all the damn worrying!!! Along with me there are so many people in my life worrying themselves silly so I decided to re-print this one because we can all use a little dose of it even if just for a little chuckle over the ice cream and beans bit…
- Jorge Luis Borges
- Moments
- Translated by Alastair Reid
- If I were able to live my life again,
- next time I would try to make more mistakes.
- I would not try to be so perfect. I would be more relaxed.
- I would be much more foolish than I have been. In fact,
- I would take very few things seriously.
- I would be much less sanitary.
- I would run more risks. I would take more trips,
- I would contemplate more sunsets,
- I would climb more mountains,
- I would swim more rivers.
- I would go to more places I have never visited.
- I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
- I would have more real problems, fewer imaginary ones.
- I was one of these people who lived prudently
- and prolifically every moment of his life.
- Certainly I had moments of great happiness:
- Don’t let the present slip away.
- I was one of those who never went anywhere
- without a thermometer, a hot water bottle,
- an umbrella, and a parachute.
- If I could live over again,
- I would go barefoot, beginning
- in early spring
- and would continue so until the end of autumn.
- I would take more turns on the merry-go-round.
- I would watch more dawns
- And play with more children,
- if I once again had a life ahead of me.
- But, you see, I am eighty-five
- and I know that I am dying.
Tags: World
vagabondrick
What a fantastic poem. We can’t print here at the senior center so I will copy it down tomorrow and have some people that I would like to pass it to via e-mail.
I love this poem. I read it when I was reading Luis JOrge Borges works in college and I’m so happy you reminded me of it. It is a good one to read every few weeks to keep us all remembering what is REALLY important in our life……