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Chapter 20 - Talking |
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then a scholar said, "Speak of Talking." |
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| And he answered, saying: You talk when you cease
to be at peace with your thoughts; And when you can
no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you
live in your lips, and sound is a diversion and a
pastime. And in much of your talking, thinking is
half murdered. For thought is a bird of space, that
in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but
cannot fly. |
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| There are those among you who seek the talkative
through fear of being alone. The silence of aloneness
reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they
would escape. And there are those who talk, and without
knowledge or forethought reveal a truth which they
themselves do not understand. And there are those
who have the truth within them, but they tell it
not in words. |
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| In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells
in rhythmic silence. |
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| When you meet your friend on the roadside or in
the market-place, let the spirit in you move your
lips and direct your tongue. Let the voice within
your voice speak to the ear of his ear; For his soul
will keep the truth of your heart as the taste of
the wine is remembered. When the colour is forgotten
and the vessel is no more. |
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