Two poems from N. Scott Momaday: "The Earth" and "The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee"
Categories: Cultures, Literature, Writing, Metaphysical, National, History
The Earth
Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his mind upon
the remembered earth, I believe. He ought to give himself up
to a particular landscape in his experience, to look at it from
as many angles as he can, to wonder about it, to dwell upon
it.
He ought to imagine that he touches it with his hands at
every season and listens to the sounds that are made upon
it. He ought to imagine the creatures there and all the faintest
motions of the wind. He ought to recollect the glare of noon and
all the colors of the dawn and dusk.
For we are held by more than the force of gravity to the earth.
It is the entity from which we are sprung, and that into which
we are dissolved in time. The blood of the whole human race
is invested in it. We are moored there, rooted as surely, as
deeply as are the ancient redwoods and bristlecones.
Navarre Scott Momaday
The Delight Song of Tsoai-Talee
I am a feather on the bright sky
I am the blue horse that runs in the plain
I am the fish that rolls, shining, in the water
I am the shadow that follows a child
I am the evening light, the lustre of meadows
I am an eagle playing with the wind
I am a cluster of bright beads
I am the farthest star
I am the cold of the dawn
I am the roaring of the rain
I am the glitter on the crust of the snow
I am the long track of the moon in a lake
I am a flame of four colors
I am a deer standing away in the dusk
I am a field of sumac and pomme blanche
I am an angle of geese in the winter sky
I am the hunger of a young wolf
I am the whole dream of these things
You see, I am alive, I am alive
I stand in good relation to the Gods
I stand in good relation to the earth
I stand in good relation to everything that is beautiful...
You see, I am alive, I am alive
Navarre Scott Momaday
HERE
N. Scott Momaday
N. Scott Momaday is a poet, Pulitzer prize-winning novelist, a playwright, a painter, a storyteller, and a professor of English and American literature. He is a Native American (Kiowa), and among his chief interests are Native American art and oral tradition.
Referred to as "the Dean of American Indian writers" by The New York Times, Momaday holds an important place in the American literary arts. Momaday was the first Native-American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel, House Made of Dawn. But it is through the spoken word that his dedication to his people's heritage is most profoundly felt. Born a Kiowa in the Oklahoma Dustbowl, Momaday was raised on reservations in the Southwest, steeped in the oral tradition.
In his lectures, Momaday brings the oral tradition to life. "His complete control of his rich voice captivates any audience privileged to hear him."
Currently the Regents Professor of Humanities at the University of Arizona, Momaday has published fiction, poetry collections, a memoir, a children's book, and two plays. He is currently working on a new book.
MORE INFO:
N. Scott Momaday , 1934-
Kiowa
N. Scott Momaday was born in Lawton, but grew up on the Navajo Reservation. Momaday earned his M.A. and Ph.D degrees from Stanford University in 1960 and 1963 respectively. He has garnered critical acclaim for his focus on Kiowa traditions, customs and beliefs, and is also recognized as one of the most successful contemporary Native American literary figures. Momaday's writings are greatly influenced by oral tradition. He is professor of English at the University of Arizona, Tucson, and a consultant of the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts since 1970.
Awards and Honors
Academy of American Poets Prize, 1962
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 1969
Guggenheim Fellowship, 1966/67
National Institute of Arts and Letters grant, 1970
More: HERE
N. Scott Momaday's parents, Alfred and Natachee, about the time of their marriage in 1933.
(Courtesy of N. Scott Momaday)
Image: HERE
I'd heard N. Scott Momaday's name for years but had only read a poem or two of his until recently when his amazing insights, observations, and depictions of people drew me into searching out his poetry and profile on the internet. Now, finding your site, I’m especially taken with the vivid metaphors in “The Delight Song” and the wonderful word we’ve been given to discover and uncover ourselves as poets, caretakers, and community in “The Earth.” Thanks and blessing – Mary Sayler
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