Wishing We Were In His Place
I have a tattered paperback copy of Beyond Good and Evil in my briefcase. Its longevity is extended by a strip of silver duck tape long the spine. The frayed edges of the cover are protected by clear vinyl tape. The book was purchased when I was in college, and I am now rereading it some 40 years later. I’m adding yellow highlighting to the passages that I underlined with red ink when I was much younger.
Nietzsche has always captivated me. A philosopher of language, he applied his formidable intellectual powers to the trials of his personal life. Here is an individual with inordinate courage, and fearless integrity. I recognized from day one of reading Nietzsche that here is one that understands the subterranean currents of human existence.
While discussing Nietzsche with a group of friends earlier in the week, I recalled a song by Simon and Garfunkel, Richard Corey. The tune written in 1966 is a fine piece of story telling. It is a reminder that the surface appearance of others by which we are so easily, so inevitably smitten, is by no means the whole story. Like the iceberg, much more is beneath the surface. The lyrics are an adaptation of a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson.
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
‘Good-morning,’ and he glittered when he walked.And he was rich – yes, richer than a king –
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Here is a vintage 1966 clip of Simon and Garfunkel performing their great song. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euuCiSY0qYs
2 thoughts on “Wishing We Were In His Place”
I realize this is self-indulgent – to post a poem written outside the realm of this blog, but here it is regardless, so my apologies in advance. It is the relationship to Mr. Corey that has given me a thin thread of justification in terms of adding this:
the i in pity #36
what is it about self-pity we despise in others, embrace in ourselves. in whispers we taunt those who indulge, so unbecoming. we hate it in ones who manipulate, yet spurn the weak who whimper in silence.
we take pity, we pity fools, we pity the dead as they’d pity us, if they could. we immerse ourselves in our own pool of life’s disappointments. even the wealthy, as richard cory’s tale is told.
we cast shame on those who see themselves in the day’s hot blue light, for admitting fault, for knowing defects, for expressing doubts. what if everyone felt the humility of defeat but would not try again?
yet we do. we rise and sink, to rise then sink again. sometimes too far and darkness wins. this is not self-pity and cursing will not bring us back. sympathy and empathy becoming words too late.
when self-pity ends a life we cry out why. we thump our collective chests in pain, shake our fists in anger. some might shout how selfish, how thoughtless, what a damn waste, perhaps out of fear.
as for me, i am worn out. i will not tell you my thoughts, pity-filled as they are, your judgment only drives me deeper, so instead i’ll sing a song of swans on a winter’s day.
ha, now i’ve got you guessing. is this some plea for help, some muffled cry in verse? no, not at all. neither am i playing. just sour ruminations of voices calling me back into the night.
Thank you. A fine meditation on pity, and upon self-pity. Your verse is a reminder of how human it is to practice pity. Perhaps a word of caution goes a long way. It is often convenient to indulge ourselves in projection upon others, that which we loathe in ourselves, cloaked in pity. Perhaps with the aid of self reflection and the good words of others, together we can practice empathy more, and pity less. Certainly the energy demands of self pity are draining………..