This being human is being
a visiting custodian
in the library of Babel
(that many call the universe);
this being human is
searching
for a pattern in the garbled nonsense
of scattered syllables
stacked in endless rows,
or hearing a familiar word
spoken in your mother-tongue
in a crowd of strangers.
this being human,
is aging
looking for the librarian
and only on your deathbed
realizing that
in the library of Babel
everyone and none
is truly a librarian.
Endre Rozsda
Today Kim hosts poetics at dVerse and wants us to write a poem using the lime “this being human is…” taken from a poem “The guesthouse” by Rumi. I went back to my favorite author Jorge Louis Borges and his short story “The library of Babel” for inspiration and using his metaphor. We are all librarians in this world.
March 16, 2021
I really relate to the stanza about searching for patterns.
This is incredibly powerful, Bjorn! The closing image left me wondering whether we as a species even realize what the art of being human truly is? I love; “this being human is searching for a pattern in the garbled nonsense of scattered syllables stacked in endless rows.” 💝💝
Beautifully haunting!
I always enjoy your aged librarian poems, Björn, and this one has taken me outside the walls of a library and into the universe. Poets are most definitely human in their search for patterns ‘in the garbled nonsense of scattered syllables’. It’s a shame that we have to wait until we are on our deathbeds to find out ‘everyone and none is truly a librarian’. I was a volunteer/guest librarian on Zoom this afternoon for the weekly session of Young Reading Friends.
I love how you brought the Librarian in this one, and the nod to Borges. A wonderful meditation of the confusion and wonder of life.
I’m always glad you’re around to provide me a librarian, Bjorn; I can never find just the right book… But, then again, i’m not sure there IS one, is there?
deeply profound, this really resonates .. those last few lines say it all!
I loved the librarian’s take on being human, his “scattered syllables stacked in rows” is well said. We are everyone and none!
i will need to come back here at another time. this makes demands of my mind for some time to digest. thanks for the food for thought
I adore the idea of always looking for a librarian, and at the end realising it’s both all and no one. A perfect metaphor for life.
The human as visiting custodian is a thought-provoking concept. We aren’t included as part of the place except in a service capacity. Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place for those patterns we crave?
Don’t we all feel like visiting custodians at times? I enjoyed the metaphor here and the ending lines that question the labels.
That’s an interesting way of looking at life. I like the idea of us all being librarians. As I age I find I am amassing more and more books.
Wonderful poem the last stanza for me stands out.
The visiting custodian doesn’t have to know all the answers…just dust the bookshelves! Enjoyed wandering the stacks and wondering about the babble…
I have never heard that before – the library of Babel. Really intriguing and thought provoking. I love your line that everyone and no one is the librarian!
Sheer truth.
Well captured, Björn.
❤
David
Beautiful and thought provoking. Definitely an ode to the mysterious nature of human – ness.
It’s true. Most of our lives are spent trying to make sense of all that we experience.
Wonderful to read wise words from the aged librarian, Bjorn. Cool.
“searching
for a pattern in the garbled nonsense
of scattered syllables”
perfect metaphor!
How sad.
this being human is
searching
for a pattern in the garbled nonsense
of scattered syllables.
How hard it is to find a meaning in the ways of human…
i like the idea of being human is to become part of the babel wondering what in the world the other person is saying or what those words might mean.
hearing a familiar word
spoken in your mother-tongue
in a crowd of strangers.
Love this Bjorn — so thought provoking!
Oh, wow, love this idea about Librarians in Borges’ Library of Babel! Being a librarian myself especially appreciated it! We are all visiting custodians, too!
wonderfully done. “searching for a pattern in the garbled nonsense” pretty much sums up my life 😉
Wowza this is Stunning!
We are all librarians in the grand scheme of life. Our catalog diverse filled with fiction and non-fiction. Think of all the places a librarian can travel.
Keep this series going…