Gifts of War

Gifts of War

I read this classic
In my early years
And was struck by
Prince Andrei's
Stillness from which   
New Recognition came
As he lay
On the battlefield..

Stillness issued Knowing
What was not known
Until now:
Beauty within appearing
As lofty sky..
And the suffering of
Believed separation..

Without this unified
Knowing..he in reality
Did not know anything..

The above answers
His unstated question:
Who am I..?
But now another:
Where am I...?




War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy....excerpts
https://thebookbindersdaughter.com/2018/02/08/part-of-that-enormous-whole-battle-scenes-in-war-and-peace/


On the Pratzen heights, where he had fallen with the flagstaff in his hand, lay Prince Andrei Bolkonsky bleeding profusely and unconsciously uttering a gentle, piteous and childlike moan.

Towards evening he ceased moaning and became quite still.  He did not know how long his unconsciousness lasted.  Suddenly he again felt that he was alive and suffering from a burning, lacerating pain in his head.

‘Where is it, that lofty sky that I did not know till now, but saw today?’ was his first thought.  ‘And I did not know this suffering either,’ he thought.  ‘Yes, I did not know anything, anything at all till now.  But where am I?’