One Path

Never in the whole-holy-All is anywhere empty—
    and never can more come to be than is.

From nothing, nothing comes—
to die utterly away is impossible, unheard of—
wherever you push on eternity, eternity is always there.

Earth gives of earth, air of air.

In the no-world below many fires burn.

Aether’s long roots plunge beneath the earth.

Only those with roots densely tangled send up
their spray of scattered shoots, birthing blooms above.

 … and so the tall trees lay their eggs, the wild olives first.

 … and fig  juice curdles and binds white milk.

 … and what is lawful for all is a thread pulled tight
through the wide aether, the boundless sun’s bright ray.

… saffron’s bright streak on linen.

 … never to say there is in life only one path.

~Empedocles (b. 494 BCE), ‘On Nature’, translated from the Greek by Dan Beachy-Quick

photo: A path from summer 2011 that led to an endless number of views like this one, a favorite here for a stop, some reflection or perhaps gathering thoughts, either on the way up or down.