Aladdin
When I was a beggarly boy
And lived in a cellar damp,
I had not a friend nor a toy,
But I had Aladdin's lamp;
When I could not sleep for the cold,
I had fire enough in my brain,
And builded, with roofs of gold,
My beautiful castles in Spain!
Since then I have toiled day and night,
I have money and power good store,
But I'd give all my lamps of silver bright
For the one that is mine no more;
Take, Fortune, whatever you choose,
You gave, and may snatch again;
I have nothing 'twould pain me to lose,
For I own no more castles in Spain!
This is not an autobiographical poem, as Lowell was very far from being a beggarly boy, and grew up not in a cellar damp, but in a magnificent estate in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On the other hand, perhaps it told more about his future than his past, as in 1877 Lowell was appointed to be Ambassador to Spain. (However, with the early death of 3 of his 4 children he did certainly know plenty about lost dreams.)
The sentiment this poem illustrates is, on the one hand, something I always agree with: the value of imagination and the tragedy of its loss among so many adults. On the other hand, this is a somewhat tritely overblown statement of the sentiment. What led me to choose this poem today, though, is that I’ve been reading Hope For Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness by Jamil Zaki, and I’m tying this poem in with the idea of how so many of us are growing more cynical. Zaki’s point is not only that we’re living in an epidemic of cynicism (which is just as damaging to health as many physical issues!), but also that we can choose to be skeptical of the forces that encourage cynicism. We can, in short, reclaim that Aladdin’s lamp that tells us bright things are possible!
The stories and poems in my new book Bittersweetness & Light are also part of my attempt to spread that message and invite readers back to the lamp. That castle in Spain is still standing, and there’s plenty of room, so come on in!
[Picture: Castle on a Cloud, linocut by Brian Reedy (Image from the artist’s web site BrianReedy.bigcartel.com).]
2 comments:
I agree that we have become increasingly cynical, but we have had plenty of reasons for doing so! However, I also agree that we must look for the brightness and beauty that is still out there, in nature, in literature and the rest of the arts, and in other people. I may just get a copy of Jamil Zaki's book. Thanks for a thought-provoking post.
Definitely check out the book, Karen. I think Zaki would argue (and I agree) that we have plenty of reasons for anger, grief, frustration... But our reasons for *cynicism* are actually based on misperceptions and downright false data.
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