A Dream of Surreal Science

A poem by Sri Aurobindo


A Dream of Surreal Science

One dreamed and saw a gland write Hamlet, drink
    At the Mermaid, capture immortality;
A committee of hormones on the Aegean's brink
    Composed the Iliad and the Odyssey.

A thyroid, meditating almost nude
    Under the Bo-tree, saw the eternal Light
And, rising from its mighty solitude,
    Spoke of the Wheel and eightfold Path all right.

A brain by a disordered stomach driven
    Thundered through Europe, conquered, ruled and fell,
From St Helena went, perhaps, to Heaven.
    Thus wagged on the surreal world, until

A scientist played with atoms and blew out
The universe before God had time to shout.



Part VII : Pondicherry (Circa 1927-1947) > Sonnets from Manuscripts (Circa 1934-1947)   




How to read the color-coded changes below? 1. SABCL version : lines with any changes & specific changes 2. CWSA version : lines with any changes & specific changes

Sri-Aurobindo/books/collected-poems/a-dream-of-surreal-science.txt CHANGED
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ And, rising from its mighty solitude,
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  Spoke of the Wheel and eightfold Path all right.
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  A brain by a disordered stomach driven
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  Thundered through Europe, conquered, ruled and fell,
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- From St. Helena went, perhaps, to Heaven.
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+ From St Helena went, perhaps, to Heaven.
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  Thus wagged on the surreal world, until
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  A scientist played with atoms and blew out
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  The universe before God had time to shout.

NOTES FROM EDITOR

25 September 1939. Three handwritten manuscripts.



Manuscript