June 1938 Why can't you understand oceans and rocks aspiring to winged release? Haven't you read Tagore's Balākā where the earth, hills, rocks yearn to fly also, seeing the flight of a flock of cranes? Surely you have! I am not an expert in Tagore. In English, rocks might just manage to aspire to be birds, but it would be regarded as fanciful—if oceans started that sort of thing, it would be regarded as beginning to be excessive. June 1, 1938 In yesterday's poem, you seem to have put paeon in 3 or 4 places. Is that so? Paeon? I don't think I did it consciously, — don't remember. In this metre I generally run to anapaestic-iambic, but I may occasion

September 1936 I am sending you a few snaps—some samples of your supramental yogis. Isn't Dilipda splendid in a standing posture? Superb! What about his deep intellectual look in the sitting one? Admirable! And my noble self seems to be coming out of the grave or going there probably ? Asking where will be the end of this My supramental forehead is merging with the Infinite, what ? Yes, dominating scornfully from there the pigmy universe. Lastly, the Asram photos are very fine. Very well done. I give you a rare occasion for laughter. Please do laugh loud and share it with us!

October 1938 "From the grapes of sleep", "God's vineyard" sound funnily delightful, Sir! You seem to be trying to be modernistic! Well, I'm blowed! What is there modern about "vineyard"? Vineyards are as old as Adam or almost, at any rate they existed before the flood. By what modern alchemy do you make — "In God's vineyard of ecstasies" 3 foot? Why not? I have anapaestised the line, that is all. No alchemy needed modern or ancient. I don't see what is the difficulty. With "all" you use the verb in singular — harbours? Possible? We say "All are mad", not "All is mad". What the deuce! You don't know that all can be used collectively i

March 1937 You find "funny" things in my poems? Then, Sir, you have only to ask me to stop writing. But why do you object to fun? Modern opinion is that a poet ought to be funny (humorous) and that the objection to funniness in poetry is a romantic superstition. How is it then that you give remarks "very fine" etc.? Page-842 Well, it can be funnily fine or finely funny—can't it? If they are really funny, why should I spoil my valuable time writing them when I could sleep comfortably for two hours? For the joy of the world, of course. Funny however is used in the sense of "extraordinary". You can't deny that these things a

CORRESPONDENCE WITH SRI AUROBINDO The Complete Set June 1936 I am feeling dry, dry, dry. But a mood of meditation creeps over the dryness. Well, that's all right isn't it? I find that my point of concentration usually goes between the eyebrows. A quite useful place for concentration — O.K. so far. Nothing happens though at times a feeling of Better and better! I suppose that is enough for you, but unfortunately I want a little more. Quite enough for a beginning—only at times, is insufficient; is quite the best ground for experiences and everything else. Can you tell me w

April 1937 Have you ever had a headache by giving up tea?. . . Yes, of course. Whenever you stop it suddenly, gives headache in revenge. Today I stopped the habit of morning tea. The result: a headache since 11 a.m. Or is it the Force trying to break my precious head? No, it is the tea-habit, furious at being given up. About K's baby — there seems hardly any improvement in the number of stools, except that blood has stopped. Don't you think the number should decrease now; if possible, stop altogether? Decrease certainly—slow down to nothing—but sudden stoppage might not be so good—although usually if it is the right medicine it does

December 1936 Mulshankar still complains of pain in the hip joint. There is a loud cracking sound in some positions. Dr. Becharlal says the dislocation hasn't been set right, perhaps. It may be only rheumatism settled there. Sometimes a fracture even if set right perfectly leads to that. But you can see again if you think there is any chance of its not having been put right. Sonnet emended by Amal. He has changed the metrical errors, as well as lines which seemed to him un-English. And what errors, my God! For heaven's sake don't try the irregular dodge yet. It doesn't succeed with you. In J'spoem, she says that by Nature's or

November 1938 No, you didn't send me Dilipda's English poem. What the deuce has happened to it then? These dematerialisations are very annoying. Tripura has a nutlike swelling just on the wrist. Looks like bursitis. I wonder if 7 or 8 hrs. of embroidery daily should not be somewhat curtailed. [The Mother underlined "7 or 8 hrs."] It seems to me also that it is too much and I have said so already several times. November 1, 1938 [I sent Sri Aurobindo the typescript of his comment of 31.10.38, leaving a blank for a word I could not read.] You have forgotten a word in the other poem. You will see a blank remains. Or you can't make out your

February 1937 A terrible prospect? Do you dread that I will find an "easy path into the world of macabre visions by hashish or opium"? That's why I call it terrible! However let us hope that one day you will stop on the immoral path to Inferno. Now a serious misgiving throttles me. It seems you don't like the poems I am writing at present. Why, Sir ? Why does it seem? Are they worse than "slow scolopendras" which you like immensely ? Yes, but I don't like it seriously, only as fun. However, your poems are not scolopendras — so that is not relevant. If you don't like, what's the use of writing such things which are neithe

October 1937 [Sri Aurobindo stopped all correspondence due to some eye-trouble, and the Mother, instead, took up the medical correspondence.] Mere, veuillez-vous me dire comment Sri Aurobindo se parte? [The Mother put brackets around "veuillez-vous" and wrote above it "Voudriez-vous".] Très bien, mais je tiens à ce qu'il ne reçoive pas de correspond-ance pendant quelques jours encore. Si vous avez quelque chose d'urgent à me communiquer vous pouvez le faire.2 1"Secret Hands", Sun-Blossoms, p. 3. 2Mother, Could you tell me how Sri Aurobindo is? Very well, but I don't want him to receive any correspondence for a few more days. If