On my bookshelf rests a book of poetry by Johnny Cash called, Forever Words, The Unknown Poems.

Here we have a poem portraying the essence of mortality felt by Cash after inspiration struck by way of an Aztec King, philosopher, poet, and warrior named, Nezahualcóyotl (translated from Spanish to English his name: Hungry Coyote or Fasting Coyote).

Forever

You tell me that I must perish

Like the flowers that I cherish

Nothing remaining of my name

Nothing remembered of my fame

But the trees that I planted

Still are young

The songs I sang

Will still be sung

– Johnny Cash

For many of us there are concerns about the legacies we leave behind. Whether monetary, visual art, our actions, the stories we tell written or spoken, or the songs that we have sung. No matter who you are, this is normal for us human beings to think about. We search for purpose. We find it in art, philosophy, cultural and/or familial stories, myth, and/or religion. To many of us, the meaning of our lives are heavily related to the meaning of our existence. The quality of our lives increases exponentially when we feel that we are leading meaningful lives.

The poem that Johnny Cash was influenced by, is interpreted as seeing the beauty in life itself. Life is often fleeting. Which seems to be on Johnny Cash’s mind with a hint of existentialism.

The poem by Nezahualcóyotl is a reminder that we are all here for a limited time. This isn’t necessarily morose, but a beautiful thing to be celebrated! We are… limited editions! Each and every one of us. Read on below for Nezahualcoyotl’s poem, The Flower Tree.

THE FLOWER TREE

Begin the song in pleasure, singer, enjoy, give pleasure to all, even to Life Giver. Yyeo ayahui ohuaya.

Delight, for Life Giver adorns us. All the flower bracelets, your flowers, are dancing. Our songs are strewn in this jewel house, this golden house. The flower tree grows and shakes, already it scatters. The quetzal breathes honey, the golden flamingo breathes honey. Ohuaya, ohuaya.

You have transformed into a flower tree, you have emerged, you bend and scatter. You have appeared before God’s face as multicolored flowers. Ohuaya, ohuaya.

Live here on Earth, blossom! As you move and shake, flowers fall. My flowers are eternal, my songs are forever: I raise them: I, a singer. I scatter them, I spill them, the flowers become gold: they are carried inside the golden place. Ohuaya, ohuyaya.

Flowers of raven, flowers you scatter, you let them fall in the house of flowers. Ohuaya, ohuyaya.

Ah, yes: I am happy, I, prince Nezahualcóyotl, gathering jewels, wide plumes of quetzal, I contemplate the faces of jades: they are the princes! I gaze into the faces of eagles and jaguars, and behold the faces of jades and jewels! Ohuaya ohuyaya.

We will pass away. I, Nezahualcoyotl, say, enjoy! Do we really live on earth? Ohuaya, ohuaya.

Not forever on earth, only a brief time here! Even jades fracture; even gold ruptures, even quetzal plumes tear: Not forever on earth: only a brief time here! Ohuaya, ohuaya.

– Nezahualcóyotl (Hungry Coyote)

Cantares Mexicanos #20 (16v-17r)

I love this poem by Nezahualcóyotl because I can literally visualize every moment he speaks of, and feel charges run up my spine as chants come in celebration. I can spot where Nezahualcóyotl’s poem inspires Cash to write his own poem as he struggles with the idea of his own mortality.

Numerous artists are inspired by other artists and philosophers. Art + philosophy, no matter what medium it comes in helps us to understand and cope with the internal and external undercurrents of our lives just as Nezahualcóyotl aides Cash. Philosophy can help us to lead better and more meaningful lives. Poetry, aides us in seeing the beauty in nature, love, and/or in our demise. Paintings have the opportunity to spark a feelings of sentiment, joy, and/or sadness. Songs make us fall in love, dance, laugh, and/or cry. These mediums have the ability to carry us back in time travel to certain periods of our lives. As we reminisce on times past, we have the ability to see how we have grown, changed, shifted, and evolved into our present selves.

Reading these two poems, I am reminded that inspiration can strike no matter culture or era as we ride throughout our own lifetimes. We, as humans celebrate the vibrancy of our lives, knowing that our bright light will fade in time. However, the seeds we plant in writing and art have the opportunity to carry others just as they have carried us throughout our own lifetimes.

-Keri