Those who know do not say;
those who say do not know.
Close the senses,
shut the doors;
blunt the sharpness,
resolve the complications;
harmonize the light,
assimilate to the world.
This is called mysterious sameness.
It cannot be made familiar,
yet cannot be estranged;
it cannot be profited,
yet cannot be harmed;
it cannot be valued,
yet cannot be demeaned.
Therefore it is precious for the world.

– Thomas Cleary

 

Those who know don’t talk
those who talk don’t know
seal the opening
close the gate
dull the edge
untie the tangle
soften the light
and join the dust
this is called the Dark Union
it can’t be embraced
it can’t be abandoned
it can’t be helped
it can’t be harmed
it can’t be exalted
it can’t be debased
thus does the world exalt in it

– Red Pine

 

Those who know it do not say it;
Those who say it do not know it.

Those who know bar interaction,
Shut and seal the gates and doors;
They dull their keen edge and
Resolve their differences,
Reconcile the points of view
And blend with the lowly dust.
This we call sublime at-oneness.

Favor affects them not,
Nor disfavor,
Neither advantage
Nor injury,
Neither honor
Nor dishonor.
Thus those who know are honored in the world.

– Moss Roberts


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#211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant? Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/5/2026: Tonight, I read a handful of passages from Gilbert Muller’s William Cullen Bryant: Author of America. During his lifetime, Bryant (1794-1878) was the most popular poet in America as well as one of the country’s most trusted and influential editors and journalists. Through Bryant’s own words and those of his contemporaries, I trace the story of that double-prominence, and the unease many felt over the fate of Bryant’s poetry against the pressures of politics. I also address how, since his death, Bryant has become almost entirely unknown and unread.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant?
  2. #210: Memories & Legends of William Shakespeare
  3. #209 – Being a Jew in 1900, Being a Jew Now
  4. #208: Bach & God
  5. #207 – Death, the Gods, and Endless Life in Ancient Egypt
  6. #206 – The Discovery of Indo-European Languages – 1876
  7. #205: Learning to Read, c. 2000 BCE
  8. #204: Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," 1856
  9. #203: Bruce Springsteen Talks About "Nebraska" – 1984
  10. #202 – A Death at Sea, 1834

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