Boldness in daring means killing;
boldness in not daring means life.
These two may help and may harm.
Who knows the reason
for what heaven dislikes?
This is why even sages
find it hard for them.
The Way of heaven
win well without contest,
responds well without speech,
comes of itself uncalled,
relaxed yet very resourceful.
The net of heaven is vast;
the holes are large
but don’t let it slip.

– Thomas Cleary

 

Daring to act means death
daring not to act means life
of these two
one benefits
the other harms
what Heaven dislikes
who knows the reason
the Way of Heaven
is to win without a fight
to answer without a word
to come without a summons
and to plan without a thought
the Net of Heaven is all-embracing
its mesh is wide but nothing escapes

– Red Pine

 

Be brave in daring; kill or be killed;
Be brave in not daring; live and let live;
One of the two brings gain, one harm.
But which man knows what heaven condemns,
What precedents it’s guided by?

The way of heaven masters all:
It prevails though striving not,
It replies though speaking not,
Comes although uncalled,
And gives good counsel though affected not.
Heaven’s net, cast far and wide,
Seems slack yet nothing slips outside.

– Moss Roberts


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#223 – How to write two novels at the same time, with Charles Dickens Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/10/23: Tonight we take a peek into the creative life of Charles Dickens (1812-1870). Through a handful of readings from Claire Tomalin’s biography of Dickens, we see how he was able to juggle, for almost a year, the writing of two novels for simultaneous serial publication. Then, thanks to a letter written by Fyodor Dostoevsky, who visited Dickens in London in 1862, we also hear Dickens admitting that his villains were better reflections of himself than his more lovable and generous characters. We also answer the question: what do David Copperfield and Jane Eyre have in common? Finally, we hear about the chance encounter Dickens had with a young fan in America, who grew up to become a novelist herself.Note: these readings from the life of Dickens were originally the first part of a longer episode, hence the brief mention of the second part, no longer included, and the abrupt ending here. Listeners will forgive these frayed edges. 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, 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. I also have a YouTube channel where I share poems and excerpts from these books, mostly as YouTube shorts. Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #223 – How to write two novels at the same time, with Charles Dickens
  2. #222: Seamus Heaney – 10 Essential Poems
  3. #221: Volcanoes, Plagues & the Childhood of a Kabbalist
  4. #220: The working poor and a so-so murder show
  5. #219: When a paragraph changes your life
  6. #218: Poetry to Live By
  7. #217: Voices from 1900-1914
  8. #216: Poets, Prophets, Seeresses & Goddesses from Time & the River
  9. #215: 8 Favorite Poems from "Time and the River"
  10. #214: Two of the Best Poems You've Never Heard of (by William Cullen Bryant)

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