I wanted to share this poem written by Bethan Laurels – she is a friend and student who sent it to me after practising yoga, movements, and breathing on the theme of sleeping better. She thought her poem was the perfect representation of being present in the present moment, an essential trait for the brain to feel safe and calm.
‘Just be’ simply tell us to be with ourselves, our life, feelings, and emotions and let them be as they are so we can make changes and be happy!
You can read the original here on her beautiful website, with many other of her poems https://www.bethanlaurels.com/just-be.html
Here is the message from Bethan Laurels:
This poem became the first piece I shared publicly, and with it, an installation art project that took place across Cornwall and in the Dunkirk refugee camp, France. Thanks to the help of friends, their friends and people I've never met except for the joys of the online world I was able to translate it into over 15 languages from around Europe, the Middle East and Far East.
You will find them below.
Read, connect, 'just be'.English:Please let me be lost in the world of infinityWhere the life of life is in close proximityWhere the words of others are lost inside feathersFeathers of the flocks of birds in flightVanishing into the distant nightTaking with them my fearsLeaving me hereTo be alive, to be free, to beJust beFrench: Laissez-moi me perdre dans le monde de l’infiniOù la vie de la vie est à proximitéOù les mots des autres se perdent dans des plumesLes plumes d’oiseaux en volDisparaissant dans la nuit distanteEmmenant avec eux mes peursMe laissant iciPour être vivantPour être librePour êtreJuste êtreItalian: Translated by Francesco Per favore, fammi disperdere nel mondo dell' infinitoDove la vita della vita e' nella vicinanza circostanteDove le parole altrui sono perse tra le piumePiume di stormi di uccelli in voloChe scompaiono nella notte lontana. portandosi via le mie paureLasciandomi quiAd essere viva, a respirare ad essereSoltanto essere Polish: Translated by Marcin Prosze, pozwol mi utracic siebie w swiecie nieskonczonosciGdzie zycie zycia jest w bliskiej bliskosciGdzie slowa innych sa utracone wewnatrz piorPiora ze stada lecacych ptakowZnikajacych w glad odleglej nocyBioracych z nimi moje obawyPozostawiajac mnie tutajBy zyc, by oddychac, by bycPoprostu byc Proszę pozwól mi zginąć w świecie nieskończonymGdzie życie życiu jest tak bliskieGdzie innych słowa gubią się w piórachPiórach ptaków, co stadem lecąZnikając w odległą nocBiorąc z sobą moje lękiZostawiając mnieBym żył, oddychał, byłPo prostu byłDutch: Translated by Zoe, checked by Marjan Graag raak ik me kwijt in een wereld van oneinding,Waar de leven van leven wordt dichterbijWaar de worden van anderen zijn verloren binnen veren.Veren van de koppels van vogelen in vlugtVerdwenen in de verre nachtDie nemen mijn angsten meeEn laten mij hierOm te leven, ademen, en zijnGewoon- zijn Dutch; Translated by Michael’s friend Laat me alsjeblieft verdwaald zijn in de wereld van oneindigheidWaar het leven van het leven dichtbij isWaar de woorden van anderen verdwaald zijn in verenVeren van de zwermen van vogels op hun vluchtVerdwijnend in de verre nachtMijn angsten met zich meenemendMij hier achterlatendOm te leven, te ademen, te zijnAlleen maar zijn. Czech: Translated by Sarka Prosím nech mě ztratit se v nekonečném světěKde je život v těsné blízkostiKde je svět druhých ztracen uvnitř peříPeří v hejnech letících ptáků mizejících do vzdálené nociBeroucí sebou mé obavyZanechávající mě zdeBýt naživu, dýchat, býtJenom být German: Translated by Michael Lass mich verloren sein, bitte, in der Welt der UnendlichkeitWo das Leben des Lebens nahe istWo die Worte der Anderen verloren sind in FedernFedern der Vogelschwaerme im FlugEntschwindend in die ferne NachtMeine Angst mitnehmend Mich hier lassendZu leben, zu atmen, zu seinNur sein Healthemindhealtheworld / Wenn die Seele heilt, heilt die Welt Turkish: Translated by Michael’s friend Bırakın beni kaybolayım, sonsuzluğun dünyasındaYaşamın yaşamının yakınındaDiğer sözlerin, tüylerin arasında görünmez olduğu noktadaHep birlikte uçuşan kuşların tüylerinin arasındaKaranlık geceye karıştıklarındaKorkularımı da alarak yanlarındaBırakarak beni buradaYaşamaya, nefes almaya, olmayaSadece olmaya Healthemindhealtheworld / ruhu iyileştir dünyayı iyileştirGreek: Translated by Michaels friend Παρακαλώ επέτρεψε μου να χαθώ στον κόσμο του απείρουΌπου η ζωή της ζωής βρίσκεται πολύ κοντάΌπου οι λέξεις των άλλων χάνονται μες στα φτεράΦτερά από τα σμήνη των πουλιών που πετούνΠου χάνονται στην μακρινή νύχταΠαίρνοντας μαζί τους φόβους μουΑφήνωντάς με εδώΝα είμαι ζωντανός, να αναπνέω, να υπάρχωΑπλα να υπάρχω Portuguese: Frederico: Michaels friend Permita que me perca no mundo da infinidadeOnde a vida da vida está em estreita proximidadeOnde as palavras dos outros estão perdidas dentre plumasPlumas das revoadas de pássaros na noiteSumindo na noite distanteLevando com elas meus medosDeixando-me aquiPara viver, para respirar, para serApenas ser Deixa-me perder no mundo da infinidadeOnde a vida da vida está em grande proximidadeOnde as palavras d'outros se perdem em penasPenas dos bandos de pássaros voandoDesaparecendo na noite distanteLevando com eles os meus medosDeixando-me aquiPara estar viva, para respirar, para serApenas ser Croatian: Translated by Michaels friend Daj mi da budem izgubljena u svijetu beskonačnostiGdje je život životu blizakGdje su riječi drugih izgubljene među perjemPerjem jata letećih pticaNestajući u daleku noćUzimajući moje strahoveOstavljajući me ovdjeDa živim, da dišem, da budemSamo da budemRomanian: Translated by Michael’s friend Te rog lasă-mă să fiu pierdut în lumea infinităUnde durata vieţii este scurtăUnde cuvintele celorlalţi sunt pierdute în fulgiFulgi alte cârdurilor de păsări in zborPierdându-se în noaptea îndepărtatăLuând fricile mele cu eleLăsându-mă aiciSă fiu viu, să trăiesc, sa fiuDoar să fiu Danish: Lad mig være fortabt i uendelighedens verden. Hvor livets liv er tæt på. Hvor andres ord er fortabt i fjer. Fjer fra flyvende fugleflokke. Som forsvinder ind i den fjerne nat. Som tager min frygt med sig. Som efterlader mig her. At være i live, at ånde, at være. Bare være. Persian: Translated by Mona Nasser بگذار دردنیای بی پایان رها شوم . جایی که زندگی به زندگی نزدیک می باشد و کلمات در پرها گم می شوند. پرهای پرندگانی در حال پرواز که در تاریکی شب ناپدید می شوند و ترس و تردید مرا با خود ببرند. مرا اینجا می گذارند که زنده باشم، نفس بکشم، باشم، فقط باشم.Hindu/urdu: मुझे अनंत की दुनिया में खो जाने दो। जहाँ ज़िंदगी की ज़िंदगी बहुत क़रीब है। जहाँ दूसरों के शब्द खोए हैं पंखों में। झुंडो में उड़ती चिड़ियों के पंखों में। गुम होती दूर रात में। अपने साथ मेरे डर ले जातीं। मुझे यहाँ छोड़ जातीं। ज़िंदा रहने के लिए, साँस लेने के लिए, रहने के लिए। बस रहने के लिए। Filipino: Hayaan mo akong maligaw sa mundo ng kawalan,kung saan ang buhay ng buhay ay nandiyan lamang,at ang wika ng iba ay nakakubli sa balahibo ng mga ibong lumilipad tungo sa isang malayo at malalim na gabi.Tangay nila ang aking mga takot para ako lang ang maiwan,buhay at nakahihinga ng magaan. Chinese: 请让我迷失 在无尽的世界那里鲜活的生活相互比邻人言消失在羽翼之下飞翔群鸟之羽翼逝于远夜带走我的恐惧留下我于此活着 呼吸 存在只是存在 Slovak:Prosím dovoľ mi vytratiť sa do sveta nekonečnostiTam kde sa život so životom stretá v tesnej blízkostiTam kde sú slova iných iba vtáčím perímPerím kŕdľov vtákov letiacichmiznúc do dialky čiernej nociOdnášajú so sebou všetok môj strachZostávam sám, žijem, dýcham, som, už iba som. Mandarin: Please let me be lost in the world of infinity.我願失落於無垠Where the life of life is in close proximity.生命的美好唾手可及Where the words of others are lost inside feathers.他人的言語飛散於羽翼Feathers of the flocks of birds in flight.羽翼摶扶搖齊飛Vanishing into the distant night.消逝於沈夜Taking with them my fears.帶走我的恐懼Leaving me here.而我，駐足原地To be alive, to breathe, to be.Just be."活著，尚存一息。