From West by Northwest.org Arts & Letters Photography: In a Thousand Forms By Michael Kemp Apr 22, 2004 In a Thousand Forms You may hide yourself in a thousand forms. Still, All beloved, I recognize you; You may cover yourself in magic mists, All-present, I can always tell that it is you. I discover you as well, All-beautifully growing, In the cypress's pure young surge. In the stream's fresh, living rush, All-enchanting, I know you well. When rising jets of water unfurl, All-playfull, how glad I am to see you; When clouds form and transform themselves, All-manifold, I discern you in them. In the blossoming tapestry that covers the meadow, I see your All-colorful, starry beauty; When ivies reach their thousand arms around, I meet you, All-embracing. When morning lights the mountain range I greet you there too, All-brightening, Then as the sky grows round above me, All-heart-expanding, it is you I inhale. What, with outer and inner senses, I know, I know only through you, All-teaching; When I name Allah's hundred names, A name, with each name, re-echoes for you. All photos herein copyrighted © 2003 by Michael Kemp, poem by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, German 1749-1832 (translated by John White, from the book Art & Wonder, An Illustrated Anthology of Visionary Poetry, 1996 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art ) Michael Kemp, artist, graphic artist is a semi-regular contributor to West by Northwest.org from day one. Visit his work: Photography: The Wallowas' Breathless Beauty Science and Ecology: Not for the Squeamish Michael Kemp's Fantasy Art Gallery ... And more including the famous Yurt, Sweet Yurt, one of the most popular articles ever published at West By Northwest.org. © Copyright 2000-2004 by West by Northwest.org