Featured Writers—5: Max Ehrmann, the Poet Who Wrote 'Desiderata'
Imagining life advice received while sitting with Wisdom on a park bench.
Hello all and sundry!
Great to see you! Join me at the kitchen table, won’t you. Today I hope we can savor an incredibly popular poem, Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann. Haven’t heard of him? or Oh, you know his poetry! Whichever of these fits you, we should have a wonderful time pouring over this poem and the fragrant wisdom it emits. I am sure there will be a scent that hits you or likely a kitchen full of aromas; like those rising from a bubbling pot of homemade soup on the stove.
My introduction to this poem came surprisingly late; I was around 29 or 30. When visiting a dear friend in Georgia and spending a few days at his new home, I first set my eyes on Desiderata. He had this poem framed and it was one the first things he had hung on his wall. After reading it, I pleaded for a copy. (Below is a photo of that copy.)
That introduction gave us so much to talk about while I was there and it made for a depth of discussion that I had not expected. In wanting to share this poem here, I took a dive into researching who wrote it, and the place it was said to have originated. Turns out the “found” information about it at the bottom of the poem is actually not true. The year, the place, and any inferred author, maybe a priest, was all wrong. Wow!
So, who was the author? Turns out it was Max and he wasn’t a priest, nor was he alive in 1692! I would give summation of his life and this poem’s history, but as with many things, there is another article out there that gives a superb and in-depth look into this poem, the author, and ALL of the interesting discoveries surrounding its origins. Have a look at the article written by Daniel Nester, In Search of “Desiderata”—The tangled story behind a most popular poem. here at poetryfoundation.org.
Quite an incredible tale, isn’t it?! The life of Max is as interesting as the mystery behind his poem! Now, lets see what this poem says and consider why it is such a universal poem for all people. Have a read:
A truly beautiful compilation by a poet wanting to impart his little nuggets of wisdom. Wisdom attained, I imagine, while pondering the human condition.
Desiderata means things that are yearned for, desired or wanted, and this poem really captures this with such sage wisdom through its list of life considerations or, if you will, aims in pursuit of happiness. Don’t we all want to look at life in a certain way, live it in a certain way, and hope to know and take to heart each of these things? I know I definitely did when this poem hung before me and I soaked up all that it had to offer.
My favorite is near the end:
“Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with our soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”
This is a beautiful world and no matter what dreariness we encounter, there is always something through which we can see the sparkle of life as long as we keep our hearts open and our eyes focused on the prize, or desideratum.
Consider—
What is the ‘prize’ to you?
What can you do to, if not possess the prize, at least get near enough to touch it?
Which aspects of the poem’s wisdom do you find yourself most relating to?
Is there anything you would add to this list of desiderata?
I hope that this poem is a blessing to you, as it was and still is to me. May everything you encounter on your trips around the sun bring you the things that make your soul peace filled and your heart happy.
Many blessings and MUCH LOVE,
~Wendy💜
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Wendy !!! Desiderata is one of my most favorite poems. I return to its lines every year. And when I do that, I also read the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling. Words can be so wonderful and so powerful. Words can do so much good. Thanks for featuring Max Ehrmann.
Love and friendship. Infinite compassion.