Shai Har-El
The Greek philosopher Aristotle distinguishes between two disciplines, history and poetry. He suggests that history reports what happened and therefore is concerned with particulars, whereas poetry is more philosophical and concerned with universals. I agree. My poetry is an authentic presentation of my inner world, and unlike history, the study of which I have been dedicating my life for many years, it is not subject to all the constraints and imperfections of actual life. I believe my poems, though autobiographical and personal, can appeal to anyone; the personal story in my poetry may illuminate your story because it tells the truth, my truth and yours. I described this kind of truth in one of my poems, portraying it 'like a petalled rose emerging from one stem offering its sweet fragrance and infinite beauty to humanity.' With age come better knowledge and a wider experience of life. This comes up through my poems. Walking you through the seasons of my life, they start with a deep yearning and longing to the beginning, growing up in Israel; they continue through the experience of my multi-faceted love for and intimacy with my beloved wife Rosie of blessed memory, the central figure in my life over 50 years; they shift to my preoccupation with the questions of oneness and harmony in the world; they go through the period of my spiritual awakening and illumination; and they finally end where life in This World concludes, in death and grieving. 3
