Ages there are in which the ration'l man
And th'intuitive stand side by side, the one
In fear of intuition, or scorn for abstraction;
Irrational one, the other inartistic.
They both desire to rule over their life,
Unreal or real, counting life to be.
Prudence, foresight and regularity,
The means with which one meets needs principal.
One o'erjoyed hero disregards these needs,
Counts life as beauty and an illusion.
As in the ′case in ancient Greece, th'intuitive,
Handles his weapons authoritatively,
Victoriously than his opponent, and
Establishes art's mastery over life.
All utensils we use in daily life,
Were made from art, not from our pressing needs.
Houses, our clothes, our clay jugs, all them were
Intended to express exalted joy.
Guided by abstractions and concepts, we
Succeeds in warding off our misfortunes,
Without ever gaining any happiness;
So that's the case the ration'l man's life is.
Th'intuitive man, aim freedom from his pain,
Standing a-firm amidst his culture's frame,
Reaps cheer, illumination and redemption.
Defense against misfortunes, he obtains.
NOTE:
I was once advised to read Nietzsche's 'On Truth And Lies In A Non-moral Sense.' When I read it, I thought it was poetry, written in prose. So I decided to sing it by rearranging words. I did not add a single word or even a syllable, but removed a few words. This poem is the end result. I wish Nietzsche has written it this way.
You too can try this; it is simple. When writing a poem, if you find it not flowing as smoothly and easily as you desire, write what flows through your mind in prose. Then devise a simple tune and rearrange words sensibly to match it. You will be creating a fine poem. Of course you will be abandoning a few words in this process but remember that poetry is condensed prose and prose is elongated poetry.