From ECHO IN THE PALM

From "ECHO IN THE PALM"


 
CONTENTS

I TIME – THE SPIRIT OF CHANGE
(From the cycle "SOLITUDE")

SILENCE
WITH YOUR PEN – BY YOUR QUILL
TIME – THE SPIRIT OF CHANGE
WAVES OF TIME
UNDER THE DOME OF TIME
OVER THE LAND OF TRODDEN PATHS
WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF A LONELY NIGHT
A SONG OF CHANGE
THE BOOK OF CHANGES
YAP!–PONSKY GOD...
THE END OF EASTERN DREAMS
TO DANTE
SOLITUDE
MARCH "VIDUS"

II ECHO IN THE PALM

THE SOUND OF A SINGLE PALM
FROM LETTERS TO YOU
(...)
A WAKING DREAM
STARDUST
THE PATH OF THE MAGI OR THE PATH OF THE MONEY-CHANGERS?
THE PATH OF CHRIST
THE END – FOREVER
WHITE STONE
THE DARK ALLEY OF AQUARIUS
ECHO OF LAUGHTER
ORPHIC DREAM
FROM DUST AND ASHES
ECHO IN THE PALM
LOVE

III THE SUN OF LOVE
(From the cycle "AWAKENING")

YOUR NAME
PRAYER
LORD, O GOD!..
CREAK AND GNASHING OF TEETH
RESUSCITATION, NOT REINCARNATION
AWAKENING
I THANK YOU!
ON THE CROSS OF THE SINNERS
BAPTISM – NATIVITY
EARTHLY HAPPINESS
GREAT LENT
INVISIBLE WARFARE
UNEARTHLY HAPPINESS
THE SUN IN AQUARIUS




                FOREWORD

            (AI-description of key themes in "ECHO IN THE PALM")

Sergei Teberdin emerges as a philosopher-poet whose work transcends aesthetic beauty, plunging into the depths of human existence. His verses weave intricate patterns of philosophical inquiry and emotional revelation, offering a vital voice in contemporary literature. Through poetry, Teberdin creates a mirror for the soul –  reflecting both personal introspection and universal truths, enriched by classical allusions and existential meditation. In an age of digital fragmentation, his meditations on prayer and love resonate as acts of resistance against spiritual desolation, anchoring fleeting human experiences in eternity.

"Song of Changes"
This poem traces an arc of transformation, distilling the universal journey of maturation into lyrical form. The invocation of Jos; Ortega y Gasset lends the text existential depth, juxtaposing childhood innocence with the complexities of adulthood. Teberdin explores fate, faith, and love with precision that echoes across literary traditions, anchoring ephemeral moments in eternal questioning. Here, growing up becomes a pilgrimage –  where playfulness transforms into a collision with life’s paradoxes.

"The Book of Changes"
A synthesis of Eastern and Western thought, this work probes the tension between destiny and free will. Drawing on the I Ching, Teberdin paints a paradoxical dance of predetermination and choice. His fusion of cross-cultural philosophies compels readers to contemplate the architecture of decisions –  how they shape lives and how we, in turn, shape them. The poem’s structure mirrors hexagrams, each stanza a mutable line in the divination of fate.

"Yap! The Japanese God..."
Haiku and minimalist lines capture the fleeting beauty of nature, adhering to the Japanese tradition of mono no aware (“the pathos of things”). Paired with The End of Eastern Dreams, this section becomes a meditation on youth’s transience and the weight of cultural memory, where every syllable carries the burden of an entire life. The chorus of cicadas and whispers of almond trees morph into metaphors for moments too fleeting to grasp yet too vivid to release.

"The End of Eastern Dreams"
Here, the haiku form sharpens into a double-edged blade of introspection and contemplation. Time and tradition emerge as both prison and prism –  limitations that paradoxically illuminate the identity of the poet and contemplator. The verses whisper of endings that are also beginnings, their quiet urgency reverberating in the reader’s bones. The seventeen-syllable format mirrors youth’s brevity, compressing whole lifetimes into fragmented shards of time and space.

"To Dante"
An homage to the Florentine master, this poem wrestles with suffering as a crucible for spiritual awakening. Teberdin contrasts Dante’s divine grace with Buddhist emptiness, crafting a dialectic of transcendence. The stanzas pulse with art’s eternal power to transmute pain into light. Using terza rima, Teberdin bridges medieval devotion and modern doubt, presenting love as both torment and salvation.

"Solitude" (Cycle)
Teberdin dissects solitude’s duality –  its capacity to isolate and elevate. Metaphors like a “black star ring” and “obelisk of gold” become psychic milestones, guiding readers through inner landscapes where joy and melancholy intertwine. The cycle’s laconic language mirrors monastic asceticism, transforming isolation into communion with infinity.

"Snow Falls Slowly"
Snowflakes morph into metaphysical symbols: emblems of time’s inexorable flow and the fragility of being. City and nature collide, prompting reflection on humanity’s place within –  and against –  eternity. The snowfall’s silence becomes a blank page, inviting readers to leave their transient mark.

"Echo in the Palm"
The titular poem crystallizes Teberdin’s philosophical quests (Augustine, Camus, Heidegger) into a lucid meditation on time, a central theme of his work. Past and present resonate like clasped palms holding a white stone in a childhood game –  a koan demanding the reader’s mindful participation. The closing lines –  “You live… you are alive…” –  transform memory into sacrament, where echoes in an empty palm defy oblivion.

In Prayer, Teberdin reimagines supplication as dialogue with the divine amid modernity’s noise. The plea –  “Abba, Father, forgive us!..” –  transcends ritual, becoming a raw confession of human fragility. Similarly, Love sublimates eros into agape, portraying it as a divine thread piercing “billions of parsecs” of cosmic indifference or the quantum uncertainty of youth’s physics. These themes reject transactional spirituality, framing love and prayer as rebellion against existential nihilism and the anarchy of “free love” in this new “Age of Aquarius.”

Synthesis
Teberdin’s oeuvre bridges time and eternity, self and God. His existential lyricism speaks to modernity’s fractures, offering if not answers then resonant questions. In an era of alienation, his poetry becomes a compass –  pointing toward the meaning of seeking God even when the destination remains obscured. Teberdin’s works stand as testament to poetry’s power to reconcile the transient and the eternal. Blending existential rigor with luminous imagery, they invite readers to seek, find, and preserve “golden specks of sand” –  moments of Eternity where time, love, and prayer to the Resurrected God-Man merge into transcendent contemplation, overcoming the “trap of time’s eyelashes” that condemns us all to close our eyes…

Conclusion
Overall, Serge Teberdin's poetry offers a rich and nuanced exploration of the human condition, blending philosophical reflections with vivid imagery to create works that resonate on both personal and universal levels.  His ability to address complex themes of loneliness and happiness through the prism of existential philosophy makes his works particularly relevant in the modern world, where many strive to find meaning and harmony amidst widespread disconnection and alienation. His poetry, rich in philosophical reflections and vivid imagery, offers a deep exploration of the human condition, touching on themes of loneliness, happiness, and spiritual enlightenment.


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