Inspired Talks - Swami Vivekananda

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THE MASTER 31
morning, also reciting and translating poems and
stories from the Sanskrit and chanting old Vedic
hymns. The sea was smooth and at night the moon-
light was entrancing. Those were wonderful even-
ings ; the Master paced up and down the deck, a
majestic figure in the moonlight, stopping now and
then to speak to us of the beauties of Nature. " And
if all this Maya is so beautiful, think of the wondrous
beauty of the Reality behind it! " he would exclaim.
One especially fine evening, when the moon was at
the full and softly mellow and golden, a night of
mystery and enchantment, he stood silently for a long
time drinking in the beauty of the scene. Suddenly
he turned to us and said, " Why recite poetry when
there," pointing to sea and sky, "is the very essence
of poetry? "
We reached New York all too soon, feeling that we
never could be grateful enough for those blessed,
intimate ten days with our Guru. The next time I saw
him was on July 4th, 1900, when he came to Detroit
for a short visit among his friends.
He had grown so thin, almost ethereal,—not long
would that great spirit be imprisoned in clay. Once
more we closed our eyes to the sad truth, hoping
against hope.
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