At morn- at noon- at twilight dim- Maria! thou hast heard my hymn! In joy and woe- in good and ill- Mother of God, be with me still! When the hours flew brightly by, And not a cloud obscured the sky, My soul, lest it should truant be, Thy grace did guide to thine and … Continue reading Poetry – “Hymn”
Poetry
Poetry – “The Dying Christian to His Soul”
Vital spark of heav'nly flame!Quit, O quit this mortal frame:Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying,O the pain, the bliss of dying!Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife,And let me languish into life. Hark! they whisper; angels say,Sister Spirit, come away!What is this absorbs me quite?Steals my senses, shuts my sight,Drowns my spirits, draws my breath?Tell me, my soul, … Continue reading Poetry – “The Dying Christian to His Soul”
Poetry – “A Servant When He Reigneth”
“For three things the earth is disquieted,and for four which it cannot bear.For a servant when he reigneth,and a fool when he is filled with meat;for an odious woman when she is married,and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.”(Proverbs 30,21-23) Three things make earth unquietAnd four she cannot brookThe godly Agur counted themAnd … Continue reading Poetry – “A Servant When He Reigneth”
Poetry – “Jerusalem”
And did those feet in ancient timeWalk upon England's mountains green:And was the holy Lamb of God,On England's pleasant pastures seen! And did the Countenance Divine,Shine forth upon our clouded hills?And was Jerusalem builded here,Among these dark Satanic Mills? Bring me my Bow of burning gold:Bring me my arrows of desire:Bring me my Spear: O … Continue reading Poetry – “Jerusalem”
Poetry – “On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic”
Once did She hold the gorgeous east in fee;And was the safeguard of the west: the worthOf Venice did not fall below her birth,Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty. She was a maiden City, bright and free;No guile seduced, no force could violate;And, when she took unto herself a Mate,She must espouse the everlasting Sea. … Continue reading Poetry – “On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic”
Poetry – “Tommy”
I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I: O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away"; But it's … Continue reading Poetry – “Tommy”
Poetry – ‘To Althea, from Prison’
When Love with unconfined wingsHovers within my gates,And my divine Althea bringsTo whisper at the grates;When I lie tangled in her hair,And fetter'd to her eye,The gods, that wanton in the air,Know no such liberty. When flowing cups run swiftly roundWith no allaying Thames,Our careless heads with roses bound,Our hearts with loyal flames;When thirsty grief … Continue reading Poetry – ‘To Althea, from Prison’
Poetry – ‘The Village Blacksmith’
Under a spreading chestnut-treeThe village smithy stands;The smith, a mighty man is he,With large and sinewy hands;And the muscles of his brawny armsAre strong as iron bands. His hair is crisp, and black, and long,His face is like the tan;His brow is wet with honest sweat,He earns whate'er he can,And looks the whole world in … Continue reading Poetry – ‘The Village Blacksmith’
Christmas
No flotsam this week. Instead here's the poem 'Christmas' by Sir John Betjeman: The bells of waiting Advent ring,The Tortoise stove is lit againAnd lamp-oil light across the nightHas caught the streaks of winter rainIn many a stained-glass window sheenFrom Crimson Lake to Hookers Green. The holly in the windy hedgeAnd round the Manor House … Continue reading Christmas
‘Mythopoeia’
To one [C.S. Lewis] who said that myths were lies and therefore worthless, even though 'breathed through silver'. Philomythus to Misomythus You look at trees and label them just so,(for trees are 'trees', and growing is 'to grow');you walk the earth and tread with solemn paceone of the many minor globes of Space:a star's a … Continue reading ‘Mythopoeia’
Serpent's Den 