Sunday, April 5, 2015

Easter Wings


The Disciples Peter and John Running to Sepulchre
on the Morning of the Resurrection
by Eugene Burnand


Easter Wings

Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more
Till he became
Most poor:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My  tender  age  in  sorrow  did  begin:
And still with sicknesses and shame
Thou didst so punish sin,
That I became
Most thin.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel this day thy victory;
For, if I imp* my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

                                                             ~ George Herbert ~


     When I first read this wing-shaped poem, I thought it was just a clever bit of seventeenth century kitsch, and I dismissed it. That is one reason why poems should be read more than once. Later, after reading it over and over, I began to get a better sense of its movement, the beat of wings, the fall and rise of man and the death and resurrection of Christ; until, finally, the rhythm and sense of the whole beat some sense into me, and I felt the brilliance and the praise in it.

     This I have learned: One should not dismiss too quickly what, at first, makes no sense.



*graft; repair a damaged feather in a wing by attaching part of a new feather 

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the lesson! And a happy Easter and spring to you, my friend :)

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  2. this poem is a perfect example of why I fell completely in love with old poets and poetry...and old paintings too!

    Thank-you for sharing!

    Hope you are having a blessed Easter-joy-that-never-ends week!

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  3. Loved the picture. I really like this type of art. The poem perfectly fit . And your right about reading poems twice to understand, sometimes thrice.😉

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