Friday, January 03, 2014

Poetry Friday: God's Garden

The fourth stanza of this poem is very familiar, since it appears on many garden signs. I found this one on Ebay.
I'm not sure, though, that I had ever read the rest of the poem.  I found out that Dorothy Frances Gurney wrote this originally in a guest book, after she had enjoyed a stay with a friend who had a beautiful garden.  In fact, it was this garden, Penshurst Place in Kent.  Having a garden like that requires rather a large staff!

This may seem a bit of an inappropriate poem for this time of year, but here in Haiti where I live it is still beautiful weather, though a bit chilly right now, at 75 degrees.  It is supposed to get up to 93 later today.  (Do I sound smug?  Sorry.  I just can't help it sometimes.)  I don't have to go back to work until Monday, so I'm savoring these last few days and a little more ease for the soul.

God's Garden

    THE Lord God planted a garden
    In the first white days of the world,
    And He set there an angel warden
    In a garment of light enfurled.

    So near to the peace of Heaven,
    That the hawk might nest with the wren,
    For there in the cool of the even
    God walked with the first of men.

    And I dream that these garden-closes
    With their shade and their sun-flecked sod
    And their lilies and bowers of roses,
    Were laid by the hand of God.

    The kiss of the sun for pardon,
    The song of the birds for mirth,--
    One is nearer God's heart in a garden
    Than anywhere else on earth.

    For He broke it for us in a garden
    Under the olive-trees
    Where the angel of strength was the warden
    And the soul of the world found ease.

    Dorothy Frances Gurney
     
The roundup is here today. Enjoy the first Poetry Friday of the year!

6 comments:

Betsy Hubbard said...

"One is nearer God's heart in a garden," beautiful line. Thanks for sharing this poem today.

Tara said...

I love this stanza:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,--
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.
....being a gardener myself. 93 degrees today, Ruth??? I have warm weather envy!

Mary Lee said...

Go ahead and be smug. We're having FUN in our sub-zero temperatures...NOT!!!

Julie said...

Here's hoping 2014 gets us a little closer to a world where "the hawk might nest with the wren."

93 degrees???? Oh, my gosh.

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. Enjoy your garden days, Ruth!

Violet N. said...

What a powerful last stanza. It turns the whole poem around from being about nature to far more. This would be a good poem for Passion Week. Thanks for sharing this.