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Lockdown: Day 21. Forget-me-nots

Walking around our garden and seeing the spring flowers, a line from Gerard Manley Hopkins came into my head: ‘there lives the dearest freshness deep down things.’ I looked it up when I got inside and here it is, ‘God’s Grandeur.’ The flowers are, of course, forget-me-nots along with a single solitary celandine.

 

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

 

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings

6 Comments

  1. Margot Kinberg
    April 13, 2020

    OH, that’s lovely, Christine, and so is the ‘photo. I love the way poetry can lift us up like that. Thanks for sharing – most welcome during this time…

    Reply
    • Christine Poulson
      April 13, 2020

      It is always lovely to hear from you, Margot. I find I am turning to poetry more than usual in these difficult times. More are planned for the days ahead.

      Reply
  2. tracybham
    April 13, 2020

    This may be a duplicate comment. I tried to comment and got some message about not being able to connect.

    The photo is lovely, Christine. I admit that I did not know what forget-me-not flowers looked like, after all this time. They are very appealing and would probably fit in well with our climate, except that drought is always threatening here. I will look into it.

    Today is day 29 of the “stay at home” restrictions here. I am feeling a bit better emotionally and mentally since we have gotten out in the yard (very small but very overgrown) and done some work, mostly weeding.

    Reply
    • Christine Poulson
      April 13, 2020

      Both messages came through, Tracy. Good to hear from you. Forget-me-nots are common here. Maybe they do well in a damp climate? Glad you are managing to get outside. I think it makes a big difference.

      Reply
  3. Moira@Clothes in Books
    May 17, 2020

    I’m a big fan of Gerard Manley Hopkins – his style so distinctive.
    I love the one that starts
    Margaret are you grieving over goldengrove unleaving..

    Reply

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