Sunday, October 15, 2006

Thy wide grey skies



Today, as I walked and gaped at the beauty around me I recalled a poem that perfectly described the day, a poem I had to commit to memory in high school.

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!

Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!

Thy mists, that roll and rise!




Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag

And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag

To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!

World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!




Long have I known a glory in it all,

But never knew I this;

Here such a passion is

As stretcheth me apart, -- Lord, I do fear

Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year;



My soul is all but out of me, -- let fall

No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

God's World
Edna St. Vincent Millay

2 comments:

Rodney Robbins said...

What a wonderful poem, and here you've posted it just when I needed it. I've been reading all about a Tibetan monk who renounced the world and lived in a cave. Oh, he missed so very much! This poor monk went out of his way to suffer when he didn't have to. We all suffer, but only a fool goes out of his way to make his suffering worse! I will call my beautiful wife and loving son and ask them to come home early today so we can go for a walk together.

Mandy said...

I read this poem when you posted it and couldn't think of what to say about it, though it moved me. It describes something I have never been able to put into words. I have thought of this entry frequently in the weeks since you posted it, as I have been enjoying the splendour of fall in Vancouver.