Friday, April 06, 2012

Easter

~George Herbert
EASTER

RISE heart ; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delayes,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him mayst rise :
That, as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and much more just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art.
The crosse taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long :
Or since all music is but three parts vied,
And multiplied ;
O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.


I got me flowers to straw thy way ;
I got me boughs off many a tree :
But thou wast up by break of day,
And brought’st thy sweets along with thee.

The Sunne arising in the East,
Though he give light, and th’ East perfume ;
If they should offer to contest
With thy arising, they presume.

Can there be any day but this,
Though many sunnes to shine endeavour ?
We count three hundred, but we misse :
There is but one, and that one ever.

Wishing a blessed celebration of Jesus' Resurrection to my friends celebrating in the west. Christians in Jordan, who celebrate according to the eastern calendar, will celebrate next Sunday.

3 comments:

Jenny said...

May your Easter be a blessing as well. I was reading Herbert as well for the Holy Week. Nice to know I had company.

jlt said...

I'm glad I'm not alone in liking Herbert. I hope you had a blessed Easter.

Joy

Quotidian Life said...

Sunday was Palm Sunday in Jordan, as we follow the western calendar for Christmas, the eastern for Easter. Who says Middle Easterners can't compromise :) I am learning to enjoy Herbert, reading slowly, over and over again. If you have a favorite or a recommendation, I'd love to hear it.