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| Julia Manning |
from Double Sonnet
10.
Tread softly! all the earth is holy ground.
It may be, could we look with seeing eyes,
This spot we stand on is a Paradise
Where dead have come to life and lost been found,
Where Faith has triumphed, Martyrdom been crowned,
Where fools have foiled the wisdom of the wise;
From this same spot the dust of saints may rise,
And the King’s prisoners come to light unbound.
O earth, earth, earth, hear thou thy Maker’s Word:
“Thy dead thou shalt give up, nor hide thy slain”—
Some who went weeping forth shall come again
Rejoicing from the east or from the west,
As doves fly to their windows, love’s own bird
Contented and desirous to the nest.
It may be, could we look with seeing eyes,
This spot we stand on is a Paradise
Where dead have come to life and lost been found,
Where Faith has triumphed, Martyrdom been crowned,
Where fools have foiled the wisdom of the wise;
From this same spot the dust of saints may rise,
And the King’s prisoners come to light unbound.
O earth, earth, earth, hear thou thy Maker’s Word:
“Thy dead thou shalt give up, nor hide thy slain”—
Some who went weeping forth shall come again
Rejoicing from the east or from the west,
As doves fly to their windows, love’s own bird
Contented and desirous to the nest.
Christina Rossetti
This is sonnet #10 of 28 from "Later Life: A Double Sonnet of Sonnets". This one seems particularly suited to Easter. The idea of the entire earth as a resurrection scene intrigues me. "Where dead have come to life and lost been found." How true, how strange and true. I mean, for one thing, it's Spring, and the dead, brown soil is coming to life again, the bare tree branches are bursting into leaf. And yes, this is the place where generations of wild creatures have been born, where we ourselves grew, and those after us - we are witness to these cycles. I love that "O earth, earth, earth, hear thou thy Maker's Word." it's almost a direct quote from Jeremiah 22:29, a most beautiful call of hope, a reassurance of future resurrection. The Creator's Son has died and risen so that all creation will rise, new, rejoicing. The earth, a Paradise once more. This is the promise of Christianity, and whether one believes it or not, it is compelling.
This is sonnet #10 of 28 from "Later Life: A Double Sonnet of Sonnets". This one seems particularly suited to Easter. The idea of the entire earth as a resurrection scene intrigues me. "Where dead have come to life and lost been found." How true, how strange and true. I mean, for one thing, it's Spring, and the dead, brown soil is coming to life again, the bare tree branches are bursting into leaf. And yes, this is the place where generations of wild creatures have been born, where we ourselves grew, and those after us - we are witness to these cycles. I love that "O earth, earth, earth, hear thou thy Maker's Word." it's almost a direct quote from Jeremiah 22:29, a most beautiful call of hope, a reassurance of future resurrection. The Creator's Son has died and risen so that all creation will rise, new, rejoicing. The earth, a Paradise once more. This is the promise of Christianity, and whether one believes it or not, it is compelling.
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