"All that I service will die, all my delights,
the flesh kindled from my flesh, garden and field,
the silent lilies standing in the woods,
the woods, the hill, the whole earth, all
will burn in man's evil, or dwindle
in its own age. Let the world bring on me
the sleep of darkness without stars, so I may know
my little light from me into the seed
of the beginning and the end, so I may bow
to my story, and take my stand on the earth
like a tree in a field, passing without haste
or regret toward what will be, my life
a patient willing descent into the grass."
The Wish to be Generous
-Wendell Berry-
the flesh kindled from my flesh, garden and field,
the silent lilies standing in the woods,
the woods, the hill, the whole earth, all
will burn in man's evil, or dwindle
in its own age. Let the world bring on me
the sleep of darkness without stars, so I may know
my little light from me into the seed
of the beginning and the end, so I may bow
to my story, and take my stand on the earth
like a tree in a field, passing without haste
or regret toward what will be, my life
a patient willing descent into the grass."
The Wish to be Generous
-Wendell Berry-
2 comments:
omg, i'm so excited i can hardly stand it!!! glad you're taking the transition slowly & enjoying some time with your parents before throwing yourself back into the greatest city in america. seriously though, can't wait to see you!
what a wonderful wonderful poem. i was surprised to see wendell berry's name at the end and then not surprised since it seems to me this prophet expressed so much of my own deep longings--a deep, almost painful love of all that is beautiful and yet transitory: family, a tree, a friend, a flower in my garden.
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