Easter
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 Sun 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 suns to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we miss:
There is but one, and that one ever.
—George Herbert, from “Easter” (1633).
Hi Ben, first, may the peace, hope and joy of Easter fill your heart.
Your book meme pre-dated my entry into the world of blogging. So I never did it. But on any list of mine (read more than once - glad it was written) would be George Herbert, God's 'Secretary of Praise'. Theological vision, spiritual precision, irenic spirit, and biblical imagination - so much in such small compass. Thanks for Herbert's take on Easter - and for the reminder of this gentle Anglican's gift to the church.
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