Guest guest Posted November 4, 2009 Report Share Posted November 4, 2009 From Ivan --- On Wed, 4/11/09, Poetry Chaikhana <ivan wrote: Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- The Divine Image By William Blake(1757 - 1827) To Mercy, Pity, Peace and LoveAll pray in their distress;And to these virtues of delightReturn their thankfulness.For Mercy, Pity, Peace and LoveIs God, our Father dear,And Mercy, Pity, Peace and LoveIs man, His child and care.For Mercy has a human heart,Pity a human face,And Love, the human form divine,And Peace, the human dress.Then every man, of every clime,That prays in his distress,Prays to the human form divine,Love, Mercy, Pity and Peace.And all must love the human form,In heathen, Turk or Jew;Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwellThere God is dwelling too. -- from Music of the Sky: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry, Edited by Patrick Laude / Edited by Barry McDonald Amazon.com / Photo by alicepopkorn / ============ Thought for the Day: See -- you area lamplost in light. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Wynne Paris Ghandarva Cafe Listen / Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -How about some William Blake today?If you're like I am, you probably cringed at that line in the final stanza referring to "heathen, Turk or Jew." The phrase sounds disparaging taken out of context. But reread what Blake is actually saying: He is using the common prejudice of the day, that white British Christians are superior to heathens, Turks and Jews, and he turns it on its head. He declares that "Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell / There God is dwelling too."In other words, Blake is offering a truly universal vision of God that transcends religious, racial, and cultural boundaries. God isn't limited to specific dogmas. God doesn't favor one skin color or one national flag over another. God dwells where the human heart in fruition has made a home for "Love, Mercy, Pity, and Peace."Where there is love, where there is mercy and compassion and empathy, where there is deep peace -- that is where God is found among people, regardless of who those people are or by what name they call God.And all must love the human form,In heathen, Turk or Jew;Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwellThere God is dwelling too.If more poems like this were read, think how different the world would be.Ivan Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary... Support the Poetry Chaikhana Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you! Click here You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you! Click here A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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