A Last Beatitude

*** Revised Common Lectionary *** Lectionary Reading: Psalm 145:10-18 CLASSIC POEM: Love Thomas Traherne O NECTAR! O delicious stream! O ravishing and only pleasure! Where Shall such another theme Inspire my tongue with joys or please mine ear! Abridgement of delights! And Queen of sights! O mine of rarities! O Kingdom wide! O more! O cause of all! O glorious Bride! O God! O Bride of God! O King! O soul and crown of everything! Did not I covet to behold Some endless monarch, that did always live In palaces of gold, Willing all kingdoms, realms, and crowns to give Unto my soul! Whose love A spring might prove Of endless glories, honours, friendships, pleasures, Joys, praises, beauties and celestial treasures! Lo, now I see there’s such a King, The fountain-head of everything! Did my ambition ever dream Of such a Lord, of such a love! Did I Expect so sweet a stream As this at any time! Could any eye Believe it! Why all power Is used here; Joys down from Heaven on my head do shower, And Jove beyond the fiction doth appear Once more in golden rain to come To Danae’s pleasing fruitful womb. His Ganymede! His life! His joy! Or He comes down to me, or takes me up That I might be His boy, And fill, and taste, and give, and drink the cup, But those (tho’ great) are all Too short and small, Too weak and feeble pictures to express The true mysterious depths of Blessedness. I am His image, and His friend, His son, bride, glory, temple, end. *** This poem is in the public domain, and may be read in a live-streamed worship service. CONTEMPORARY POEM: A Last Beatitude Malcolm Guite SNIPPET: And blessèd are the ones we overlook; The faithful servers on the coffee rota, The ones who hold no candle, bell or book But keep the books and tally up the quota… … [ READ THE FULL POEM ]