“I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,
If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.
You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.
Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.”
-Canto 52, Song of Myself, Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
I wish you can sing the song-prayer from the divine office:
HYMN
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day
source of the Hymn: http://divineoffice.org
While listening to the song, Walking in the Air , by Chloe Agnew and reading Proust’s Swann’s Way a “scene” with “imaginary details” came like a light.
I look up
top of the tree
I imagine
the precise dive
the swift catch
the elegant rise
the fish clasped tight
between the claws.
“If you are a man
then feel my misery.”
I close my eyes
thinking of Faust
and hear other voices:
“I only beg you now
to follow me.”
“Out there?
Is the world
deserts and forests
sorrows and dreams.
“Thine am I, Father.
Rescue me.”
Voices fade away
and shadows.
Death is inevitable and a mystery.
Today I attended a funeral service of one of our parishioners. I was touched by the words spoken by the son and the pastor. One of the songs sang was: The Lord is My Shepherd (And I Want to Follow).
The Lord is My Shepherd (And I Want to Follow)
Verse 1
The Lord is my Shepherd, and I want to follow,
wherever he leads me, wherever he goes.
Over the mountains, the waters and by-ways,
valleys and highways he’s waiting for me.
Refrain
I want to go to meet him there, to lay myself down in his love.
The Lord is my shepherd, and I want to follow,
wherever he leads me, wherever he goes.
Verse 2
And while on the journey to where we are going,
he promised to be there to help us along.
And over the mountains we’ll walk on together,
to know all the wonders he’s given to me
Refrain
I looked up for the lyrics, music and vocals. Below are links:
http://www.sixmaddens.org/?p=987
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