Believe not those who say
The upward path is smooth.
Lest thou shouldst stumble in the way.
And faint before the truth.
It is the only road
Unto the realms of joy:
But her who seeks that blest abode
Must all his pwers employ.
Anne Bronte
I found this poem on a bookmark within the pages of one of the books I recently dug out of the shed after we packed a lot of our possessions away when our extension was being built. It was in a book of poems owned once by my nanna, and now by my mum. They can be very religious in tone, but these poems are little gems that make me wish I had a deeper conviction that something wider out there exists than what an agnostic-cum-atheist believes. This poem does not exude a high-toned, preaching voice that tells us we are condemned to hell, but to get to heaven is not easy and we must strive with all our efforts to enter this "blest abode". The conviction of what must be done, the true belief expressed in this lone, short poem shows me how faith really did exist. It did for my nanna, it does in some manner for my mother and today? The next generation? Who knows...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Also, this poem could be contrived to be symbolic if you applied it to a tough decision to make, a difficult path to take, life in general... I think that is what perhaps touched me most- that nothing is necessarily easy- the path is not smooth- but you can get there...
hum...
NSS - I find the last line very encouraging "must all his powers employ" not only in seeking God but also in living life to the full. Anne Bronte was a quiet and undemonstrative woman but what comes across strongly in her novels is a deep and passionate need for involvement, and her dislike of the conventional domestic life that seemed to be the only one open to women of her class. All her powers to employ too.
OF
Anne Bronte's emotions are portrayed through her writing- I suppose she had to have an outlet. And we should live life to the full... I think i am still working out why I this poem struck a chord...
It could be demonstrating how hard it is to go against the norm and live a life you want to live... as all the Bronte sisters did.
Post a Comment