pearl of great price in r.s. thomas' poem

Re: “The Bright Field” (poem)

Fr: R. S. Thomas (Welsh Anglican priest-poet, 1913-2000)

“I have seen the sun break through

to illuminate a small field

for a while, and gone my way

and forgotten it. But that was the

pearl of great price, the one filed that had

treasure in it. I realize now

that I must give all that I have

to possess it. Life is not hurrying

“on to a receding future, nor hankering after

an imagined past. It is the turning

aside like Moses to the miracle

of the lit bush, to a brightness

that seemed as transitory as your youth

once, but is the eternity that awaits you.”

=====================================

Commentary by Emily Ardagh 

(emilypoetmyblog.com/2013/10/23/the-bright-field-by-r-s-

thomas/)

Bright field = “shining moments in life – moments of grace, 

beauty, inspiration, epiphany – where we fleetingly 

encounter the divine or feel a deep connection to the 

universe”

Examples:

-- “the moment you see your child’s face for the first time

-- the moment you realize you’ve fallen in love

-- when you read and understand some complicated

scientific theory about the universe,

-- become transfixed by Shakespeare or an incredible piece 

of music,

-- when you pray or meditate, and feel a connection to the

divine.”