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.”
