Psalm 65—Love the Curve in the Waterfall
A Note from Andy
This poem is another entry in the seven-poem series of poems written in dialogue with George Herbert’s Prayer (1). So far, I’ve done faith, hope, grace, time, and loss. Memory is still to come. This poem takes up the subject of love.
If you are new to the Darkling Psalter, it is a project to create renditions of the Psalms (artistic rewordings based in the original Hebrew) and original poems to pair with each one.
Catch Up On Previous Posts
You can catch up with previous psalms here: 1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 19, 22, 29, 31, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42, 46, 51, 53, 73, 74, 84, 86, 88, 90, 107, 121, 123, 130, 131, 137, 142, 147, and the Guided Tour.
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And now on to the psalm and the poem.
Rendition of Psalm 65
Lord, we lift to you the praise of silence. The promises of your people are yes. Hear us. All flesh will return to you in wonder and stillness and praise. When our faults threshed us apart, You forgave and covered us. Your house is glad and good And wide as the world. You make those Who make it their home Happy and blessed. You answer hope to hope with works of awe. The ends of the earth and the farthest sea Give themselves to your wonders. You wrap yourself in strength and make the mountains rise. You still the tumult of the seas and the turmoil of the nations And silence their roaring. Fear falls on all the earth at your wonders. When morning dawns and evening fades The hushed earth bursts to song. You make the earth overflow with abundance. Its richness doubles itself again and again. The rivers of God overflow And everything lives where the water runs. You establish every field and furrow. You quench the thirsty grain. You settle the beds of earth. You bring showers from the heavens themselves And bless the growth of every branch and stalk For you have forgotten none of them. You crown the year with goodness And plenty follows you along your way. Even the reaches of the wilderness run with rain. The mountains rejoice. The pastures are decked with flocks. The valleys burst with grain. And together they shout for joy to God.
Notes on the Poem
Again, this poem is part six in a seven-poem cycle based on George Herbert’s Prayer (1). These poems use the number of lines, the rhyme scheme, the ideas per line, and the wide collection of curious images in Herbert’s poem as a template.
Poem for Psalm 65
Love the curve in the waterfall, pattern of wings, The hush of birdsong and little else, Dare gale darling, the altar of everyday things, The church become nearly itself, The wind behind you, now at your face, A soft dawn in the high sky, illuminated lines, The humiliating gentleness of the Lord of Days, Self unmade, long request and long reply, Lives you let get buried, foresworn, forgotten, unknown, Kernel crushed, spear sheathed in flesh, One the grain, the other threshed, First the harrow, then the seed is sewn, Dust to dust, light from light The son and the seed both slip out of sight.
love this!