"Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement."                                                                                         Christopher Fly

    If the above be true, Herbert is an alluring guide and companion on our sojourn with the Divine.  Author of several hymns in the Episcopal Hymnal, priest and poet in the 17th century, Herbert's words speak of a deep intimacy with creation, the people of God and the Word that resides in, stirs and woos our souls.

"Come my Joy, my Love, my Heart: such a joy as none can move; such a love as none can part; such a heart as joys in love."

"Come my Way, my Truth, my Life: such a way as gives us breath; such a truth as ends all strife; such a life as killeth death."
                                                                            Hymnal 1982, #487

    And on prayer:

"Prayer, the Church's banquet, Angel's age,

    God's breath in man returning to his birth,

The Soul in paraphrase, the heart in pilgrimage,

    The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth."

    Herbert's words betray one who understands the transcendence of poetry; one who understands that words always fail to name fully the Holy, yet whose imagery can compel us into the mystic, the sacred, the knowing of the unknowable.  These are not words to pass by hurriedly.  They must be listened to, pondered, stood in front of, revisited again and allowed to seep into our most distant inner spaces.

    "Come my Light, my Feast, my Strength: such a light as shows a feast; such a feast as mends in length; such a strength as makes his guest."

"Poetry is the deification of reality."

                         Edith Sitwell

May we with Herbert look at all around us and practice awe and wonder.  May we look at all around us and see Diety.