Yesterday I was reading a much appreciated Christmas gift – a book of poetry by Wendell Berry. With the sub zero arctic weather since Christmas the very first poem in the book, so resonated with me:
The long cold drives life inward
into shelter, into the body, into
limits of strength and time.
Out of darkness day comes,
The earth now white, the trees bear
bright new foliage of snow,
beautiful, yes. “Beautiful, but hell!”
These lines came to mind this morning, gazing at the last dawn of the year, when I was outside in my pajamas and parka with 6-month old Callum thinking he’d like to go for a walk, or at the very least, play. And it was yet again, -23C. “Beautiful, yes. Beautiful, but hell”.
Here is Wendell Berry’s full poem:
Sabbath Poems 2014
I
The long cold drives life inward
into shelter, into the body, into
limits of strength and time.
Out of darkness day comes,
The earth now white, the trees bear
bright new foliage of snow,
beautiful, yes. “Beautiful, but hell!”
Junior Wright said, wading
in knee-deep snow to feed
the snowbound cattle. We were young
then and really didn’t mind.
This morning, half a century
later, under the beautiful trees,
beautiful truly, repaying much,
I dig out the paths again,
renewing again the pattern of home
life grown old in this place
and many times renewed. Continuing
my difficult study, I remind myself
again: “Take no thought for the morrow.”
- Wendell Berry
