The Worship of Nature
By: John Greenleaf Whittier
The harp at Nature's advent strung
Has never ceased to play;
The song the stars of morning sung
Has never died away.
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And prayer is made, and praise is given,
By all things near and far;
The ocean looketh up to heaven,
And mirrors every star.
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Its waves are kneeling on the strand,
As kneels the human knee,
Their white locks bowing to the sand,
The priesthood of the sea!
They pour their glittering treasures forth,
Their gifts of pearl they bring,
And all the listening hills of earth
Take up the song they sing.
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The green earth sends its incense up
From many a mountain shrine;
From folded leaf and dewy cup
She pours her sacred wine.
The mists above the morning rills
Rise white as wings of prayer;
The altar-curtains of the hills
Are sunset's purple air.
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The winds with hymns of praise are loud,
Or low with sobs of pain, --
The thunder-organ of the cloud,
The dropping tears of rain.
With drooping head and branches crossed
The twilight forest grieves,
Or speaks with tongues of Pentecost
From all its sunlit leaves.
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The blue sky is the temple's arch,
Its transept earth and air,
The music of its starry march
The chorus of a prayer.
So Nature keeps the reverent frame
With which her years began,
And all her signs and voices shame
The prayerless heart of man.
Poetry isn't something I'm really in to (who knows? Maybe @clayboyn's Pirate Poetry Jam inspired it?), but I came across this poem yesterday and I really like it. I do think we can learn a lot from it.
Basically, nature has all of these beautiful, amazing things to offer but man is too ignorant to these signs and doesn't respect them.
People are so caught up in fighting over politics and religion that they miss what is right in front of them. What gives us life, what helps us thrive. And we are part of it! We are part of nature but for some reason we have taken it upon ourselves to walk all over it.
We need to start to respect nature! Sadly, so many trees are dying right now from disease. It's actually pretty terrifying if you realize how many of them are. Who knows what that disease is from? Everyone has their own opinions on it. The point is, we can't just bring them back once it's too late by snapping our fingers. We have to start to help them now.
Trees. I know, it sounds cheesy. But do you know where we are without trees?
This poem teaches us to stop and really look around and pay deeper attention to the gifts of nature all around us. Put your phone down, go outside, and really just appreciate it. Hopefully then we will be able to gain a greater appreciation for it!
Well I could probably rant on and on about how we don't respect nature enough. But instead I will just let you soak up all of the information in that poem this morning! Maybe it will do us all some good!
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Also, I am working on launching my own web design business. As a student building my portfolio I can give you a really great deal on a website. If you or anyone you know needs a website feel free to contact me! Will accept payments in STEEM :)
Until next time,
~Zoey
