As a respite from yesterday's rant, I offer you a moment of quiet from one of my favorite books on earth.
from The Land of Spices by Kate O'Brien
"The years . . . instructed her, as she studied her father's candid, intelligent face in the sunny parlour of Place des Ormes, that a soul should not take upon itself the impertinence of being frightened for another soul; that God is alone with each creature."
7 comments:
I like the sound of this novel -- but I'm not sure I'll like it as much as your poem with the same title!
I love this novel a great deal more than I love my poem. And the title is itself from a poem by Henry Vaughan, "Peace," which begins with the glorious lines "My soul, there is a country, / Afar beyond the stars, / Where stands a winged sentry, / All skillful in the wars."
thank you.
I needed a quote like this today.
It's a gift from the universe, sent through you...
I thought the title came from Herbert's "Prayer"? Does Vaughan use the same phrase?
You know, I may be mixing them up because the two poems are used interchangeably throughout the book as touchstones . . . which is an odd error for me to make because I've been reading Herbert like crazy this morning. Hmm.
One more reason to get a copy of the novel!
I suspect you might be exactly the reader for this book. It is tremendously intelligent, and moving, and deeply, ascetically spiritual. Plus it takes place in a girls' school.
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