He had time to see the beauty
That the Lord spread all around;
He had time to hear the music
In the shells the children found;
He had time to keep repeating
As he bravely worked away:
“It is splendid to be living
In the splendid world today!”
But the crowds–the crowds that hurry
After golden prizes–said
That he never had succeeded,
When the clods lay o’er his head–
He had dreamed– “He was a failure,” they
Compassionately sighed,
For the man had little money in his pockets when he died.
It was only a scrubby bush that Moses saw in the desert, and yet it gleamed with splendour, as if burning. No wonder the old shepherd turned aside to look at the strange sight. He wanted to solve the mystery; but a voice halted him. God was in the bush. Mrs. Browning, referring to this singular incident, says:–
“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes:
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”
The poet’s thought is that the glory of God is in everything – in every tree, in every flower, in every lowly bush, and that almost nobody sees the glory. Most people see only the burning bush or the plant. Only now and then one sees the flame, the splendour of God, and takes off his shoes.
Page 1