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Friday, July 20, 2012

Authentic Treasure


 

And now we wake
Gladly partake
With no brief hesitation
The good of life
Even its strife
Is not without elation
If we have food enough to eat
And shoes to wear upon our feet
And strength enough with which to meet
Toil’s present expectation

But oh, the bloom
Of grief and gloom
Where laughter turns to crying
Dare we to think
We ought not drink
The gall of anguished sighing
Will we take good but not the rest?
And for ourselves heap up life’s best
While others flounder in its test
Alone, starving and dying?

This is the day
The Lord has made
Not for our passive pleasure
But that we might
His heart delight
By loving without measure
To cast our bread upon the sea
To serve in kind humility
To store in fathomless degree
Love’s everlasting treasure

© Janet Martin


 He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. Job 2:10



6 comments:

  1. Your poetry is one of the reasons I love the English language :-) Just the sound alone of the words you use is so beautiful, not to mention the message.

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  2. You bring bring tears to my eyes... thank-you.
    I know a little bit of German and a dialect known as schweben or Pennsylvania dutch. I love the English language but the German has some words that simply cannot be translated in its simple fulness in English. Is the Russian language similar to German?

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  3. They are certainly similar in this way you describe: some words cannot be translated in their fullness. I think any language is like that. That's why I love the challenge and joy of translation: when you feel that you've written something that feels like the original you're translating, it's a wonderful feeling.

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  4. Sasha, I LOVE that...so true. You just penned a Happy Amateur quote
    'when you feel that you've written something that feels like the original you're translating, it's a wonderful feeling.'

    I'm off to attack me never-ending laundry-pile:)

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  5. Your poems not only sing but they instruct in their construct. I look forward to reading you every day and someday I hope to tackle your archives. Beautiful verse Janet.

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  6. Thank-you...not sure there is a name for this form but it seemed to be the way it was insisting to be written:)

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I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!