“Written in Early Spring” by William Wordsworth (1770–1850)

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  I HEARD a thousand blended notes   While in a grove I sate reclined,  In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts  Bring sad thoughts to the mind.  To her fair works did Nature link  The human soul that through me ran;  And much it grieved my heart to think  What Man has made of Man.  Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,  The periwinkle trail’d its wreaths;  And ’tis my faith that every flower  Enjoys the air it breathes.  The birds around me hopp’d and play’d,  Their thoughts I cannot measure,—  But the least motion which they made  It seem’d a thrill of pleasure.  The budding twigs spread out their fan  To catch the breezy air;  And I must think, do all I can,  That there was pleasure there.  If this belief from heaven be sent,  If such be Nature’s holy plan,  Have I not reason to lament  What Man has made of Man?

One Dark Night

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A short poem written in the mid-1500s by a Spanish monk was so deeply infused with passion and meaning that the same monk wrote two books explaining the poem. The poem in its entirety (translated from Spanish) is given here, in song.



The poem describes the journey of the soul to God, "wherein the soul sings of the happy chance which it had in passing through the dark night of faith, in detachment and purgation of itself, to union with The Beloved." Think of it: two whole books to explore the depths of all that means.

These are a necessary read for every soul going through a dark night.

The first book, "Ascent of Mount Carmel"
The second book, "Dark Night of the Soul"

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