Christian Poetry: "A Forest Hymn" by William Cullen Bryant

[ysabetwordsmith]

Christianity is one of the world's biggest religions, comprising many denominations such as Catholic, Protestant, and Episcopalian. Although all the branches share the same ultimate background, they differ greatly on tenets of belief and practices. Thus the tone of contemporary churches also varies a lot. They generally base their faith on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Christian poetry is likewise extremely diverse, but there are some popular topics. One focuses on the poet's relationship with Jesus. Another admires the world as God's creation. Then there are some lovely liturgical poems focused on particular virtues or occasions. The Bible itself is written in "verses" and if you look at some sections you can see poetic devices such as repetition and allegory.

William Cullen Bryant was a Christian poet. His works enjoyed wide popularity in his lifetime, but have faded from cultural awareness since then. He wrote with equal appreciation of the human spirit and the beauty of nature, seeing God reflected in all these things. Below is an excerpt and a link to one of his poems.

A Forest Hymn
by William Cullen Bryant

The groves were God's first temples. Ere man learned 
To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave, 
And spread the roof above them,---ere he framed 
The lofty vault, to gather and roll back 
The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood, 
Amidst the cool and silence, he knelt down, 
And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks 
And supplication. For his simple heart 
Might not resist the sacred influences, 
Which, from the stilly twilight of the place, 
And from the gray old trunks that high in heaven 
Mingled their mossy boughs, and from the sound 
Of the invisible breath that swayed at once 
All their green tops, stole over him, and bowed 
His spirit with the thought of boundless power 
And inaccessible majesty. Ah, why 
Should we, in the world's riper years, neglect 
God's ancient sanctuaries, and adore 
Only among the crowd, and under roofs, 
That our frail hands have raised? Let me, at least, 
Here, in the shadow of this aged wood, 
Offer one hymn---thrice happy, if it find 
Acceptance in His ear. 

Comments

[bookblather]

I read this full poem, and it expresses so perfectly what I've always felt in the woods, that sense of hallowed sanctity that you sometimes get in cathedrals. A lovely selection.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I like the cathedral effect of forests too. It's especially prominent in old-growth or sequoia forests where the trees are really huge. I've been to the Hoh Rainforest. Epic cathedral.

Re: Yes...

[bookblather]

Yes, that awe-inspiring look, feeling so tiny but not... overpowered, just included. We are fortunate enough to have woods out back, and there's a kind of tunnel in the woods, two long lines of trees and an open area of undergrowth, that feels so exactly like a cathedral it takes my breath away.

Re: Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

You are lucky.

We don't have woods here, but we do have a lot of trees in our yard. Parts of it are kind of like a pocket forest. I enjoy the sense of being enfolded by nature, surrounded by so many densely packed layers of life.