The Soul of the Craftsman, by Arthur Brown

13/10/2011

0 Comments

 
When I share the beauty that a human hand has wrought,
It leads me through the object to another person’s soul;
His eye becomes my eye and his thought becomes my thought,
Our two minds, for a moment, coalesce into one whole.

Thus I am led to beauty through another person’s eyes,
Or to a love of music through another person’s ears;
They educate my senses and they help me to be wise
To the glory of the universe, the music of the spheres.

So when I see the beauty that is wrought by God’s own hands,
The cloud bedappled heavens casting shadows on the sea,
Or the landscapes, trees and flowers of my own or other lands,
My soul is opened up to God and He shares His with me.

This poem was read at the October 2011 service.
Add Comment
 

Beauty, by Sarah Lewis

10/05/2010

1 Comment

 
This reflection on beauty was contributed by Sarah to the May service, which was on that theme.

Beauty

 The moon and stars on a clear night;

Swathes of snowdrops in January at the end of a long winter;

The garden in spring;

Sunrise;

Our old Catalpa tree;

Blackbird singing in the close-by tree at teatime;

Bluebells beneath beech wood trees;

A long, straight road – anywhere;

A seashore at low tide;

Sailing boats at sea; 

Ever-changing clouds;

Any music by Mozart; Debussy and Rachmaninov piano music;

 Michelangelo’s sculptures; Rodin’s drawings; and

David Smith’s sculptures in the deep New York snow;

The Viaduc de Millau, Tarn, France; the Millennium Bridge, London; 

Tate Britain seen from the bottom of its entrance steps;

And Tate Modern seen from everywhere;

The Guggenheim Museum and Museum of Modern Art, New York City:

Beautiful buildings containing aesthetically articulated forms;

Jim’s fine, pen and ink drawings – and his occasional poems;

The snuffley sounds of my newborn babies;

My daughter on her wedding day morning; and always, her beautiful eyes;

Kim’s intense focus on his music; his affection and his social concern;

The aroma of a good meal cooking;

The spaces-in-between – all things;

The faces of people;

Love… 


   
1 Comment