Emmanuel College Sydney

GLORY be to God for dappled things—

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;

And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

--- Gerard Manley Hopkins ---

Get tickets to our Poetry Intensive here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sov'reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

--- William Cowper ---

Sign up to our Poetry Intensive here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

My God, how perfect are Thy ways!
But mine polluted are;
Sin twines itself about my praise,
And slides into my prayer.

When I would speak what Thou hast done
To save me from my sin,
I cannot make Thy mercies known,
But self-applause creeps in.

Divine desire, that holy flame
Thy grace creates in me;
Alas! impatience is its name,
When it returns to Thee.

This heart, a fountain of vile thoughts.
How does it overflow,
While self upon the surface floats,
Still bubbling from below.

Let others in the gaudy dress
Of fancied merit shine;
The Lord shall be my righteousness,
The Lord forever mine.

--- William Cowper ---

Sign up to our Poetry Intensive here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste,
I run to death, and death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday;
I dare not move my dim eyes any way,
Despair behind, and death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh;
Only thou art above, and when towards thee
By thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour myself I can sustain;
Thy Grace may wing me to prevent his art,
And thou like Adamant draw mine iron heart.

-- John Donne --

Join us for our Poetry Intensive on the 22-23 May in Surrey Hills, NSW.
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

When I consider how my light is spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”
I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, “God doth not need
Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.”

-- John Milton --

Join us for our Poetry Intensive on the 22-23 May in Surrey Hills, NSW.
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

Prayer the church's banquet, angel's age,
God's breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav'n and earth
Engine against th' Almighty, sinner's tow'r,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul's blood,
The land of spices; something understood.

--- George Herbert ---

Join us for our Poetry Intensive on the 22-23 May in Surrey Hills, NSW.
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

--- George Herbert ---

Join us for our Poetry Intensive on the 22-23 May in Surrey Hills, NSW.
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthral me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

--- John Donne ---

Join us for our Poetry Intensive on the 22-23 May in Surrey Hills, NSW.
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked any thing.

A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.

--- George Herbert ---

Join us for our Poetry Intensive on the 22-23 May in Surrey Hills, NSW.
Tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/poetry-in-a-spoken-world-christian-metaphysical-poets-intensive-tickets-1986034413393

Join us for a Friday night and Saturday intensive looking at Totalitarianism in the USSR including an historical lecture on The Russian Revolution under Stalin.

January 30-31
Held at Koorong West Ryde
Tickets $50 here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/totalitarianism-in-the-ussr-2-day-history-intensive-tickets-1976325372390