The poem I shared yesterday while talking about the Sabbath:
W. H. Davies
WHAT is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare
.I love the line – And stare as long as sheep or cows.
I like it because it juxtaposes man with sheep and cows.
We, mankind, in our highly exalted and ultra-capable state rightly consider ourselves to be far, far above the beasts of the field. Fine.
We think that our busy inability to stand and stare is part of our high humanity. Is it?
What are we missing?
Didn’t our maker intend for us to use our image-bearing capacities to stop and contemplate this world and the One who made it?