Last summer, while walking through the grounds of Oxford’s lovely Magdalene College, I came across a plaque engraved with a poem by one of my favorite authors.
I heard in Addison’s Walk a bird sing clear:
This year the summer will come true. This year. This year.Winds will not strip the blossom from the apple trees
This year nor want of rain destroy the peas.This year time’s nature will no more defeat you.
Nor all the promised moments in their passing cheat you.This time they will not lead you round and back
To Autumn, one year older, by the well worn track.This year, this year, as all these flowers foretell,
We shall escape the circle and undo the spell.Often deceived, yet open once again your heart,
Quick, quick, quick, quick! – the gates are drawn apart.
—C. S. Lewis
3 Comments
Wow, that’s awesome. Magic. Poetry. Deep Insight. It has it all!
Yes indeed. Deep magic.
Dear God, I need this poem to be prophetic in my life this year.
Dear Jeff, thank you for posting this. It is beautiful, and I had never read it before, in spite of being a CS Lewis fan (and who isn’t?)
I loved the post about skubala on your old blog; that’s how I came to find you here. My own blog is suffering from some attack due to its name…your post encouraged me, thank you!