English poet William Cowper
pronounced "Cooper" all now concur
Renown hymnist of Olney
sung most Sundays ..usually
Herfordshire born Cowper(pronounced Cooper) poet & of evangelical 'Olney hymnal' fame (with a fragile mental history) produces a very recitable cadenced eleven six lined verses in which the concluding couplets ten&eleven identify his overiding but underlying self--concern theme.Each stanza has a (abab )quatrain for the narrative with a (cc) couplet providing a running observation throughout revealing Cowper's elegaic state of mind
God's ways are beyond us
we can't work them out
He moves across the seas
by His power, we can never count
Down, down deep God goes
with faultless innerant skill
bringing up HIs treasures full
in His sovereign purpose so still
Remember, Christian believer take hold
fear not and believe, dread no clouds
God's merciful grace will break through
pouring much blessings, clear and loud
Don't think the Lord will fail you
trust Him through to the end
look behind His providential frown
there see the smile of a friend
God's purpose always bears fruit
opening up its doors every hour
Its early signs may taste bitter
but beauty is seen in its flower
Unbelief is always a bad thing
run from its grip with all your might
build your faith on God's true word
it guides you on God's upward flight
(This piece is based on the great hymn ' God moves in a mysterious way' written by William Cowper (1731-1800)
Forerunner Of The Sun,
It Marks The Pilgrims Way;
I'll Gaze Upon It While I Run,
And Watch The Rising, .... Day!
William Cowper pronounced 'Cooper
wrote poetry o super
Best known as Evangelical
hymns remmbered as so special
Berhamsted poet Wiliam Cowper
a rector's son for sure
An evangelical for his sins
influential with Newton for Olney hymns
The old adage “variety is the spice of life” is quite profound!
William Cowper was the author and didn’t need to utter a sound
The words are perfect for creative souls
For mixing things up helps to achieve your goals
After almost 300 years his message still works
And intuitively I’ve long had that quirk
Now more than ever I’m mixing it up
I move around to different places to “fill my cup”
Sitting still for very long drives me nuts!
All I need to do is avoid being a “klutz”!
Standing atop Stanage Edge
facing south to Hathersage
millstone grit your barricade
the elements and time have made
brace yourself, no time to run
clouds now cover noonday sun
cooling air marauds the peaks
through your hair and clothes it speaks
stand your ground for what it's worth
God's very breath now roams the earth
shelter by the Cowper stone
this not a place to stand alone
wait for calm then walk the moss
now nature's shown you just who's boss
safely home you make a pledge
no more to mess with Stanage Edge.
For contest 'Wind', sponsored by Skat A
27th August 2015
"the willows dip
Their pendent boughs, stooping as if to drink." William Cowper
To a Weeping Willow
The graceful, sweeping green
I remember seeing it,
my first weeping willow
graceful trails of leaves
bending to touch its own reflection
Growing on a creek bank thick with grasses
I lay there in the soft tufts,
dreaming, staring up at clouds
watching the zig-zag flitters
of a butterfly.
Now days never seem so long
Wherever its pure tapestry reigns
in fragrant gardens, wherever
they take root; on creek-beds
sometimes by a charming bridge.
Weeping Willows have become for me
symbols of long peaceful days
I stop to gaze at them in gardens,
in paintings, in books that picture them
my hand lingers on the page
Beside a lacquered pond they still
touch their own reflections
with long, whispering trails
Once, in a dream, I saw one
with pallid catkins,
on a lonely promontory
beside a forgotten grave-
an echo of grieving.
Suzanne Delaney
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