Nov 08 2008
On the Beauty of Nature
“To see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wildflower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.”
-William Blake (from Augries of Innocence)
These classic lines from a 164 line poem by William Blake summon our imagination.
Think about it: then closely observe a grain of sand. There is not much there in your hand, but with Blake’s help and our imagination we can truly see the world. The grain of sand glistens just a bit, and we sense there could be a universe within.
Heaven in a wildflower might be a little easier to reckon. Beauty, purity, innocence, all within the the petals, center and pollen of one little wildflower. And… then there is the scent. Another little bit of heaven.
Holding infinity in then palm of your hand. Well, sure. there in that grain of sand - infinity, always there from the beginning. Scientists say that all elements have existed since the beginning of time, but they are just rearranged on a regular basis to become new formation, substance, things.
And eternity in an hour … what could more true! Eternity is in this hour. In God’s time, there is no time, yet all time is in any given moment.
In a sense, these lines escape interpretation. Read, think, and decide.
