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by Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936)

'Elder father, though thine eyes
Language: English 
'Elder father, though thine eyes
Shine with hoary mysteries,
Canst thou tell what in the heart
Of a cowslip blossom lies?

'Smaller than all lives that be,
Secret as the deepest sea,
Stands a little house of seeds,
Like an elfin's granary.

'Speller of the stones and weeds,
Skilled in Nature's crafts and creeds,
Tell me what is in the heart
Of the smallest of the seeds.'

'God Almighty, and with Him
Cherubim and Seraphim,
Filling all eternity --
Adonai Elohim.'

About the headline (FAQ)

Text Authorship:

  • by Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936), no title, first published <<1917 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "The Holy of Holies", 2005 [baritone and piano], from Drolleries and Wisdom, no. 5 [ sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-05-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 80

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