Ekphrasis
“Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.
I chose a favorite N.C. Wyeth painting, Egrets in Summer, because I love its sense of calm and beauty. Once, while in NYC, I even peered inside the Metropolitan Life Insurance Building where it is held, in hopes of seeing it in person. Alas... no luck. Nonetheless, I have a nice double-page print in a book of Wyeth's work, and I relied upon that for my inspiration.
Below is my attempt to marry the three strands: poetry, spirituality, and art. As I worked on my poem, I learned that all egrets are in the heron family, and that some herons have a white phase, so this work is sometimes called Herons in Summer, and sometimes Egrets in Summer. I chose to go with "herons" in my poem.
Also, you may want to know that I did not originally think of this as a spiritual painting, but as mentioned in the description above, my reflections and attempt at amplification led me in that direction. So, without further ado...
Herons in Summer by N.C. Wyeth
Wherever Two or Three are Gathered
In the quiet of early morning
Heron takes wing
Like one of the faithful
Suddenly called to glory
White robes flapping
In earnest devotion
Sinuous necks turn and
Intent eyes follow as
The pond mirrors her crossing
It is a moment of holy beauty
A celebration of grace
Steeped with serenity
Lauded with lilies
Surely
Prayers of adoration
Rustle in the undulating reeds
©Karen Eastlund
Frederick Buechner writes about beauty this way:
Beauty is to the spirit what food is to the flesh. A glimpse of it in a young face, say, or an echo of it in a song fills an emptiness in you that nothing else under the sun can. Unlike food, however, it is something you never get your fill of. It leaves you always aching with longing not so much for more of the same as for whatever it is, deep within and far beyond both it and yourself, that makes it beautiful.
"The beauty of holiness" is how the Psalms name it (29:2), and "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee" (42:1) is the way they describe the ache and the longing.
~originally published in Whistling in the Dark and later in Beyond Words
Wyeth's original work is 83" by 159", and I wish we could see it in its full glory. You can see a larger, clearer copy here.
Many thanks to Margaret Simon for hosting today. Find our gathering on the spiritual journey thread at Reflections on the Teche.
I wish you beauty, serenity, grace and celebration.
