c. 1642
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
by Edward Taylor (1642-1729)
Thy Holy Word my distaff make for me.
Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat
And make my soul Thy holy spool to be.
My conversation make to be Thy reel
And reel the yarn thereon spun of Thy wheel.
Make me Thy loom then, knit therein this twine:
And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills:
Then weave the web Thyself. The yarn is fine.
Thine ordinances make my fulling mills.
Then dye the same in heavenly colors choice,
All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise.
Then clothe therewith mine understanding, will,
Affections, judgment, conscience, memory,
My words, and actions, that their shine may fill
My ways with glory and Thee glorify.
Then mine apparel shall display before Ye
That I am clothed in holy robes for glory.
* distaff = a staff that holds on its cleft end the unspun flax, wool, or tow from which thread is drawn in spinning by hand
*wind quills = fill spools with thread or yarn
*web = cloth
* fulling mills = mills where cloth is beaten and cleaned
* pinked = adorned, shining
Does this stop you in your tracks with its stunning beauty
as it does me?
I. AM. memorizing. this. poem.
A conversation as a reel…
The soul as a spool…
Clothe my understanding…
The yarn is fine.
A Living Pencil 
That photograph is amazing, Carol.
wow!
Um, are you OK? I only know you through Blogland, of course, but your new colors are rather, um, dark, and the header is fairly void and impersonal. It doesn’t seem like the “magistramater” I’m familiar with, and I’m a bit worried about you.
Let me know if there is anything I can do or if you need to vent or anything like that. I can give you an email if you want to vent/chat more privately.
Meanwhile, I’m praying God will fill you with His limitless grace.
Stunning!! I love the way you have illustrated this poem for us. It is worth committing to memory: such a picture of life.
Blessings fm GA,Dana
Beautiful!Janie
Okay, I love the header to pieces!!! And your photos are glorious. But that poem is marvelous. You have woven together a beautiful site. Thank you once again for bringing something soothing into my day. Love, M in SC
I love the poem and the new look as well. Also, loved seeing the pictures of your flowers. I agree with your SIL about everything needing a splash of yellow. Yellow was my grandmother’s favorite color (and mine) and I have tried to make sure every room has something with a bit of yellow in it. It just brightens the day!
Ruthie, thanks for your concern. I am fine, feeling great…really!I can’t take any credit, good or ill, for the header photo. This is a stock template that xanga calls themes. After scrolling through two pages of polka dots and stripes, this is the first thing that caught my eye.I’ll try my hand at changing the header photo thanks to Donna and Janie’s examples. I’ve been working on the first stanza as I’ve been gardening.
I think you would be struck even more if you could watch my sister spinning her fibers on her spinning wheel. Actually she has several spinning wheels, all different types/makes, which makes it even funner to watch each one operate. It’s just beautiful to see the wheel ply the beautiful fiber blends together with a stronger thread such as a silk one. Thinking about God taking that thread or yarn and knitting each of together in a one-of-a-kind, unique pattern is even more amazing!