Keeping Sacred Time with Christina Rossetti :: Maundy Thursday

During Holy Week, I'll be sharing a daily poem by Christina Rossetti. We often know her for her lovely poetry for children, but she wrote volumes of devotional poetry as well, including a series for the feasts and fasts of this week.  These are the poems I'll be sharing with my own children as we ready our home and our hearts and keep the Church's traditions.  Wishing you a blessed time as you prepare for Easter!

MAUNDY THURSDAY

"And the Vine said ... Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

The great Vine left its glory to reign as Forest King.

"Nay," quoth the lofty forest trees, "we will not have this thing;

We will not have this supple one enring us with its ring.

Lo, from immemorial time our might towers shadowing:

Not we were born to curve and droop, not we to climb and cling:

We buffet back the buffeting wind, tough to its buffeting:

We screen great beasts, the wild fowl build in our heads and sing,

Every bird of every feather from off our tops takes wing:

I a king, and thou a king, and what king shall be our king?"

Nevertheless the great Vine stopped to be the Forest King,

While the forest swayed and murmured like seas that are tempesting:

Stooped and drooped with thousand tendrils in thirsty languishing;

Bowed to earth and lay on earth for earth's replenishing;

Put off sweetness, tasted bitterness, endured time's fashioning;

Put off life and put on death: and lo! it was all to bring

All its fellows down to a death which hath lost the sting,

All its fellows up to a life in endless triumphing,--

I a king, and thou a king, and this King to be our King.