Spiritual Peace and Rest

Where it surfaces

• Wings of a Dove

  The poem's central theme: the dove's flight and return symbolize the soul's search for true rest, found not in escape but in homecoming.

• When Tulips Bloom

  The speaker's desire to 'loaf and dream' by a stream reflects a longing for rest and inner peace, away from the 'weary' demands of city life and trade.

• Matins

  The heart turns from darkness to day, finding rest in God's light like a flower opening.

• If All the Skies

  The poem's longing for 'rest from weary laughter' and 'the quiet arms of grief' evokes a desire for spiritual repose.

• Roslin and Hawthornden

  The speaker finds greater spiritual solace in the quiet glen than in the storied chapel, emphasizing peace in nature.

• The Lily of Yorrow

  The lily represents ultimate peace and the crown of a lifelong endeavor.

• A Ballad of Claremont Hill

  The grave on Claremont Hill is described as a 'haven of peace' amidst the city's clamor.

• Rendezvous

  The poem envisions a transcendent meeting place where souls converse freely, a form of spiritual rest and communion.

• Transformation

  The chapter depicts the soul's final bloom as a state of purity and peace, achieved through divine grace.

• Two Songs of Heine

  The fir-tree sleeps under winter's white robes, dreaming of a distant palm-tree, evoking a longing for spiritual rest and union.

• For Katrina’s Window

  The window shuts out darkness, doubt, and storm, symbolizing a sanctuary of peace.

• The Prison and the Angel

  The journey through darkness leads to light, suggesting ultimate spiritual peace and liberation.

• Santa Christina

  Christina's life is depicted as a quiet, fragrant bloom that brings peace and reflects divine light, even after death.

• Peace

  The central theme of the chapter: peace is achieved not through striving but through surrender to divine will.

• Chant of the Magi at the Fire-Altar

  The chant invokes divine light and joy to pour out on the worshippers, offering a sense of peace and holy love amid the night.

• The Master's Voice

  The poem emphasizes finding rest and peace through the Master's invitation to lay down burdens.

• Bitter-Sweet

  The poem contrasts restless plodding with the peace of resting on a secure love, waiting at the Master's feet.

• The Great River

  The opening quote 'In la sua volontade è nostra pace' (In His will is our peace) and the image of the world floating safely in the divine will emphasize spiritual peace.

• The Builders

  The chapter concludes with a prayer for God's presence and peace in the temple of the heart.

• The Toiling of Felix

  Felix finds rest not in solitude but in the midst of labor, as Christ promises 'the peace that passeth knowledge' amid daily strife.

• Vera

  Vera's ultimate gift is hearing the voice of God, which brings her perfect peace and rest from her troubled questioning.

• The Angler’s Reveille

  The poem encourages a peaceful, trusting attitude toward life, urging the angler to forget fears and accept what God gives, finding contentment in simply being alive.

• Little Boatie

  The entire poem is a call to rest, with imagery of a safe harbor, still tides, and the 'port of Sleep' as a metaphor for divine peace.

• The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

  The kinglet finds rest and contentment in its seasonal homes, emphasizing peace found in nature.

• Music

  The poem repeatedly invokes music as a source of rest and forgetfulness, especially in sections III and IV, where it leads the soul to an 'isle of rest' and calms grief.

• Ode to Peace

  The entire poem centers on the quest for and attainment of spiritual peace through surrender to divine will.

• Victor Hugo

  The poem concludes with Hugo's soul gaining wings and finding freedom, symbolizing spiritual peace after a life of struggle.

• God of the Open Air

  The speaker seeks 'peace of the silent hills,' 'shelter of forests,' and a gentle end where he may 'fall on sleep' and breathe his spirit out to God.

• The Three Best Things

  The speaker finds peace in accepting work as a blessing and in turning to play, love, and rest at eventide.

• The Child in the Garden

  The garden represents a state of untroubled thought and innocence, a place of spiritual rest.

• A Mother's Birthday

  The prayer asks for the mother to rest in God, feel fear depart, and be led in peace divine.

• The Message

  The child's smile and the dream of heaven bring a sense of peace and understanding to the narrator.

• Light Between the Trees

  The forest whispers of rest and slumber, tempting the traveler to yield, but the final vision of light suggests a deeper peace beyond the struggle.

• Reliance

  The assurance that those who walk in darkness will meet the sunrise of the soul points to spiritual peace found in reliance on divine love.

• To James Whitcomb Riley

  The garden imagery and the idea of weary men finding rest in its bowers evoke a sense of spiritual peace and restorative calm.

• The White Bees

  Aristæus finds peace and rest on Mount Hæmus, and the snow brings a 'silver pall' of forgetfulness and dreams.

• A Home Song

  The heart finds rest in a home where love and friendship abide, emphasizing spiritual peace.

• A Noon Song

  Noon is portrayed as a 'good hour' and 'kind hour' that calms the breast, offering rest to workers and a quiet stillness in nature.

• Milton

  Milton finds great peace before death in thoughts of lowly duty bravely done, and in the heavenly gift of song restored.

• Robert Browning

  The imagery of laurel crowns that 'autumn takes no toll' suggests a timeless, peaceful immortality achieved through poetic legacy.

• Edmund Clarence Stedman

  Stedman is depicted as at peace in God's care, his dreams fulfilled.

• Nepenthe

  The speaker finds nepenthe—a drink of forgetfulness and peace—in the beloved's forgiveness, symbolizing spiritual rest.

• Arrival

  The journey ends in a quiet room adorned with flowers, where the narrator finds rest and homecoming, symbolized by furling the sail and letting fall the oar.

• Gratitude

  The poem expresses a serene acceptance of life's gifts and a trust in divine guidance, embodying spiritual peace.

• Stars and the Soul

  The poem finds awe and peace in contemplating the starry heavens and the moral law.

• Love in a Look

  The look's embrace is described as transparent, pure, and warm, evoking a sense of calm and spiritual repose as the speaker's spirit blends with the beloved's.

• The Hermit Thrush

  The serene woodland setting and the thrush's song evoke a sense of spiritual peace and communion.

• The Window

  The child sleeps with 'the arms of God around her,' symbolizing divine protection and peaceful rest.

• Three Alpine Sonnets

  The final sonnet emphasizes drowsy spells of peace and the music of dreams, offering a sense of tranquil rest.

• Hymn of Labor

  The hymn contrasts daily strife with the peace of Christ and ends with a prayer for Sabbath rest, embodying the theme of spiritual rest.

• The Welcome Tent

  The chapter centers on the blessing of rest after labor, with the tent symbolizing welcome and divine peace at day's end.

• The Friendly Trees

  The chapter concludes with a wish for burial at the foot of a friendly tree, symbolizing peaceful rest and resurrection.

• The Unseen Altar

  The unseen altar offers plentiful forgiveness, joy, and a Father's hand upholding those who bear each other's burdens.

• The Pathway of Rivers

  The chapter concludes with a prayer for the soul to run in blessing to its rest in God.

• The Tribe of the Helpers

  The chapter contrasts the world's haste and turmoil with the peaceful journey of helpers, who travel with God as their guide.

• The Camp-Fires of My Friend

  The narrator's soul rests in the word of the Lord, finding peace beyond the world's transient nature.

• Hymn of Joy

  The hymn invokes 'Ocean-depth of happy rest' and asks God to 'Fill us with the light of day,' portraying a deep spiritual tranquility.

• Sierra Madre

  The speaker finds solace and inspiration in the mountains, lifting up eyes to the hills in a gesture of spiritual peace.

• Turn o’ the Tide

  The tide's ebb brings a yearning to rest in the lee of the high hill land, holding haven and stay, reflecting a desire for spiritual peace.

• Three Prayers for Sleep and Waking

  The entire chapter is a prayer for sleep and waking, emphasizing surrender of worry and finding rest in God.

• A Ballad of Santa Claus

  The poem portrays St. Nicholas as a source of peace, calming storms and bringing comfort to those in distress.

• Flood-Tide of Flowers

  The arrival of Easter Day brings a sense of spiritual renewal and peace, contrasting with the harshness of winter.

• The Peaceful Warrior

  The opening lines express a longing for peace, which is contrasted with the necessity of conflict.

• From Glory Unto Glory

  References to 'peace divine' and the flag as a 'heavenly sign' evoke a spiritual hope for peace after war.

• The Signs

  The poem finds peace in the cosmic order of the Zodiac and the hope of being 'swimmers in God’s mighty sea.'

• Easter Road

  The poem promises peace, victory, and eternal rest for those who follow the Easter road through suffering.

• Golden Stars

  The fallen soldiers are welcomed into Paradise and eternal peace by Christ, offering comfort and release from life's battles.

• The Song-Sparrow

  The sparrow's message that 'lowly homes to heaven are near' and its contented song bring spiritual peace and reassurance.

• Salute to the Trees

  The speaker finds 'good rest and slumber’s balm' under various trees, and blesses the elm for its faithful companionship.

• Voyagers

  The poem seeks final peace and rest in God as the ultimate port after life's voyage.

• Jesus Return

  The poem repeatedly asks for rest, inward joy, and the renewal of hope through Christ's return.

• One in Christ

  The hymn prays for an end to discord and a drawing near to Christ's heart where peace reigns.

• Foundations

  Despite the shaking of the world, the refrain 'He abideth who confideth' offers a promise of spiritual security and rest in God's eternal nature.

• Victoria

  The chapter emphasizes inner peace and victory through faith, not worldly power.

• Eight Echoes from the Poems of Auguste Angellier

  Evoked in 'The Ivory Cradle' and 'The Garland of Sleep', where rest and sleep offer peace and refuge.

• The Old Flute

  The speaker accepts the end of his musical life with quiet gratitude, looking forward to 'Death’s dim hall of silence and of rest.'