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New eyes awaken. I send Love's name into the world with…

“New eyes awaken. I send Love's name into the world with wings And songs grow up around me like a jungle. Choirs of all creatures sing the tunes Your Spirit played in Eden. Zebras and antelopes and birds of paradise Shine on the face of the abyss And I am drunk with the great wilderness Of the…” quote by Thomas Merton
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““New eyes awaken. I send Love's name into the world with wings And songs grow up around me like a jungle. Choirs of all creatures sing the tunes Your Spirit played in Eden. Zebras and antelopes and birds of paradise Shine on the face of the abyss And I am drunk with the great wilderness Of the sixth day in Genesis. But sound is never half so fair As when that music turns to air And the universe dies of excellence. Sun, moon and stars Fall from their heavenly towers. Joys walk no longer down the blue world's shore. Though fires loiter, lights still fly on the air of the gulf, All fear another wind, another thunder: Then one more voice Snuffs all their flares in one gust. And I go forth with no more wine and no more stars And no more buds and no more Eden And no more animals and no more sea: While God sings by himself in acres of night And walls fall down, that guarded Paradise.””

Thomas Merton

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The poem celebrates a visionary communion with nature and the divine, portraying creation as a symphonic, ever‑changing masterpiece that ultimately returns to silence and mystery.

In simple terms: A poetic vision of nature, divinity, and the fleeting beauty of existence.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the awe of creation while recognizing its impermanence.

Themes

spirituality nature creation impermanence beauty

Mood

awe melancholy reverence

Type

poetic philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

  • meditation
  • artistic inspiration
  • environmental reflection
  • spiritual practice
  • creative writing

Key Concepts

transcendence cosmic harmony ecology

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you experience the sacred in everyday nature?
  • What does the ending silence suggest about life’s cycles?
A Different Perspective

The abstract imagery may obscure practical meaning for some readers.

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