Work and Contemplation
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (English, 1806-1861)
A woman singeth at her spinning-wheel
A pleasant chant, ballad, or barcarole; *
She thinketh of her song, upon the whole,
Far more than her flax; and yet the reel
Is full, and artfully her fingers feel
With quick adjustment, provident control,
The lines – too subtly twisted to unroll –
Out to a perfect thread. I hence appeal
To the dear Christian Church – that we may do
Our Father’s business in these temples mirk, *
Thus swift and steadfast, thus intent and strong;
While thus, apart from toil, our souls pursue
Some high calm spheric tune, and prove our work
The better for the sweetness of our song.
*barcarole – a Venetian gondolier’s song with gentle rhythms
*mirk – old fashioned spelling of murk/murky
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