Henri Amiel

 “To feel keenly the poetry of a morning’s roses, one has to have just escaped from the claws of this vulture which we call sickness”   ...Henri Frederic Amiel

According to Wikipedia, Henri Amiel was, among other things, a Swiss moral philosopher and a poet, but whatever he was, I’m sure of one thing — he was filled with much wisdom. For only such a person could cram as much knowledge and truth into a few words; as he did in the above quote. And even though I can clearly perceive the profound truth it sets forth, still a question jumps quickly into my mind, which is this; what did he mean by the poetry of a morning’s roses?

Well, even though it’s a metaphorical happening, let’s take a look and see if we can discover some substance in it. Whatever he meant, one thing’s for certain; unless a person is healthy and energetic with a passion for life they’ll never be aware of the poetry emitted by flowers — nor understand it.

And, relatively speaking, there aren’t that many humans who are healthy enough that, when they awake in the morning, they’re ready, or able, to feel this poetry. Only those who have achieved true health, and the happiness that accompanies it, would even be aware of such a thing. But those who have achieved this state are not only aware that the morning is filled with the metaphorical and poetical song of the flowers, but they also have the ability to sense it — and are immediately drawn to it.

Healthy and jubilant people see beauty and good in everything and everywhere. They arise from their sleep, anxious to greet the new day with a smile of thanks and gratitude. They can feel the vibrancy of love, and of beauty, and of life itself. They don’t notice the clouds, even when it’s an overcast sky – all they can see, and feel, is light and beauty everywhere. These people may not physically hear the flowers speaking, but they can feel it in the depths of their beings – and to them it’s the same feeling which the two great English Poets, William Blake,  and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were experiencing when they wrote the following poetic words:

Blake revealed a truth that those who are still caught in the claws of this vulture which we call sickness, will find difficult to understand. He said; “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.”

And because Browning was caught in this vulture’s claws for much of her life, she may not have been able to feel the flower’s poetry for much of it. Even so there were times when she experienced the escape mentioned in the opening quote I used for this post. Without experiencing this, she could not have seen the truth contained in these heavenly words, which she penned; “Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.” Even though it was, in all probability, unintentional, she wholeheartedly reinforced Blake’s revelation.

And, as with all of us, there probably were times when Blake also got caught in the claws of this vulture which we call sickness, and escaped. For it’s these types of experiences that allow people to see such things as a tree being more than a green thing that stands in the way, or a bush as being afire with God.

Whether we see a tree or a bush as a green thing that stands in the way, or as a thing of absolute perfection and beauty afire with God depends entirely upon our beliefs and our perceptions. Those people who symbolically take off their shoes as they are moved to tears of joy do so because of their knowledge and understanding that the tree — or bush — is just a material manifestation of something far more beautiful than the physical eyes can see. The physical eyes see only a tree or a bush, but the imagination sees manifested reminders of the magnificence and beauty that lies beyond this physical realm.

They see the truth that the same Source of life that expressed itself as a tree or a bush has also expressed itself as the being observing them. It’s the realization of, and the recognition of, a mutual connection to something far more wondrous and glorious than this physical world — which, the observing of the tree or bush has brought to the surface — that causes them to symbolically remove their shoes as the tears of joy flow.

Whether it’s feeling the poetry of a morning’s roses, observing a tree and being moved to tears of joy, or perceiving every common bush afire with God it always contains one common element, which is, those who do either, have escaped from the claws of this vulture which we call sickness.

Marcus Cicero

In closing this post, I’m going to leave you with some powerful words of wisdom from the ancient, Roman philosopher, Marcus Cicero. It’s my hope that his observation will help us to understand just how important our thoughts are to our health. He said; “In a disordered mind, as in a disordered body, soundness of health is impossible.”

Thanks for reading, and until next time, use your imagination and see yourself healthy and happy regardless of what any physical symptoms may be trying to tell you; keep exercising, eat healthy, and may God richly bless you.

Please Note: The ideas and opinions expressed in this post  represent my own experiences and beliefs as I perceive them.