When Earth's Last Picture Is Painted
by Rudyard Kipling
When Earth's last picture is painted
And the tubes are twisted and dried
When the oldest colors have faded
And the youngest critic has died
We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it
Lie down for an aeon or two
'Till the Master of all good workmen
Shall put us to work anew
And those that were good shall be happy
They'll sit in a golden chair
They'll splash at a ten league canvas
With brushes of comet's hair
They'll find real saints to draw from
Magdalene, Peter, and Paul
They'll work for an age at a sitting
And never be tired at all.
And only the Master shall praise us.
And only the Master shall blame.
And no one will work for the money.
No one will work for the fame.
But each for the joy of the working,
And each, in his separate star,
Will draw the thing as he sees it.
For the God of things as they are!
***
I found the photo above in my Flickr faves. The poem, of course, is by Rudyard Kipling, and is included in a beautiful memorial book that I received in the mail yesterday from local merchants. For many more soul nourishing posts, click over to the Spiritual Sunday blog.
This post was migrated from the old blog. To see the comments on the original post, CLICK HERE. To add a new comment, click "Post a Comment", below.
On 10/04/2009, Mary said ...
Reading this makes me want to shout for joy! We seem dimly now, but someday...I was on the phone yesterday, reading some verses from Revelation to my sister...we both became giddy when I read about God wiping away every tear...what a day that will be!
God bless,
Mary
On 10/04/2009, kayellen said ...
Beautiful Susan:)
Kayellen
On 10/04/2009, Ginger said ...
Beautiful poem! Thank-you for sharing it today. This picture is so serene.
Blessings,
Ginger
On 10/04/2009, Debra Spincic said ...
I think that Kipling's poem speaks so well of the idea that our real life has not even started yet.
Wishing you a soulful Sunday.
Sending love,
Debra
On 10/04/2009, Barbara Anne said ...
Beautiful picture and poem! Would that greed for money and power would be left behind soon for the good of all and the joy of doing good here and now.
Thanks, Susan!
Hugs!
On 10/04/2009, Trudy Neill of Windemere Farm said ...
How very true those words are..thanks for sharing.
Trudy
On 10/04/2009, CarlaH said ...
Susan, what a lovely poem - sometimes we forget the power of poetry. Just as a matter of interest one of my all time favorite poems is Invictus by William Ernest Hemley. I know that the poem is not exactly in the same vein as your strong religious feelings but this poem has been with me since my early teens and helped me through some difficult situations (not really so difficult in hindsight).
Best wishes to you as you continue your new life journey. You are not alone you have your family and so many friends (both known and unknown) who are thinking of you.
On 10/04/2009, nannykim said ...
Cool; thanks for sharing this--I had not read it before!
On 10/04/2009, Clif said ...
This is my kind of poem. I love the way it flows and the way the words come together. Great message. Thank you.
On 10/04/2009, Sally said ...
Thank you for sharing. Have a good Sunday.
On 10/04/2009, Charlotte said ...
What a lovely and interesting poem. I'm glad you shared it with us today.
Blessings,
Charlotte
On 10/04/2009, Denise said ...
Wonderful post.
On 10/05/2009, Building a new home said ...
What a lovely poem. It speaks well of beauty and happiness. God bless!
On 10/05/2009, Pat said ...
Such a beautiful poem! Thank you for directing us to Spiritual Sunday blog, too.
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