The Holy of Holies



‘Elder father, though thine eyes  
Shine with hoary mysteries,  
Canst thou tell what in the heart  
Of a cowslip blossom lies?  
 
‘Smaller than all lives that be,          
Secret as the deepest sea,  
Stands a little house of seeds,  
Like an elfin’s granary.  
 
‘Speller of the stones and weeds,  
Skilled in Nature’s crafts and creeds,         
Tell me what is in the heart  
Of the smallest of the seeds.’  
 
‘God Almighty, and with Him  
Cherubim and Seraphim,  
Filling all eternity—         
Adonai Elohim.’

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

25 sec read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXBA CCDX DDBD EECE
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 526
Words 84
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an influential English writer of the early 20th century His diverse output included journalism philosophy poetry biography Christian apologetics fantasy and detective fiction Gilbert Keith Chesterton KC*SG was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Time magazine observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out." more…

All Gilbert Keith Chesterton poems | Gilbert Keith Chesterton Books

0 fans

Discuss the poem The Holy of Holies with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Holy of Holies" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Nov. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15998/the-holy-of-holies>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    November 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    20
    days
    9
    hours
    12
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    In the Edward Lear poem, which instrument does the Owl play while serenading the Pussy Cat?
    A A violin
    B A mandolin
    C A banjo
    D A guitar