Harvest of Poetry

I settled down this morning to devise a service for the Harvest Festival in Port Loe....
This is a most beautiful tiny fishing village along the coast from here...
There is just one chapel right in the centre of the village and it has been renovated in a  lovely  simple way and they have alternate services every Sunday, Methodists and Church of England...
When ever I go they welcome me warmly with real joy and its always a great pleasure...
The service will be full of thanks for all the gifts of God which will include some good readings from the Bible and I always include other poems which say what I want to say.
One of the local fishermen always knows exactly who wrote what and why....he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of literature  which astounds me at times.
Over the years I've found some beautiful poetry on this theme but today I found a poem I've never come across before by Mary Webb.
...Here it is...
.
Harvest Song   by Mary Webb

The noise of bells has sunk to rest

The low grey clouds move swiftly on 

The land is still as Avalon

Deep breathing in its sleep, and blest

For us the holy corn is spread

Across the quiet, misty dales

Towards the hyacinth hills of Wales

To give our souls their daily bread.

For us that starling flock took wing

And like a silken banner blown

Across the rippling corn was flown

To teach our spirits how to sing. 

I think its beautiful and I know that the people of Port Loe will love it too....