"The Little Match-Seller" by Hans Christian Andersen

It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, [...]

Sonnet at Christmas by Allen Tate

Ah, Christ, I love you rings to the wild skyAnd I must think a little of the past:When I was ten I told a stinking lieThat got a black boy whipped; but now at lastThe going years, caught in an accurate glow,Reverse like balls englished upon green baize–Let them return; let the round trumpets blowThe [...]

Heidegger on Poetry in a Destitute Time

“To be a poet in a destitute time means: to attend, singing, to the trace of the fugitive gods. This is why the poet in the time of the world’s night utters the holy. This is why, in Hölderlin’s language, the world’s night is the holy night.”

The Windhover: To Christ Our Lord

Folks, here is an excellent poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins. It’s one of the best poems I know for teaching the musical nature of poetry. The diction is so alliterative that you can almost taste the words. It’s a great poem, and I would enjoy any comments you might toss in my [...]

We are God’s Poem

αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.
For we are his poem, composed by Christ Jesus for the purpose of good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we should live by them.

Symposium at the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture

I just learned that my paper, “Perdita: The Fulcrum of The Winter’s Tale,” has been accepted for presentation at the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture. In the paper, I argue that Perdita functions as the catalyst for Hermione’s transformation in 5.3, and that her capacity to redeem her father has implications for the [...]

The New Evangelicalism

I recently listened to an interview of Jim Wallis on Krista Tippett’s Public Radio show, Speaking of Faith. Krista consistently provides excellent programming on a variety of issues, focusing specifically around meaning, ethics, and ideas. A podcast of her entire show, including archived interviews, is available here. Just follow the on-screen instructions. [...]