Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE FAR-OFF DAY by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON

First Line: WHENEVER I BEHOLD A LITTLE BIRD
Last Line: AND BIRD AND BEAST AND MAN ARE ONE IN THEE.
Subject(s): BIRDS; CAIN; FAITH; LOVE; VISION; BELIEF; CREED;
WHENEVER I behold a little bird
Moving and singing close about my feet,
All unafraid -- because I have not stirred --
Of brutal blow or pitiless bullet fleet,
Eager to meet the mood which I profess,
By blithe acceptance of my friendliness,

I get a vision of the far-off day,
Far-off and dim, described by faith alone,
When all the tribes of Cain have passed away,
And Love, somehow, has come into his own;
When kindness is the one felicity,
And bird and beast and man are one in Thee.



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