Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SCULPTOR OF THE SOUL, by TOYOHIKO KAGAWA


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SCULPTOR OF THE SOUL, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: As the sculptor devotes himself to wood and stone
Last Line: And made a molten cast of god's portrait on his own flesh.
Subject(s): Jesus Christ; Religion; Sculpture & Sculptors; Theology


As the sculptor devotes himself to wood and stone
I would devote myself to the living soul.
But I am solemnized by the thought that the sculptor cannot carve
Either on wood, or on stone, or on the living soul,
Anything better than himself.
All the lines of my carving
Will but reveal my own portrait.
Gazing at my hand, at my chisel, I shudder.
How long will it take for this human sculpture,
Which can not be carved by me better, finer than my own soul,
To escape! To escape from my pitiable and limited domain,
And to advance to the position of a carving of God?

Happily, there is a Guide for me.
It is He who has broken open the door of the Sanctuary
And made a molten cast of God's Portrait on His own flesh.





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