Exploring Advent Poems about Peace

Discovering Serenity in Advent Poetry

Advent, the season leading up to Christmas, is a time of anticipation and reflection. It is a time when we seek peace, both within ourselves and in the world around us. Poetry, with its ability to capture emotions and evoke imagery, is a powerful medium through which we can explore the concept of peace during this special time. In this article, we will delve into a few poignant advent poems centered around the theme of peace.

1. "Peace" by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Peace
When will you ever, Peace, wild wooddove, shy wings shut,
Your round me roaming end, and under be my boughs?
When, when, Peace, will you, Peace? I'll not play hypocrite
To own my heart: I yield you do come sometimes; but
That piecemeal peace is poor peace. What pure peace allows
Alarms of wars, the daunting wars, the death of it?

Hopkins, a renowned Victorian poet, beautifully captures the longing for lasting peace in his poem "Peace." The repetitive question, "When, when, Peace, will you, Peace?" emphasizes the poet's desire for tranquility. The imagery of a wild wooddove seeking refuge under the protective boughs symbolizes our yearning for a world free from conflict and strife.

2. "Advent Calendar" by Rowan Williams

Advent Calendar
He will come like last leaf’s fall.
One night when the November wind
has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
wakes choking on the mould,
the soft shroud’s folding.

He will come like frost.
One morning when the shrinking earth
opens on mist, to find itself
arrested in the net
of alien, sword-set beauty.

He will come like dark.
One evening when the bursting red
December sun draws up the sheet
and penny-masks its eye to yield
the star-snowed fields of sky.

Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, presents an advent poem that offers a unique perspective on peace. In "Advent Calendar," he describes the arrival of Christ using vivid metaphors. The contrast between the imagery of frost, mist, and darkness with the notions of beauty and star-snowed skies signifies the transformative power of peace, which can emerge even in the bleakest of times.

3. "A Christmas Carol" by Christina Rossetti

A Christmas Carol
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Rossetti's "A Christmas Carol" paints a serene picture of the birth of Jesus amidst a harsh winter landscape. The repetition of "In the bleak mid-winter" emphasizes the starkness of the scene, setting the stage for the arrival of the divine in humble surroundings. This poem reminds us that true peace can be found even in the most unexpected and unassuming places.

Concluding Thoughts

These advent poems provide glimpses into the multifaceted nature of peace, inviting us to reflect on its significance during the season of Advent. Through the poetic language, we can explore our own yearning for peace and find solace in the hope it brings. Let these poems inspire you to seek harmony within yourself and spread peace to those around you as we enter this festive time of the year.