Grace

George Herbert’s poem is a prayer that begins on a personal level, with the immediate perils that face a struggling farmer, and then extends to questions concerning potential threats to the cosmos. In turn, I wanted to portray the sense of longing that comes as we await a sign of divine mercy on both the level of the individual and the level of the planet. Chant-like phrases interspersed with pregnant pauses are intended to draw our attention inward, while the ascending tonal modulations evoke a lack of certainty joined with growing intensity. As a result, the refrain “Drop from above” becomes more emphatic at the end of each stanza until it develops into a section unto itself, resounding like a mantra. While contemplating the mysteries of life, the poem’s speaker maintains a solid faith.