I
see his blood upon the rose,
And
in the stars the glory of his eyes,
His
body gleams amid eternal snows,
His
tears fall from the skies.
I
see his face in every flower;
The
thunder, and the singing of the birds
Are
but His voice; and, carven by His power,
Rocks
are His written words.
All
the pathways by His feet are worn,
His
strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea;
His
crown of thorns is twined with every thorn;
His
cross is every tree.
By Joseph Mary Plunkett
‘Sheep May Safely Graze’ is one of my favourite short musical compositions. On the same subject, I look forward in anticipation each year –
it is always featured at this time of year on radio and television – to a
plaintive, choral version of Katherine Tynan’s ‘Sheep and Lambs’.
All
in the April evening
April
airs were abroad;
The
sheep with their little lambs
Passed
me by on the road.
The
sheep with their little lambs
Passed
me by on the road
All
in the April evening
I
thought on the Lamb of God.
The
lambs were weary, and crying
With
a weak, human cry.
I
thought on the Lamb of God
Going
meekly to die.
Up
in the blue, blue mountains
Dewy
pastures are sweet;
Rest
for the little bodies
Rest
for the little feet.
But
for the lamb of God,
Up
on the hill-top green
Only
a cross of shame,
Two
stark crosses between.
All
in the April evening
April
airs were abroad;
I
saw the sheep with their lambs
And
thought on the Lamb of God.
History 
