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Peace Poetry at Paper Poetry
Peace and Compassion
A sincere mantinades
Her love is straight and steadfast, never falters; nor does it cease
Her ways are those of gentle devotion, her paths paved in peace
She spends every day tending and serving those she holds dear
Her words match her actions, indisputable proof she’s sincere
She turns frowns into smiles, disconnection into cohesion
The universe hums more sweetly with her heart for compassion
There is a lesson to be learned from her mercy and kindness
To this I vow to live each day emulating her goodness
© Carolyn Hastings 2025
As is often the case with my poems, there’s a backstory. In this instance, the poem was inspired by the last line in the British patriotic hymn, ‘I Vow to Thee, My Country’ –
And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.
The hymn is the product of a poem penned by Sir Cecil Spring Rice in 1912 at the beginning of his 6-year posting as British Ambassador to the United States of America. It wasn’t until 1921, three years after Rice’s death, that British composer, Gustav Holst, set the poem to music…
