For the doubling of flowers is the improvement of the gardners talent.
For the flowers are great blessings.
For the Lord made a Nosegay in the meadow with his disciples and preached upon the lily.
For the angels of God took it out of his hand and carried it to the Height.
For a man cannot have publick spirit, who is void of private benevolence.
For there is no Height in which there are not flowers.
For flowers have great virtues for all the senses.
For the flower glorifies God and the root parries the adversary.
For the flowers have their angels even the words of God’s Creation.
For the warp and woof of flowers are worked by perpetual moving spirits.
For flowers are good both for the living and the dead.
For there is a language of flowers.
For there is a sound reasoning upon all flowers.
For elegant phrases are nothing but flowers.
For flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ.
For flowers are medicinal.
For flowers are musical in ocular harmony.
For the right names of flowers are yet in heaven. God make gard’ners better nomenclators.
For the Poorman’s nosegay is an introduction to a Prince.

Christopher Smart, 1722-1771 – “Jubilate Agno” from Selected Poems


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#217: Voices from 1900-1914 Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/2/23: Tonight, I read a handful of voices from those living in Europe and the United States between 1900 and 1914. Rephrased only slightly, nearly all of their concerns (over technology, gender, nationalism, war, eugenics) feel like they could appear in the news or on the street today. Then and now, what is actually going on alongside all the dread? What can we learn from these voices that sound so much like our own, and what will people look back on 2023 learn for themselves?Each of these quotations can be found in Philipp Blom’s wonderful book, The Vertigo Years.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series. I also have a YouTube channel where I share poems and excerpts from these books, mostly as YouTube shorts.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #217: Voices from 1900-1914
  2. #216: Poets, Prophets, Seeresses & Goddesses from Time & the River
  3. #215: 8 Favorite Poems from "Time and the River"
  4. #214: Two of the Best Poems You've Never Heard of (by William Cullen Bryant)
  5. #213: Van Gogh's Early Years
  6. #212: The Most Popular Story in Ancient India
  7. #211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant?
  8. #210: Memories & Legends of William Shakespeare
  9. #209 – Being a Jew in 1900, Being a Jew Now
  10. #208: Bach & God

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