Recently I ran into the phrase, "…All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well" while reading Madeleine L'Engle's A Circle of Quiet. The words kept coming back to my mind over and over the next few days. I decided to look them up and see where they originated.
Multiple sources credit Julian of Norwich, a 14th century mystic, with the words. According to one source, it's "one of the best-known phrases of literature of her era."
Here it is below written another way:
All shall
be well,
and all shall
be well,
and all manner
of thing
shall be well.
I like seeing it and reading it like that.
 |
Norwich cathedral facade, photo by Jerzy Kociatkiewicz, UK
A white statue of Julian of Norwich stands before the Norwich cathedral, Norfolk, UK. And atop the cathedral sits a great little steeple.
|
Thanks for being a part of Visits and Verse. Have a pleasant weekend.
7 comments:
I have only read her "Time" books. This is a lovely phrase thanks for sharing it. I am in a book club and lately I have been having a hard time keeping up with all my reading for that:O). But when I have more reading time I will check out The Circle of Quiet.
It's so melodious.
I can't think of a particularly quotable book but it will give me something to ponder today.
That church is charming!
Suef, I have been having the same troubles with book club. It's good for us to read a long book now and then, though, just to prove we can still do it, I guess.
Prude,
Lyrical, yes, and I was thinking peaceful and hopeful, too. I love the depth in so few words.
Lovely poem, Lori, thanks for sharing it. It IS quote-worthy! And I enjoy Madeleine L'Engle a lot. Her other books are also quotable.
Lately I've quoted Patrick F. McManus, "How I Got This Way." He's a funny guy!
I'd almost forgotten about Patrick McManus. Already. I was glad to discover I could Google quotes by either author (L'Engle or McManus) and find a slew of them.
For fun here's a McManus quote: "I was all for leaving school and getting started in the fur trade as soon as possible, but my mother wouldn't hear of it. She said I would have to wait until I was through the third grade or reached the age of eighteen, whichever came first."
Amazing how someone long gone can still be with us through her words.
Well put, Joanie. It's food for thought.
Post a Comment