Only the present is thy part and feeAnd happy thou,If, though thou didst not beat thy future brow,Thou could’st well seeWhat present things required of thee.They ask enough; why should’st thou further go?Raise not the mudOf future depths, but drink the clear and good.Dig not for woeIn times to come; for it will grow.George Herbert (1593-1633), The Discharge
Now!
Notes from the Compiler
One of the gifts of my wife, Mair (1931-2018), was to be: 'Present to the Present'. Among other things, it was this that made her the sort of magnetic personality that people did not easily forget once they had met her. For me, too often, the past has weighed upon my consciousness, and the immediate been dominated by my concern for the future. George Herbert encourages us to dwell upon our 'Here and Now'.
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