These people know me
only in the thin hymns of
the mind, in the arid sermons
and prayers. I am the live God,
nailed fast to the old tree
of a nation by its unreal
tears. I thirst, I thirst
for the spring water. Draw it up
for me from your heart’s well and I will change
it to wine upon your unkissed lips.
R.S. Thomas (1913-2000), Ann Griffiths (1776-1805).
(S David’s Day 1st March). Converted and a mystic, Ann Griffiths was a poet of the 18th century Methodist revival in Wales who had a heart-felt love for Jesus. Following the death of her father in 1804, Ann married, but the loss of her father affected her deeply both mentally and physically, and in August 1805 after giving birth to a daughter who survived for only two weeks, she died and was buried in Llanfihangel cemetery. This is one of my favourite days in the year on which I remember my wife, Mair, thank God for the beginning of Spring and rejoice in the rich faith of Ann Griffiths!
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