LOVE
IS A SMALL WORD
Love is a small word but with big meanings. It manifests strong
feelings of affection for not only men and women but also the whole creation of
God.
The Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
said: “In peace, love tunes the shepherd’s reed; in war, he mounts the warrior’s
steed; in halls, in gay attire is seen; in hamlet, dances on the green. Love
rules the court, the camp, the grove, and men below, and saints above; for love
is heaven, and heaven is love.”
Self-love is no love. It is not more than a drop in an ocean.
Love and prayer should be for the whole existence. The English poet Samuel Taylor
Coleridge (1772-1834) said in his poem The
Rime of the Ancient Mariner :
“Farewell, farewell, but this
I tell
To thee, thou Wedding Guest!
He prayeth well, who
loveth well
Both man and bird and
beast.
“He prayeth best, who
loveth best
All things both great and
small;
For the dear God who loveth
us,
He made and loveth all.”
To love all that exists
in this immeasurable universe is to become the noblest child of God. There is
nothing which does not fall within the loveable circle of creation.
Love
is not for today or tomorrow. It is for all the days of one’s life. It keeps
the heart beating. The moment this beating begins to fade , life starts to sink.
Love has to be there for
every solid moment of existence. The English poet-playwright William
Shakespeare (1564-1616) said in a sonnet:
“Love’s not a Time’s
fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within
his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love
alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But
bears it out even to the edge of doom.
*******
G.R.Kanwal
4th April 2025