HOW PRECIOUS IS THE PEACE - John Shane
Written after walking past London’s Royal Free Hospital where I saw so many people, of so many different cultures, ethnic groups, and religions, all attending the hospital & living together in harmony
Audio of John Shane reading his poem
HOW PRECIOUS IS THE PEACE
John Shane
How precious is the peace
May it flourish and increase
may it never cease
How precious is the peace
How perfect, how holy
how fragile, how lovely
How precious is the peace
How easily broken
how hard to mend
how hard to defend
So let all say ‘Amen’
How precious is the peace
How precious is the peace
Let none take it for granted
the seeds of discord
are easily planted
let our wish be granted
let hatred diminish
let war be finished
let peace prevail
let love not fail
How precious is the peace
How perfect is the harmony
between us as friends
How precious is the peace
May it continue
may it never end
may we recognize each other
as sisters and brothers
may we know what it means
to love and be loved
May all below
be as it is above
When all conflict has ceased
How precious is the peace
May we preserve it
may we keep it
may we deserve it
let us not lose it
let us wisely choose it
let us not let it go to waste
let us not be in haste
let us remember
How precious is the peace
THE STORY OF HOW I CAME TO WRITE ‘HOW PRECIOUS IS THE PEACE’:
When I’m in London, I live near a large wild park named Hampstead Heath, and when I want to go for a walk on the Heath, I often find myself traveling past one of the biggest hospitals in North London, The Royal Free Hospital.
Every time I pass the Royal Free on the way to take a walk on the Heath, I can’t help but notice the enormous variety of people going in and out of the doors of the hospital, people of every ethnic group, every religion, of every culture, and of every social strata, and I find myself experiencing a profound sense of wonder at the fact that all these different kind of people manage - for the most part - to live in peace with each other.
And, a couple of months ago, as I walked from South End Green, where the Royal Free is located, up the avenue of trees that lead from the street into the greenery of the Heath itself, I remembered that I was walking up the exact same path that the poet John Keats must have walked up many times to get to the Heath from his house that is just around the corner in Keats Grove.
Thinking of John Keats as I walked on the Heath that day, a poem began to form in my mind about the harmony among the people I had just seen walking around outside the Royal Free Hospital, and, after my walk, as I sat having tea at a nearby cafe, I wrote the poem down on a paper napkin.
JS
Lovely fresh essential poem of peace that embraces the whole of humanity
mmm hearing this piece read by the author gave it a whole new life. The rhythm, and hope of the poem really struck me.