Halfdan Rasmussen: 'God høst'

Good harvest

And it grew holy, the darkish earth.

Through these our hands that did well receive it

and bade it sing ere they had to leave it,

and bade them bless every seed from birth.

And it was meagre and it was grey,

yet gave the corn a fine song for singing

and let the bursting grains hang there swinging

like golden rods that in fields did sway.

The fields of plenty, the sheaves of corn

A rhythm grew, arching now for ever

a sky between earth and hands’ endeavour.

And up above a new star was born.

Each stem that eared shall by us be blessed

The gentle crop we shall now make ready 

so we can meet ourselves calm and steady,
our hands secure and our minds at rest.

To see a choral setting of this poem by Christian Dyrst, go here