I've been singing with a local chorus the past few years. We sang a song this season that blew me away. I find the words both haunting and enlightening. I only discovered in the last week before our performances that the author of the lines was a woman who lived only 30 years, 1837-1868.
Her second book of poetry, Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse, was published in late 1868, after her death. The collection included "The Old Astronomer," now the most famous of her poems. The second half of the fourth stanza is the most widely quoted: "Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night"
Something about these lines touches me, as obviously they touch many people. How do two sentences reach into our souls and tweak our perception of life? I get a message of depth, that when we dare look into our shadow, our soul will always receive perfect light as well.
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Marie Judson 