I’ve enjoyed posting poetry series themed around the Christian year in recent years (see “Poetry for Lent,” “Poetry for Easter,“ and “Poetry for Ordinary Time“). I will continue that theme at this time of year with a series called “Poetry for Advent.” Advent explores both the first advent of Christ in the past, which we celebrate in His incarnation, and the second advent of Christ in the future, which we anticipate at his parousia.

I continue this series of Advent poetry with “Into the Darkest Hour,” a poem by Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007). Madeleine L’Engle is perhaps best known as a children’s author, particularly of the book series beginning with A Wrinkle in Time. L’Engle was also a poet and author of many books for adults on themes of faith and art, marriage, and much more.

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It was a time like this,
War & tumult of war,
a horror in the air.
Hungry yawned the abyss-
and yet there came the star
and the child most wonderfully there.

It was time like this
of fear & lust for power,
license & greed and blight-
and yet the Prince of bliss
came into the darkest hour
in quiet & silent light.

And in a time like this
how celebrate his birth
when all things fall apart?
Ah! Wonderful it is
with no room on the earth
the stable is our heart.

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Other poems in this series:

John Donne, “Annunciation”