Talk:Morning Has Broken

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(1) ...fresh from the "word" or "world" ? At the end of the first verse "Praise for the springing fresh from the word" sounds like an allusion to "In the beginning was the word" (John 1:1), in turn alluding back to the creation story in Genesis.

On the other hand, I have seen about 1 in 3 versions of the lyrics on the web read: "Praise for the springing fresh from the world" so I am not sure which is the original version. I think Cat Steven's sang "word" .

In the Hymnal 1982 (Episcopal Church in the USA) it reads "fresh from the word". I would guess this to be the original.Rockhopper10r 17:27, 21 July 2005 (UTC)

I have always understood it to be "word", and I don't think I've seen the lyrics reported any other way. Kestenbaum 19:54, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Correct, it's "word" that he sings, and is "word" in the printed lyrics on the album sleeve. Vera, Chuck & Dave 16:14, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

(2) In the second verse:

"Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven Like the first dewfall, on the first grass Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden Sprung in completeness where his feet pass."

I wanted to ask about the phrase "Sprung in completeness where his feet pass".

Whose feet?

First, I thought it meant the blackbird. Then I thought she meant God, (or Jesus?), in the Garden of Eden, an allusion to Genesis Chapter 3 v 8 (And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day).

I have read elsewhere on the web a claim that according to the author, Eleanor Farjeon it does actually refer to the blackbird, not to the Almighty.

Is there a Christian tradition about God walking in the garden of Eden and the grass springing up under his feet?

Any one able to shed any light?

I'm not sure about the grass part, but I think I remember something like it with Aslan in one of the Narnia books. Rockhopper10r 17:43, 21 July 2005 (UTC)

(3) In the third verse "Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning Born of the one light, Eden saw play"

This sounds to me like a reference to the (Jewish Midrashic) idea that the light of creation in Genesis Ch 1 was a special kind of light of which our modern light is but a diminutive offspring.

Works for meRockhopper10r 17:27, 21 July 2005 (UTC)