Poetry · Chapter

To Any One explained

A brief poem advising against summoning sorrow prematurely, trusting that it will arrive when needed and that God will be present before it.

What happens

A brief poem advising against summoning sorrow prematurely, trusting that it will arrive when needed and that God will be present before it.

Suffering and Purification
Sorrow is inevitable and arrives in its own time, but God's presence precedes it, suggesting a purifying or redemptive purpose.

Sorrow
Personified as Dame Sorrow, who roams the fields of Tomorrow and comes when needed.
God
Present before sorrow arrives at the door.

“Go not forth to call Dame Sorrow From the dim fields of Tomorrow; Let her roam there all unheeded, She will come when she is needed; Then, when she draws near thy door, She will find God there before.”
Do not actively seek out sorrow or worry about future grief; it will arrive on its own when the time is right. And when it finally approaches you, you will discover that God has already arrived ahead of it.
The poem counsels patience and trust in divine providence regarding sorrow.