The Garden and the East Wind

Inspired by a German literature professor talking about Western environmental fiction.

You preach a sensual naturalism
To a world still crowded with gods;
Ever more religious it seems,
While you ignore their jihads.
Its a strange, thin tune to most ears,
Yet you dance, your body swaying,
Sing of clean water, clean air,
Green plants growing, flowers displaying

You sing your songs beneath
An utterly empty sky.
Have you not learned God’s language,
Grammar few can now deny?
Why do the flowers grow at all,
Lifting petals to the light?
Why should we guard their beauty
Blooming softly in our sight?

Yes, you’re right to guard your flowers,
Fragile things in a fragile day;
But the winds blow hard from regions
Where no hearts for them hold sway.
They carry poisons ruthless,
Make the trembling petals fall;
And though your science is honest,
It won’t move the poor at all.

For hunger shouts much louder
Than a mine’s slow-burning doom;
The choice of car or color bins
Ignored by smog bound souls in gloom.
Maybe someone reads your stories,
Nods along the fragile way...
But the tyrant never listens,
And the Preacher looks past today.

So the world decays in shadows
Round the garden where you play.
Tell me, how long will it blossom
’Fore the East wind sweeps your way,
And the stems grow stiff and withered,
And your blossoms fade to gray?

Notes ▶︎

There is a strong feeling, some good practice and solid science to support concern for the environment here in Germany. But how can this message be shared with a religious world, a world that is in fact increasingly religious while Europe falls into shadows. Most environmental activists sound superficial, ignorant of the seminal archetypes and deepest religious stories that shaped their cultures and gave them reasons to be good stewards and seek a cleaner world. Most German activists sound like apostles of naturalism rather than emissaries of a better way. There is a need for a more holistic style that draws on the resources of the deepest stories that have shaped our world. We need to bring their passion and connecting power into the effort to cultivate Gods garden and build a cleaner, healthier and greener world. Without reaching deeper the sound of a German environmental activist is thin and weak and his words have no impact at all on everyone outside his culture.