FORGOTTEN POETRY: A YOUNG TRAVELLER IN 1908

In 1908, Hilaire Belloc visited the Norbertine monastery at Storrington. He saw three paintings there, and wrote a poem for the monastery's Prior (you can see the original manuscript on the Storrington website here).

I'll come back to Belloc soon, as he was also the author of the delicious Cautionary Tales for Children, which literate kids still enjoy for their surrealist brutality.
Meanwhile, here is his Storrington poem, with the pictures that inspired it.

Courtesy

Of Courtesy, it is much less

Than Courage of Heart or Holiness,

Yet in my Walks it seems to me

That the Grace of God is in Courtesy.

On Monks I did in Storrington fall,

They took me straight into their Hall;

I saw three pictures on a wall,

And Courtesy was in them all.

The first the Annunciation;

the second the Visitation;

The third the Consolation,

Of God that was our Lady's Son.

The first was of St Gabriel;

On Wings a-flame from Heaven he fell;

And as he went upon one knee

He shone with Heavenly Courtesy.

Our Lady out of Nazareth rode --

It was Her month of heavy load;

Yet was her face both great and kind,

For Courtesy was in her mind.

The third it was our little Lord, 

Whom all the Kings in arms adored;

He was so small you could not see

His large intent of Courtesy.

Our Lord, that was Our Lady's Son,

Go bless you, People, one by one;

My Rhyme is written, my work is done.



Here are the three pictures Belloc saw:

Filippo Lippi, The Annunciation

Mariotto Albertinelli, The Visitation

Sandro Botticelli, The Mystical Nativity