Imagination and Joy

Exaggeration

We overstate the ills of life, and take
Imagination (given us to bring down
The choirs of singing angels overshone
By God's clear glory) down our earth to rake
The dismal snows instead, flake following flake,
To cover all the corn; we walk upon
The shadow of hills across a level thrown,
And pant like climbers: near the alder brake
We sigh so loud, the nightingale within
Refuses to sing loud, as else she would.
O brothers, let us leave the shame and sin
Of taking vainly, in a plaintive mood,
The holy name of Grief! - holy herein
That by the grief of One came all our good.

--Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Amyable mentions in her new blog that there is a Carnival of Joy being hosted by Angela at Three Plus Two. I thought this poem fits in a bit with the idea of finding joy.

Here are a couple of earlier posts from this blog about joy:
When the Rain Falls
Joy Is Something You Decide to Do