This time of year, most of us are looking for signs of spring – light green buds on the willow tree, yellow blooms of daffodils and forsythia. For those of us who live in climates where the beauty of winter becomes gray and dreary by March, April brings the promise of warmer temperatures and vibrant colors. Cat Steven’s poem “Morning Song” is a celebration of the morning as a new experience every day. Teachers can use his poem any time of year, but especially in the Spring, when we are looking for newness and rebirth. Poetic techniques such as simile, metaphor, imagery, and repetition would give students the language to analyze the poem and look for meaning. Students can write their own poems to celebrate their favorite time of day (probably not the morning if you teach teenagers) or favorite time of year. “Morning Song” is indeed a Gem of a Poem. Enjoy! Happy Spring! [the line and stanza spacing unfortunately is not correct in this copy; the error is mine]
Morning Song by Cat Stevens
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world
Sweet the rains 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
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world
