Listen –
The shepherd has come,
the true shepherd who
will not lead us down false paths
or beside wild streams
nor through fields of brown;
The shepherd has come,
the shepherd who dwells
among his sheep, who
leads them only in good paths
and gives them rest.
Listen –
He has seen us, sheep without
a shepherd, wandering among
the dead of our flocks and
scourged by the false shepherds;
he has heard our plaintive bleat.
Listen –
The good shepherd lies down
among us; he dwells with us
though he is far bigger than
all fields and pastures
and all days;
Look to the pastures and imagine!
Have you ever heard of such a thing?
Have you in all your bleating
and complaining ever dreamt
of this? The shepherd, ever good,
Always so good – lies down
amongst us and lays down
his life among us, the
shepherd who gives his life
to dwell among his fallen sheep.
The Consolations of Writing 