The Episcopal Church lost one of its great lights when Richard
Wilbur died on October 14, aged 96.
Wilbur was one of the greatest American poets of the twentieth century,
our nation’s second poet laureate, twice awarded with the Pulitzer Prize. At a
time when his rivals often seemed to need vulgarity and extremism to attract
public attention, Wilbur wrote beautiful and lyrical lines, often full of deep
gratitude and profound hope.
He was faithful member of his local Episcopal parish in the
Boston suburbs, where a friend of mine was his rector for a time. He kept a prayer book on his bedside table,
and his confident faith colors the generosity and patience that mark his work. Episcopalians may know him best for his striking
Christmas hymn, A Stable Lamp is Lighted
(#219). Set to one of David Hurd’s
arresting tunes, it weaves together the Nativity, the chaos and glory of Holy
Week, and the hope of final restoration.
I had another of his poems on my mind this week, In the Elegy Season, one of his first to
receive wide acclaim.
