Peace by George Herbert

Peace by George Herbert

by | Oct 27, 2025 | Peace Poems, Poems

Peace By George Herbert

Sweet Peace, where dost thou dwell? I humbly crave,
Let me once know.
I sought thee in a secret cave,
And ask’d, if Peace were there,
A hollow wind did seem to answer, No:
Go seek elsewhere.

I did; and going did a rainbow note:
Surely, thought I,
This is the lace of Peace’s coat:
I will search out the matter.
But while I looked the clouds immediately
Did break and scatter.

Then went I to a garden and did spy
A gallant flower,
The crown-imperial: Sure, said I,
Peace at the root must dwell.
But when I digged, I saw a worm devour
What showed so well.

At length I met a rev’rend good old man;
Whom when for Peace

I did demand, he thus began:
There was a Prince of old
At Salem dwelt, who lived with good increase
Of flock and fold.

He sweetly lived; yet sweetness did not save
His life from foes.
But after death out of his grave
There sprang twelve stalks of wheat;
Which many wond’ring at, got some of those
To plant and set.

It prospered strangely, and did soon disperse
Through all the earth:
For they that taste it do rehearse
That virtue lies therein;
A secret virtue, bringing peace and mirth
By flight of sin.

Take of this grain, which in my garden grows,
And grows for you;
Make bread of it: and that repose
And peace, which ev’ry where
With so much earnestness you do pursue,
Is only there.

Be Thankful

Be Thankful

Oct 2, 2025 | , , ,

Be Thankful Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don’t know something,for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times.During those times...

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Let Peace Prevail In This World

Let Peace Prevail In This World

by | Oct 25, 2025 | Peace Poems, Poems, Poetry

Let Peace Prevail In This World by Ravi Sathasivam

When you look for peace
then the peace lies within you
When you search for peace
then it is not hard to find
When you want to keep peace alive
then you allow white doves to fly over you
When you make peace with others
then the whole world live in your heart
When you let peace be in the world
then you live in wonderful world
When you allow peace flow around the world
then your hateness will go and love will flow
When you open the door for peace
then peace welcome to your lives.
Let the peace prevail in our wonderful world

Poetic Flows Podcast emeraldbookclub.org
Stories of Peace

Stories of Peace

by | Oct 25, 2025 | Community Events, Coventry, Emerald Book Club, Events, Stories

🌿 Stories of Peace: A Community Storytelling Walk in the Park 🌿

Part of the Coventry Peace Festival 2025

🕊️ A Walk for Peace and Connection

What if stories could bring people closer, heal divisions, and inspire hope?
This November, Emerald Book Club invites you to experience just that at Red House Park, Coventry, as part of the Coventry Peace Festival 2025.

📖 Discover the Power of Shared Stories

Our event, Stories of Peace, is more than just a walk — it’s a journey through words, voices, and shared experiences.

As we stroll through the park’s peaceful paths, local storytellers and poets will share powerful tales and poems about peace, forgiveness, and unity.
Each stop along the walk will open a window into how storytelling connects us all — across generations, cultures, and communities.

💚 Be Part of Something Meaningful

Imagine spending an afternoon surrounded by nature, listening to stories that warm the heart and spark reflection.

Whether you want to listen, share, or simply be part of a peaceful moment, Stories of Peace is for you.
Together, we’ll celebrate Coventry’s proud legacy as a City of Peace and Reconciliation — and remind ourselves of the beauty found in every voice.

Emerald book Club members

🌍 Join Us!

📅 Date: Saturday 8 November 2025
🕐 Time: 1–3 PM
📍 Location: Red House Park, Coventry
💫 Free Event | All Welcome | No Booking Required

Come walk with us.
Listen. Share. Connect.
Let’s tell stories that bring peace to our city — one step and one word at a time.

🔖 About the Coventry Peace Festival

The Coventry Peace Festival celebrates the city’s ongoing role as a City of Peace and Reconciliation, offering creative and community-led events that promote unity, understanding, and hope.

Emerald Book Club is proud to be part of this year’s programme with support from Coventry City Council.

Learn More about Coventry Peace Festival
Coventry Peace Festival 2025
Coventry Peace Festival 2025

Coventry Peace Festival 2025

by | Oct 25, 2025 | Community Events, Coventry, Events

Celebrating Peace in Coventry: The Coventry Peace Festival 2025

Coventry peace festival 2025

The Roots of Peace

Every November, the city of Coventry pauses to remember. The Coventry Peace Festival marks not only the anniversary of the devastating Blitz of 14 November 1940, but also celebrates the city’s ongoing commitment to peace, reconciliation and community renewal. This year—on the 85th anniversary—it holds a special resonance: the festival emphasises Coventry’s resilience, cultural creativity and role as a “City of Peace and Reconciliation”.

The official festival website describes the event as a “programme of public events and activities that promote peace, unity, understanding and positive community relationships.”

Its Influence and Impact

Over the years, the Coventry Peace Festival has grown in both scale and purpose. Key features of the 2025 programme include:

  • A monumental installation inspired by Coventry Cathedral, comprising 1,300 cardboard boxes crafted by local residents—a powerful symbol of memory, hope and communal creativity.
  • The Lord Mayor’s Peace Lecture, delivered by Mandy Sanghera OBE on 6 November, exploring her work with victims of honour-based violence and cultural abuse.
  • A diverse programme of walks, workshops, exhibitions and performances—offered free of charge—inviting Coventry’s inhabitants and visitors to reflect together, learn together and build stronger connections.

The practical community impact is significant. These events:

  • strengthen inter-faith, inter-cultural and inter-generational dialogue
  • provide accessible creative and mental-wellbeing activities in shared public spaces
  • remind the city of its legacy while inviting a future of active peace-making

Join Emerald Book Club

As part of this year’s festival, the Emerald Book Club is proud to present Stories of Peace: A Community Storytelling Walk in the Park. This event is rooted directly in the festival’s themes of peace and reconciliation.

By choosing to gather in Red House Park and offering a walk that intersperses live storytelling, poems and open-mic sharing, we are:

  • promoting togetherness and listening in a relaxed outdoor environment
  • creating a safe space for participants to reflect on peace, forgiveness and unity
  • connecting ours to Coventry’s broader story of resilience, recovery and hope

Why this Matters

Our involvement is more than just an event—it’s a contribution to Coventry’s identity. Through the Emerald Book Club’s walk:

  • Local voices will be heard—those of poets, storytellers and community members alike
  • Public space becomes an active site of inclusion and cultural exchange
  • Attendance and interaction nurture the festival’s goal of cultivating positive community relationships around peace

Join Us

📅 Saturday 8 November 2025
🕐 1–3 PM
📍 Red House Park, Coventry
💚 Free event | All welcome | No booking required

Come share your story, listen to another’s, and walk with us as part of Coventry’s ever-evolving peace journey.

Emerald Book Club Stories of Peace
Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem

by | Oct 21, 2025 | Ancient Texts, Emerald Book Club, Poetry, Roman, Wisdom

Meaning

“Carpe diem” is a Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” or “pluck the day”. It encourages people to make the most of the present moment without dwelling on the future. The expression originates from the Roman poet Horace, who used it in his Odes as part of a longer injunction about enjoying life now because the future is uncertain

In Horace, the phrase is part of the longer carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero, which is often translated as “Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow (the future)”. The ode says that the future is unforeseen and that one should not leave to chance future happenings, but rather one should do all one can today to make one’s own future better. This phrase is usually understood against Horace’s Epicurean background

Origin and History

The phrase comes from the Roman poet Horace’s Odes, published in 23 BCE. The original saying is “carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero,” which translates to “pluck the day, trusting as little as possible in the next one”

Ask not (’tis forbidden knowledge), what our destined term of years,
Mine and yours; nor scan the tables of your Babylonish seers.
Better far to bear the future, my Leuconoe, like the past,
Whether Jove has many winters yet to give, or this our last;
This, that makes the Tyrrhene billows spend their strength against the shore.
Strain your wine and prove your wisdom; life is short; should hope be more?
In the moment of our talking, envious time has ebb’d away.
Seize the present; trust tomorrow e’en as little as you may. Wikipedia

✨📚 Vocabulary Tuesdays at Emerald Book Club 📚✨

Every Tuesday, we explore the wonderful world of words, language, and expression! 🌍📝

💡 What’s in store:
🔤 Discover new and exciting vocabulary & phrases
🎲 Play creative word games and brain teasers
⚔️ Compete in friendly vocabulary battles
🌎 Explore words from different languages and cultures

Whether you’re a wordsmith, a language lover, or simply curious to expand your mind, Vocabulary Tuesdays is the place to learn, laugh, and connect—with words and people alike. 💬✨

Join us and make your Tuesdays word-tastic! 💚