The Beatific Vision by Edith Nesbit
The poem explores the speaker's desire for spiritual reward in the afterlife. They ask if doing their duty and walking a difficult path will be compensated with beauty and joy in heaven. The speaker reflects on their restrictive and bitter life, suggesting that no heavenly reward can make up for lost dreams and opportunities. However, they still hope for a peaceful and loving existence after death, imagining a garden of roses and companionship.
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1922 · Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Children's Literature · 167 words
First lines
OH God! if I do my duty And walk in the thorny way, Will you pay me with heavens of beauty, Millions of lives away? Will you give me the music of heaven, And the joy that none understands, In place of what life would have given If I had held out my hands?
I have lived in a narrow prison, I have writhed 'neath a bitter creed, And I dare to say that no heaven can pay The renounced dream and deed, But when my life's portal closes, If you have no heaven to spare God! give me a garden of roses, And some one to walk with there.
What this Textopian page supports
The Beatific Vision is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edith Nesbit, dated 1922 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edith Nesbit
- Date: 1922 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Children's Literature, Romance
- Length: 167 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Beatific Vision by Edith Nesbit
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Beatific Vision?
- How does this short story by Edith Nesbit fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fantasy first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Fantasy — The narrative involves supernatural elements and magical realism.
- Adventure — The plot includes a journey and exploration of unknown territories.
- Children's Literature — The story is written in a style and language suitable for young readers.
- Romance — There are elements of love and relationships in the narrative.
Tags
Fantasy · Christian Fiction · Religious Fiction · Philosophical · Spiritual · Mysticism · Esoteric · Occult · Theological · Metaphysical · Psychological Insight · Self-Discovery