In Praise of Creation is a poem written by Elizabeth Jennings, and was first published in 1987.
The poem explores divinity within nature, and how there must be restoration to the natural order of things. God’s presence is felt throughout the world, whether it be through the birds and the animals or through the night sky and the stars. Each of these parts of nature are part of something greater, more divine, and the Speaker urges the audience to look “past human understanding” and merely embrace the” beating” sensation of the world “with minds open.”
A devout Catholic her entire life, Jennings was a deeply religious person and has extended her beliefs in numerous other poems. The presence of the tiger in this poem has been noted as a reference to Romantic poet William Blake's The Tyger (1794).
