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<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>‘Poverello’ – the Life-story of St.Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">The grace of God ’lone suffices <br>To help all persons live on earth, <br>A life, God-directed, divine, <br>And leave the world in happy state! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">A wealthy merchant father’s son, <br>The boy was christened ‘Giovanni’<br>After ‘St.John, the Baptist’; <br>His name was changed to ‘Francesco’; <br>The lad grew up in lavish ways! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">The boy was fond of songs in French-<br>Troubadours and French traditions; <br>He was a Roman Catholic, <br>But loved his Mother Nature much.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">His father wished son be like him: <br>A wealthy businessman and great! <br>The boy grew up at first that way; <br>And led a group of raucous men! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">His life was easy, staying rich; <br>He loved his fatherland, France; <br>He loved the romantic French songs; <br>War was one way to turn noble.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">He joined the war ’gainst Perugia; <br>His many companions got killed; <br>He spent a year of dungeon life, <br>Resuming life of revelry! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">Allured by glory, war could give, <br>He joined the Fourth Crusade again; <br>With fine a horse, costly armour, <br>He left for war, a clarion call! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">But having galloped for one day, <br>He heard God talk to him in dream: <br>God bade him come back to his home; <br>And Francis obeyed God at once! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">His angry father lost control; <br>He could not bear son’s cowardice; <br>He had to give up ‘right as heir’; <br>And led a life of fervent prayer! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">God’s spirit took over his soul; <br>He started meditating much; <br>He kissed a leper’s hand to show –<br>‘All men are equal before God! ’</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">‘Repair my Church! ’ said God to him; <br>He sold his father’s cloth, rebuilt<br>The damaged Church wherein he prayed; <br>But God’s mission was much bigger! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">The grace of God was all enough<br>To make a person live on earth; <br>In poverty, he spent his life, <br>And served the poorest poor in strife! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"> His former wealthy friends joined him.<br>They followed him to serve the poor; <br>A humble existence was prime; <br>To follow Jesus Christ was aim! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">In poverty, he was near God; <br>He surrendered his life to Him; <br>His health was never good at times; <br>He got the stigmata while blind! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">His master-piece was writ in French: <br>‘The Canticle of the Sun’<br>that praised the beauty of Nature, <br>a holy poem famous still! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">He died at age of forty-five; <br>He was a saint declared by all! <br>His life was so exemplary! <br>The ‘Poverello’ lives with God! </a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=369594" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">Copyright by Dr John Celes 3-26-2009</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><a href="http://poems.citatepedia.com/">poem</a> by <strong><a rel="author" href="http://authors.citatepedia.com/by.php?a=John+Celes">John Celes</a></strong></div>