{"id":28751,"date":"2014-01-19T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T13:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=28751"},"modified":"2014-01-18T21:59:05","modified_gmt":"2014-01-19T02:59:05","slug":"literary-otgd-04-o-adam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2014\/01\/literary-otgd-04-o-adam\/","title":{"rendered":"Literary OTGD #04: O Adam<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"William<\/a>When we talk about the Fall and its roll in the plan of salvation, as Old Testament Gospel Doctrine lesson #4 does, the focus naturally (and properly) is on the effects of the Fall and its relationship with the atonement. But the Fall is also the story of a relationship between Adam, Eve and God. his makes it easier to put ourselves in the place of Adam and Eve, and in the process learn, in a very palpable way, the consequences of a separation from God and the need for a way to return to Him. In that sense, the following poem, a kind of dramatization of the events, might help.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This\u00a0 poem is another in the oerve of the prolific William W. Phelps. Unlike his contemporaries Parley P. Pratt, Eliza R. Snow and John Lyon, Phelps never published a volume of his own poetry. He is also unique because he is likely the author of the only poem, outside of scripture, attributed to Joseph Smith (The Vision<\/em>, a paraphrase of D&C 76). If I recall correctly, he is still the Mormon author with the most hymns in the current hymnal.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

O Adam<\/h3>\n

by William W. Phelps<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Eve.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
O, Adam, will you come with me?<\/dd>\n
For God has said that we are free<\/dd>\n
To all of Eden’s joys and powers,<\/dd>\n
To pluck and eat her fruits and flowers,<\/dd>\n
So we may cull the garden through<\/dd>\n
For flowers for me, and fruit for you.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Adam.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
All, save the tree of knowledge there,<\/dd>\n
You may, my fairest of the fair.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Eve.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
O, Adam, now ’tis you and I,<\/dd>\n
For Satan said we should not die;<\/dd>\n
God never made a woman mute,<\/dd>\n
And I have eat forbidden fruit\u2014<\/dd>\n
So now come eat with Eve your bride,<\/dd>\n
And feast your passions and your pride.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Adam.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Yes, on the tree of knowledge there,<\/dd>\n
I will, my fairest of the fair.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
God.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
O, Adam, Adam,\u2014where art thou?<\/dd>\n
For paradise is blooming now;<\/dd>\n
Through endless realms the angels fly,<\/dd>\n
To bring forth joys for you and I:<\/dd>\n
O, have you hid yourself from me,<\/dd>\n
For tasting that forbidden tree.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Adam.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
O, yes, the tree of knowledge there,<\/dd>\n
And oh! my fairest of the fair.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Eve.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
O, Adam, Adam,\u2014must we go<\/dd>\n
Where “thorns and thistles” ever grow\u2014<\/dd>\n
Where joys celestial never come,<\/dd>\n
Where sorrow will despoil our home\u2014<\/dd>\n
Or can we live and be forgiven,<\/dd>\n
And gain our place once more in heaven?<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Adam.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Yes, for the tree of life is there,<\/dd>\n
So come, my fairest of the fair.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n
\n
Chorus.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
And multiply with joy and mirth,<\/dd>\n
And beautify our mother earth.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Times and Seasons<\/em>, 15 April 1845<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

I like this poem as an introduction to the Fall. It covers the story well, and gives a nice interplay among the characters. And it even, towards the end, gives a nod to forgiveness (and by implication, the atonement).<\/p>\n

Of course, the poem shows the attitudes of the age in which it was written (who would dare write “God never made a woman mute” today?), but it also includes some insightful lines, such as the suggestion that the fallen state means you “feast your passions and your pride.”<\/p>\n

And, I like to think of this life in terms of “can we live and be forgiven, \/ And gain our place once more in heaven?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we talk about the Fall and its roll in the plan of salvation, as Old Testament Gospel Doctrine lesson #4 does, the focus naturally (and properly) is on the effects of the Fall and its relationship with the atonement. But the Fall is also the story of a relationship between Adam, Eve and God. his makes it easier to put ourselves in the place of Adam and Eve, and in the process learn, in a very palpable way, the consequences of a separation from God and the need for a way to return to Him. In that sense, the following poem, a kind of dramatization of the events, might help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1323],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-school-lesson-old-testament"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28751"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28783,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28751\/revisions\/28783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}