The Word, a poem by Lady Kate Magnus (1905)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Katie Magnus

Shared on:

15 February 2026 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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Tags:

20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., AABB rhyming scheme, English poetry, logos

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	The Word “Read . . . in the Manuscripts of God”
	The Word of God in printed phrase Is read by men in divers ways: We spell, we doubt, and some forget That printed type is backward set.
	But when the print is hard to read, By dint of more or less of creed. The manuscript of God remains Writ large in waves and fields and lanes.
	And there we find the meaning clear; We lift our eyes—the hills are near; In rainbow tints, between the lines, We read it where the Promise shines!

“The Word” by Lady Kate Magnus was published in her Book of verse (1905), on pages 7-8.

Source(s)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Katie Magnus

Katie Emanuel Magnus, Lady Magnus (1844–March 1924), born in Portsmouth, England, was a British-Jewish author, poet, historian, and communal worker. She was a member of various committees of the Berkeley Street Synagogue, engaged in the Jews' Deaf and Dumb Home, and was a treasurer of the Jewish Girls' Club. She wrote several popular books including Outlines of Jewish History (1885), and also contributed articles to several periodicals.

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=65973

Associated Image:

Large (142 pt) Hebrew display wood type. This font includes one horizontally elongated letter, the alef (א(, pictured here in the upper lefthand corner, from the A Visual Guide to the Balinson Hebrew Type Collection Bibliography Room in the Robertson Davies Library, Massey College, University of Toronto

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Support this work: The Open Siddur Project is a volunteer-driven, non-profit, non-commercial, non-denominational, non-prescriptive, gratis & libre Open Access archive of contemplative praxes, liturgical readings, and Jewish prayer literature (historic and contemporary, familiar and obscure) composed in every era, region, and language Jews have ever prayed. Our goal is to provide a platform for sharing open-source resources, tools, and content for individuals and communities crafting their own prayerbook (siddur). Through this we hope to empower personal autonomy, preserve customs, and foster creativity in religious culture.

ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

The Word, a poem by Lady Kate Magnus (1905)

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