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Visits to St. Elizabeths

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From The Complete Poems 1927-1979 by Elizabeth Bishop, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc. Copyright © 1979, 1983 by Alice Helen Methfessel. Used with permission.

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In the waiting room.

In Worcester, Massachusetts, I went with Aunt Consuelo to keep her dentist's appointment and sat and waited for her in the dentist's waiting room. It was winter. It got dark early. The waiting room was full of grown-up people, arctics and overcoats,

I caught a tremendous fish and held him beside the boat half out of water, with my hook fast in a corner of his mouth. He didn't fight. He hadn't fought at all. He hung a grunting weight, battered and venerable and homely. Here and there

Behind Stowe

I heard an elf go whistling by, A whistle sleek as moonlit grass, That drew me like a silver string To where the dusty, pale moths fly, And make a magic as they pass; And there I heard a cricket sing.

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Visits to St Elizabeth's

Elizabeth bishop.

This is the house of Bedlam. This is the man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the time of the tragic man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a wristwatch telling the time of the talkative man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the honored man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the roadstead all of board reached by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the old, brave man that lies in the house of Bedlam. These are the years and the walls of the ward, the winds and clouds of the sea of board sailed by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the cranky man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board beyond the sailor winding his watch that tells the time of the cruel man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a world of books gone flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board of the batty sailor that winds his watch that tells the time of the busy man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is there, is flat, for the widowed Jew in the newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward waltzing the length of a weaving board by the silent sailor that hears his watch that ticks the time of the tedious man that lies in the house of Bedlam. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to feel if the world is there and flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances joyfully down the ward into the parting seas of board past the staring sailor that shakes his watch that tells the time of the poet, the man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the soldier home from the war. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is round or flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances carefully down the ward, walking the plank of a coffin board with the crazy sailor that shows his watch that tells the time of the wretched man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

Elizabeth Bishop's father died before she was one year old. Shortly afterwards, her mother was hospitalised in St Elizabeth's Asylum in Washington DC . Elizabeth Bishop went to live with her grandparents in Nova Scotia . Her mother died in hospital in 1934.

The poet Ezra Pound was also kept at St Elizabeth's for 12 years.

Most buildings at St Elizabeth's are now abandoned and boarded up.

St Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington DC, Washington, DC

St Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington DC

Image by Tomf688 , licensed under Creative Commons .

Elizabeth Bishop

Visits to st elizabeths.

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Other works by Elizabeth Bishop...

To the sagging wharf few ships could come. The population numbered two giants, an idiot, a dwarf, a gentle storekeeper

Here is a coast; here is a harbor; here, after a meager diet of horiz… impractically shaped and—who knows… sad and harsh beneath their frivol… with a little church on top of one…

Moving from left to left, the ligh… is heavy on the Dome, and coarse. One small lunette turns it aside and blankly stares off to the side like a big white old wall—eyed hor…

Each day with so much ceremony begins, with birds, with bells, with whistles from a factory; such white—gold skies our eyes first open on, such brilliant wall…

Now can you see the monument? It… built somewhat like a box. No. Bu… like several boxes in descending s… one above the other. Each is turned half—way round so t…

A new volcano has erupted, the papers say, and last week I wa… where some ship saw an island bein… at first a breath of steam, ten mi… and then a black fleck—basalt, pro…

This is the time of year when almost every night the frail, illegal fire balloons a… Climbing the mountain height, rising toward a saint

Days that cannot bring you near or will not, Distance trying to appear something more obstinate, argue argue argue with me

In the cold, cold parlor my mother laid out Arthur beneath the chromographs: Edward, Prince of Wales, with Princess Alexandra,

The still explosions on the rocks, the lichens, grow by spreading, gray, concentric sho… They have arranged to meet the rings around the moon,…

At six o’clock we were waiting for… waiting for coffee and the charita… that was going to be served from a… —like kings of old, or like a mira… It was still dark. One foot of th…

I live only here, between your eye… But I live in your world. What do… —Collect no interest—otherwise wha… Above all I am not that staring m…

This is a day when truths will out… leak from the dangling telephone e… sapping the festooned switchboards… fall from the windows, blow from o… —the vague, slight unremarkable co…

Caught —the bubble in the spirit level, a creature divided; and the compass needle wobbling and wavering,

From narrow provinces of fish and bread and tea, home of the long tides where the bay leaves the sea twice a day and takes

Visits To St. Elizabeths

By elizabeth bishop.

This is the house of Bedlam. This is the man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the time of the tragic man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a wristwatch telling the time of the talkative man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the honored man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the roadstead all of board reached by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the old, brave man that lies in the house of Bedlam. These are the years and the walls of the ward, the winds and clouds of the sea of board sailed by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the cranky man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board beyond the sailor winding his watch that tells the time of the cruel man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a world of books gone flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board of the batty sailor that winds his watch that tells the time of the busy man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is there, is flat, for the widowed Jew in the newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward waltzing the length of a weaving board by the silent sailor that hears his watch that ticks the time of the tedious man that lies in the house of Bedlam. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to feel if the world is there and flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances joyfully down the ward into the parting seas of board past the staring sailor that shakes his watch that tells the time of the poet, the man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the soldier home from the war. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is round or flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances carefully down the ward, walking the plank of a coffin board with the crazy sailor that shows his watch that tells the time of the wretched man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

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Visits To St. Elizabeths

Elizabeth bishop.

This is the house of Bedlam. This is the man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the time of the tragic man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a wristwatch telling the time of the talkative man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the honored man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the roadstead all of board reached by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the old, brave man that lies in the house of Bedlam. These are the years and the walls of the ward, the winds and clouds of the sea of board sailed by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the cranky man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board beyond the sailor winding his watch that tells the time of the cruel man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a world of books gone flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board of the batty sailor that winds his watch that tells the time of the busy man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is there, is flat, for the widowed Jew in the newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward waltzing the length of a weaving board by the silent sailor that hears his watch that ticks the time of the tedious man that lies in the house of Bedlam. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to feel if the world is there and flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances joyfully down the ward into the parting seas of board past the staring sailor that shakes his watch that tells the time of the poet, the man that lies in the house of Bedlam. This is the soldier home from the war. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is round or flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances carefully down the ward, walking the plank of a coffin board with the crazy sailor that shows his watch that tells the time of the wretched man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

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I'm just an ordinary bloke, but that was a deep poem by Elizabeth Bishop. It had a kind of haunting rhythm and a feeling of sadness about it. Makes you think about the human condition, doesn't it? Really hard hitting stuff; it kinda gets under your skin.

Reminds me when I was younger, "dances weeping down the ward". Powerful stuff!

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Beltway Poetry Quarterly

Elizabeth Bishop

Visits to St. Elizabeths

Volume 7:3, Summer 2006 DC Places Issue

This is the house of Bedlam.

This is the man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the time of the tragic man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a wristwatch telling the time of the talkative man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the honored man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the roadstead all of board reached by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the old, brave man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

These are the years and the walls of the ward, the winds and clouds of the sea of board sailed by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the cranky man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board beyond the sailor winding his watch that tells the time of the cruel man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a world of books gone flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board of the batty sailor that winds his watch that tells the time of the busy man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is there, is flat, for the widowed Jew in the newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward waltzing the length of a weaving board by the silent sailor that hears his watch that ticks the time of the tedious man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to feel if the world is there and flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances joyfully down the ward into the parting seas of board past the staring sailor that shakes his watch that tells the time of the poet, the man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the soldier home from the war. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is round or flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances carefully down the ward, walking the plank of a coffin board with the crazy sailor that shows his watch that tells the time of the wretched man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for permission to reprint. Users are warned that this work is protected under copyright laws and downloading is strictly prohibited. The right to reproduce or transfer the work via any medium must be secured with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

Bishop’s signature, taken from a letter she wrote to Léonie Adams while in a writer-in-residence at Yaddo. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) published four books of poems in her lifetime: Geography III (1976), Questions of Travel (1965), A Cold Spring (1956), and North & South (1946). Posthumous volumes include Edgar Allan Poe & The Juke-Box: Uncollected Poems, Drafts, and Fragments (2006) and The Complete Poems 1927-1979 (1983). Born in Worcester, MA and raised in Nova Scotia, she spent much of her adult life in Brazil, only returning to the US for her last 9 years. She was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, two Guggenheim awards, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, and Brazil’s Order of Rio Branco. From 1949-1950, she served as Poetry Consultant to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

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Visits To St Elizabeths by Elizabeth Bishop: poem analysis

• elizabeth-bishop

This is an analysis of the poem Visits To St Elizabeths that begins with:

This is the house of Bedlam. This is the man...

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You are here, engl 310: modern poetry,  - elizabeth bishop (cont.).

In the final lecture of the course, Elizabeth Bishop’s “Over 2,000 Illustrations and a Complete Concordance” is considered with an emphasis on Bishop’s ambivalence towards the notion of home. The idea that modernists use poetry to do the work that religion no longer does is reflected upon, and connections are drawn between Bishop, Frost, Eliot, Stevens, and Crane. Bishop’s “Visits to St. Elizabeth’s” is considered as a formal rebuke to the ambitions of modernism alongside Auden’s statement that “poetry makes nothing happen” but ultimately the two poets are shown to offer poetry as a solution to modern alienation in its capacity to renew human community through communication.

“Over 2000 Illustrations and a Complete Concordance,” 1955 and “Visits to St. Elizabeths,” 1950 from THE COMPLETE POEMS 1927-1979 by Elizabeth Bishop. Copyright (c) 1979, 1983 by Alice Helen Methfessel. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC.

This material is not licensed under a Creative Commons license. Users must seek permission to use such third-party materials directly from the publisher or estate, as appropriate.

Lecture Chapters

• Elizabeth Bishop Poem: “Over 2,000 Illustrations and a Complete Concordance”
• Perspectives on Robert Frost and T. S. Eliot
• Perspectives on Wallace Stevens
• Perspectives on Elizabeth Bishop, Marianne Moore and Hilda Doolittle
• Perspectives on Ezra Pound and Hart Crane
• Perspectives on W. H. Auden

Visits to St. Elizabeths

By ned rorem.

Visits to St. Elizabeths English source: Elizabeth Bishop

Ned Rorem is an American composer and diarist. 

Elizabeth Bishop

Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. 

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What Is the Significance of Mary Visiting Elizabeth?

Mary, and the unborn Son of God, brought God’s grace and confirmation to both of them. The grace and confirmation it brought caused the Holy Spirit to fill Elizabeth and made the child in her womb leap.

One of the more touching moments in the Christmas narrative comes after Mary, miraculously pregnant with the baby Jesus, journeys to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, also miraculously pregnant. Together, the two women recognize this honor and rejoice at the role they play in God’s plan.

The story is told in the Gospel of Luke, which contains the most descriptive information about the conception of Jesus and the impact of such a miracle.

As we read in the account, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” ( Luke 1:41 ).

What is the significance of Mary visiting Elizabeth? Not only does it teach us much about faith, but it also confirms God’s plan and shows us how we are to celebrate when we are in a similar situation.

What Has Happened Just Before Mary Visits Elizabeth?

Before the visit, we’re first told of the priest Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, who was “righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly” ( Luke 1:6 ). But Luke also tells us they were childless and very old, which was a disgrace at that time in their culture.

However, one day, when Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and said Elizabeth would bear them a son, John (v. 13).

Moreover, the angel said John would be a prophet in the power of Elijah, who would “turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (v. 17).

Elizabeth was overjoyed at this honor and secluded herself for a time, praising the Lord for this miraculous pregnancy and God’s favor upon her (v. 25).

Then, when Elizabeth is six months pregnant, the angel Gabriel visits a virgin, Mary, in the town of Nazareth and informs her that she is favored by God and is to conceive and birth a child, Jesus, who will be called the Son of the Most High and will reign over her people forever ( Luke 1:30-32 ).

Gabriel further explains she will become pregnant because of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High, and the “holy one to be born will be called the Son of God ” (v. 35). He also tells Mary, her cousin Elizabeth is also miraculously pregnant.

Mary accepts this important role, telling Gabriel, “I am the Lord’s servant …. May your word to me be fulfilled” (v. 38).

What Does the Bible Say about Mary Visiting Elizabeth?

Right after this, we’re told Mary hurries to make a 90-mile journey to visit Elizabeth — which at that time, without vehicles, would have likely taken four to five days, possibly longer. When Mary got there, she went into the house and greeted Elizabeth.

The Bible says that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, “the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” ( Luke 1:41 ).

Elizabeth then loudly exclaims that Mary and her unborn child are blessed and that Elizabeth is favored by the visit by “the mother of my Lord” (v. 43). She also tells Mary her unborn child leaped in her womb for joy.

Mary then bursts into a praise-filled song called The Magnificat, rejoices in God, acknowledges the grace she has received, declares God’s victory, and confirms this as part of God’s larger plan in the world (v. 46-55).

Why Does Mary Visit Elizabeth?

We’re not told why she visits Elizabeth, but we can certainly imply that she — having just been told by Gabriel, her cousin is also the blessed recipient of a miracle — wanted to be with someone else who could understand what she was going through.

Perhaps she also, filled with the Holy Spirit, was compelled to visit Elizabeth as a way of bringing divine grace and confirmation of God’s holy work in them both.

Why Is This Visit Significant?

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth is significant for a number of reasons:

1. Mary, and the unborn Son of God, brought God’s grace and confirmation to both of them. Mary’s visit was not an easy trip but a huge inconvenience involving physical risk and lengthy travel.

But it was necessary — and the grace and confirmation it brought caused the Holy Spirit to fill Elizabeth and made the child in her womb leap.

2. It shows Mary’s faith. We know from Mary’s words to the angel Gabriel that she believes him and accepts her role as mother to the Son of God.

But her actions — making the roughly 90-mile journey to visit Elizabeth — show her faith as well. It’s a reminder of what James says in James 2:17 , that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

4 Things the Parable of the Sower Teaches Us about Our Future

3. It shows Elizabeth’s faith. The visit also shows Elizabeth’s faith. The Bible tells us Elizabeth was overjoyed when she became pregnant, but when her unborn child leaped, and she herself was filled with the Holy Spirit in the presence of Mary and her unborn savior, she didn’t just marvel at this.

Rather, she exclaimed “in a loud voice” that both Mary and her baby were blessed and that Mary was carrying the Lord (vv. 42-43). She spoke her faith aloud for anyone to hear.

4.  It provides an opportunity for celebration. Not only were they filled with the Spirit, but the women celebrated their joy together. Mary sang a song of deep praise that glorified God and confirmed God’s plan for them.

5. It’s a good example of the importance of Christian fellowship. Neither woman was familiar with the word “Christian,” a term that wasn’t even created until after Jesus’ death.

But gathering together to celebrate and draw comfort in this miracle is exactly what we should do. God’s people are supposed to be in community with each other. Not only is it helpful, but it also enables the power of the Holy Spirit.

6. Some consider this to be Jesus’ first miracle. Many consider Jesus’ action of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana to be his first miracle ( John 2:1-11 ).

The Apostle John notes that it was indeed “the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory” (v. 11).

But Jesus’ unborn presence caused Elizabeth to be filled with the spirit and Elizabeth’s unborn child to leap, which many feel is a miracle in itself, or at least a divine act of major significance.

7. It was John the Baptist and Jesus’ first meeting. We’re told that Elizabeth’s unborn child is John the Baptist, who baptizes Jesus with water and plays an important and biblically significant role as the one who prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah in accordance with ancient prophecies (e.g., Isaiah).

But while as men, they reportedly don’t meet until the day Jesus asks John to baptize him ( Luke 3:21-22 ), this moment, as unborn souls, is technically their first meeting.

8. It shows an example of what we should do when faced with a calling or assignment from God. In the course of our lives, God calls us to do things outside of our comfort zone, even at the risk of death, whether that is moving to a foreign land to become a missionary or taking an unpopular stand for faith that results in imprisonment or worse.

Surely Mary could have been aghast at the perils of her new role — after all, being pregnant but unmarried might bring her disgrace or even cause her to be accused of and condemned for adultery, a crime punishable by stoning.

But she willingly accepted her assignment and, even more, rejoiced at it. This is exactly what we should do when God asks us to do something to fulfill his plan.

What Does This Mean?

The Bible tells us Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went home. Later, Elizabeth did indeed give birth to John the Baptist, and Mary gave birth to Jesus, the Messiah.

As mothers, these women played hugely important roles in their sons’ lives, and we can learn much from them.

For further reading:

Who Was Mary the Mother of Jesus?

Did Mary and Joseph Really Stay in a Cave?

Do We Know How Old Mary Was When She Had Jesus?

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Ridofranz

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‘In Need of Music’: Musical Settings of Elizabeth Bishop

• First Online: 29 November 2019

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• Lloyd Schwartz 4  

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Music and Literature ((PASTMULI))

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Beginning in 1957, poems of Elizabeth Bishop have been set to music by four Pulitzer Prize-winning composers and a popular Brazilian singer and songwriter. This chapter will discuss the way each of these composers—Ned Rorem, Elliott Carter, John Harbison, Yehudi Wyner, and Luciana Souza—approached her writing. Special emphasis will be given to the two major song cycles (Carter and Harbison), which have been recorded and widely performed.

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A version of this section on Carter appeared in my essay “Elliott Carter and American Poetry,” Elliott Carter: The Vocal Works (1975–1981), Bridge Records, 1989.

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Schwartz, L. (2019). ‘In Need of Music’: Musical Settings of Elizabeth Bishop. In: Cleghorn, A. (eds) Elizabeth Bishop and the Music of Literature. Palgrave Studies in Music and Literature. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33180-1_10

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Visits To St. Elizabeths

By elizabeth bishop.

This is the house of Bedlam.

This is the man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the time of the tragic man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a wristwatch telling the time of the talkative man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the honored man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the roadstead all of board reached by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the old, brave man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

These are the years and the walls of the ward, the winds and clouds of the sea of board sailed by the sailor wearing the watch that tells the time of the cranky man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board beyond the sailor winding his watch that tells the time of the cruel man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a world of books gone flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward over the creaking sea of board of the batty sailor that winds his watch that tells the time of the busy man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is there, is flat, for the widowed Jew in the newspaper hat that dances weeping down the ward waltzing the length of a weaving board by the silent sailor that hears his watch that ticks the time of the tedious man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to feel if the world is there and flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances joyfully down the ward into the parting seas of board past the staring sailor that shakes his watch that tells the time of the poet, the man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

This is the soldier home from the war. These are the years and the walls and the door that shut on a boy that pats the floor to see if the world is round or flat. This is a Jew in a newspaper hat that dances carefully down the ward, walking the plank of a coffin board with the crazy sailor that shows his watch that tells the time of the wretched man that lies in the house of Bedlam.

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• November 21, 2022

Pick Me Up Poetry

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Luke 1:39-45 New International Version

Mary visits elizabeth.

39  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ( A ) 40  where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ( B ) 42  In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, ( C ) and blessed is the child you will bear! 43  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord ( D ) should come to me? 44  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Cross references

• Luke 1:39 : ver 65
• Luke 1:41 : S ver 15
• Luke 1:42 : Jdg 5:24
• Luke 1:43 : S Jn 13:13

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

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Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Become First Royals to See Queen Elizabeth's Memorial Statue

The couple saw the statue in person for the first time since it was unveiled on the late Queen's birthday

Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh are viewing Queen Elizabeth ’s historic memorial statue for the first time.

The first statue made in tribute to the late Queen following her death in September 2022 was revealed to the royal couple during their visit to Oakham, Rutland in England on May 14.

Video of the emotional moment was shared to X by GHR P'borough Stamford & Rutland News, where Edward, 60, and Sophie, 59, marveled at the statue of his late mother outside Oakham Library before a local crowd. 

While their reactions weren't caught on camera, the royal couple became the first members of the British royal family to see the Queen’s statue in person since its unveiling on April 21, which would have been the late Queen's 98th birthday.

Related: Queen Elizabeth Statue Unveiled on What Would Have Been Her 98th Birthday — with a Corgi Gathering!

The bronze statue, which stands seven-feet tall, shows Queen Elizabeth as a young woman surrounded by her beloved corgis atop a stone plinth. The effigy is "England's first permanent memorial to Her Late Majesty," following her death at age 96 in September 2022, the Rutland City Council stated at the time. 

Prince Edward and Sophie have been known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh since his 59th birthday in March 2023, when King Charles conferred the title created for their late father, Prince Philip , on his youngest brother. Sophie became the Duchess of Edinburgh in the same sweep, inheriting the title used by then-Princess Elizabeth upon her marriage to Philip in 1947 and before her sudden accession to the throne in 1952.

Edward and Sophie traveled to Rutland, England's smallest county, on May 14, stepping out at Rutland County Showground and Oakham Castle by car before moving to Oakham Library to see Queen Elizabeth’s statue, per Lincs Online . 

Related: Prince Edward and Sophie Stand in for King Charles During a Royal First at Buckingham Palace

The sculpture was commissioned by the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr. Sarah Furness, after the Queen’s death and raised through $155,000 of donations.

"We are witnessing a piece of history today with the first statue of Queen Elizabeth to be commissioned since her death and who gave us 70 years of exemplary service," the lord-lieutenant said at the unveiling last month, per The Telegraph .

"Rutland may be a small county, but the response to this had been huge with contributions from local businesses and individuals of varying sizes," she added.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?  Sign up for our free Royals newsletter  to get the latest updates on  Kate Middleton ,  Meghan Markle  and more!

Prince Edward and Sophie’s trip to Rutland marks their latest outing as they have continued with royal duty as King Charles and Kate Middleton receive cancer treatment.

The King, 75, resumed forward-facing duties on April 30 and hosted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on May 14, while the Princess of Wales, 42, remains outside of the spotlight.

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Garden tours, plants sales and more ways to spend time among flowers

Visit Maine's botanical gardens or get a sneak peek of what your neighbors are growing in their back yards.

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One of the loveliest ways to ease yourself fully out of the post-winter blahs and into springtime is to quit being a wallflower and instead surround yourself with living, blooming plants.

From botanical gardens to plant sales and garden tours, it’s time to make like the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” and while away the hours, conferring with flowers.

The waterfall at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. Photo by Tory Paxson, Courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

TOTALLY BOTANICAL

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay is open for the season, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maine Days are May 31 to June 2, when anyone with a Maine driver’s license or state ID gets in for free. Ditto for dads/father figures on Father’s Day (June 16). Advance registration is required. With more than 300 acres of gardens and natural spaces, including a waterfall, there will be plenty to see, smell and bask in the scenery.

Here are more things to do in Boothbay

A tour group walks on the boardwalk at Viles Arboretum in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Viles Arboretum is a botanical garden in Augusta with 6 miles of trails and more than 20 botanical collections. It’s open daily from sunrise to sunset, and admission is free. There are 224 acres with all sorts of flora and fauna to discover. Leashed dogs are welcome, and the visitor center is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Viles Arboretum offers medicinal plant walks, and although the May 18 session is full, you can still register for the June 15 and Sept. 14 events, lead by herbalist, homeopath and flower essence practitioner Debra Bluth. Tickets are $25. Advertisement

The Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve has four areas to explore on its property in Northeast Harbor: the Asticou Azelea Garden (dawn to dusk daily), the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden (noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from July 9 to Sept. 8, reservations required), Thuya Garden (dawn to dusk daily, June 15 to Oct. 14) and Little Long Pond Natural Lands (hiking trails and carriage roads open dawn to dusk daily). On June 26, at the Wildflowers of Little Long Pond event, participants can wander around the garden’s fields and forest, spotting wildflowers along the way while practicing how to identify them.

Joyce Saltman, right, and Beth Anisbeck embrace a tree for 60 seconds during a tree hugging event sponsored by Portland Parks and Recreation, at Deering Oaks Park last year. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

TOURS AND MORE

2nd Annual Tree Hugging 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Deering Oaks Park, Portland. portlandmaine.gov The tree hugging is a family-friendly community gathering to celebrate Portland’s many trees. Park ranger Liz Collado will lead a sensory awakening and forest bathing session. Along with tree hugging, there will be a storytime, and you can touch a forestry truck and meet naturalist Noah Querido and Portland city arborist Mark Reiland. Just down the road, you’ll find Fessenden Park, on the corner of Brighton and Deering Avenues. The tulips have arrived, and it’s worth a visit to see them.

McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 24. McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, 97 Main St., South Paris, $5. mclaughlingardens.org You’ll find more than 125 varieties of lilacs at the McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival. Explore on your own or take a guided tour led by a horticulturist. There will also be family-friendly activities, and you can shop for native and unusual plants.

4th annual Woodfords Community Garden Tour 1-4 p.m. June 8. Woodfords Corner Community in Back Cove, Deering Highlands, Oakdale and Deering Center, $20 suggested donation. woodfordscorner.org Presented by Friends of Woodfords Corner, this self-guided tour features at least 10 gardens. As you make your way down the list, you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised by all of the hidden havens bursting with flowers, plants and impressive yardscaping elements.

Peony Society of Maine 23rd annual Garden Tour 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 8 and 15. Both tours start at 1348 Ohio St., Bangor, $5 donation. peonysocietyofmaine.net You’ll visit multiple gardens in Bangor, Winterport, Ripley and St. Albans, and your senses will be filled with countless peonies. A peony plant will be raffled off at the end of each tour. Advertisement

Hidden Gardens of Historic Bath 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22. Sagadahoc Preservation Inc., 880 Washington St., Bath, $40. sagadahocpreservation.org The Hidden Gardens of Historic Bath house and garden tour features several homes in North Bath. Every stop on the tour will be a treat for your senses and may motivate you to make some of your own magic when you get back home.

Garden Conservancy Open Garden Days 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 29. Beckett Castle Rose Garden, Singles Road, Cape Elizabeth, $10. gardenconservancy.org You’ll see plenty of roses as well as ocean views at Beckett Castle, which sits right on the water, with views of five lighthouses. The castle was built in 1871, and its rose garden features more than 70 varieties of heirloom roses. A 50-foot stone tower doubles as the rose arbor entrance to the castle.

PICK A PLANT SALE

Tate House Museum’s Annual Plant and Herb Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18. Tate House Museum, 1267 Westbrook St., Portland, 207-774-6177.  tatehouse.org The wide selection includes perennials divided from the museum’s 18th century reproduction garden. Visitors can also make their own “seed bombs” and get a sneak peak at a new installation by artist Ashley Page from 10 a.m. to noon.

Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland Spring Plant S ale 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 18, Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, 217 Landing Road, Westbrook, 207-854-9771.  arlgp.org   Perennials, house plants and more will be on sale, and plants that don’t have specific pricing are “name your own fee.” Anyone interested in donating plants or pots to the sale should send a message to [email protected] .

Taking Root Plant Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1, Tom Settlemire Community Garden, Maurice Drive, Brunswick, 207-729-7694.  btlt.org This annual sale is organized by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Proceeds benefit the Common Good Garden, which provides food and gardening education for the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. Master gardeners will be on hand to help shoppers choose their best options.

Scarborough Land Trust Native Plant Sale and Spring Festival 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1, Broadturn Farm, 388 Broadturn Road, Scarborough, 207-289-1199.  scarboroughlandtrust.org Visitors will find native plants, food vendors, local artisans, guided nature walks and activities for kids. To preorder plants, visit the Scarborough Land Trust website.

Maine Audubon Society Native Plants Sale and Festival 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 8, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, 207-781-2330.  maineaudubon.org More than 75 species of native wildflowers, shrubs and tree seedlings will be available, along with workshops, info tables and experts.

Staff writer Megan Gray contributed to this report.

Related Headlines

Headed to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens? Here’s what else to check out in Boothbay

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Incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl allowed to move to regular prison by court in Austria

A court in Austria said Tuesday it had ruled that the country’s most infamous living criminal, incestuous rapist Josef Fritzl , could be transferred to a regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit but release from incarceration was unlikely.

Fritzl, who has now changed his name, raped his daughter whom he held captive for 24 years in a dungeon he built under his home, fathering seven children over the period.

The 89-year-old has been serving a life sentence in a prison unit for “mentally abnormal” inmates since his conviction in 2009 for incest, rape, enslavement, coercion and the murder by neglect of one of the children, a newborn boy.

While a transfer could, in principle, pave the way for Fritzl’s conditional release from prison altogether, the court has said such a request was unlikely to be approved due to “special preventive reasons.”

Fritzl’s lawyer Astrid Wagner has said she would apply for such a release within a year of his transfer.

“He no longer poses a threat that requires being held in a forensic-therapeutic centre,” the court said, using a more recent term for where he is being detained. It cited his advancing dementia and frailty as factors.

“In the same decision, the three-judge panel also ruled that a conditional release from regular custody, i.e. being freed, is not possible for special preventive reasons,” the statement said, referring to the “unprecedented criminal energy” he used.

It was, therefore, not to be expected that he would be released altogether, the statement said.

At a hearing in a courthouse in the town of Krems an der Donau near Vienna in January, the court allowed Fritzl’s transfer, only for a higher court to overturn that decision in March, ruling that “the facts necessary for such a conditional release had not yet fully been established”.

It sent the case back to the first court, ordering it to gain a fuller picture of Fritzl’s suitability for a transfer.

The first court held a hearing last month inside the prison where Fritzl is detained. Prosecutors can still file a complaint against the decision to move him to a regular prison in a bid to get it overturned, as they did after the first ruling.