Couvent. (Translation) . Poem by Michael Walker

This short but momentous poem is addressed to a nun who lives inside a convent behind high stone walls. He asks her if there is peace in the convent; or is she beckoned by an appalling, insistent challenge to leave the convent and return to the world? His question to the nun is fair enough: it is only faith in God and the Church that keeps her in a place that could feel like a prison at times. It would be terrible to lose the faith. Most nuns stay in the convent and keep their vows, but a substantial number have also left, having taken vows or not. I think this poem is very relevant to the modern world and the Church.