Heather Bellamy spoke with Terry Waite about his years in captivity, how he survived, his understanding of suffering and the creative redemption and forgiveness that has come out of what he experienced in Beruit.



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Terry Waite, when he was Middle East envoy for the Church of England, with Father Jenco, who was held hostage in Lebanon for 19 months.
Terry Waite, when he was Middle East envoy for the Church of England, with Father Jenco, who was held hostage in Lebanon for 19 months.

Heather: I'd like to come back to your new book now, Out of the Silence. What will people find in your book?

Terry: The book is a very personal book. It's a book of poems and a book of narrative. So if they pick this book up, they'll discover that there's some very personal poems in there.

I wasn't sure about publishing at first, because when you write as I've written in this book, you're exposing your inner thoughts, your soul, if you like, to the world and that's not the easiest thing to do. However, I was persuaded.

So this book contains a number of comments from me, narrative, illustrated by poems and also some pen and ink sketches done by my PA. They are very nice little pen and ink sketches.

They tell of different experiences. They tell of experiences of my childhood, of captivity, one of torture, of visiting an old people's home, of the homeless, a whole range of experiences across life. They tell of experiences in Uganda.

I'm very interested, because I've received so many comments from people who have said they have been really helped by what I said in those poems, and other people who have said, "I read a chapter every night before going to bed and just read through the book that way." It's very gratifying, I didn't expect for one moment that I'd have so many positive reactions to this little book.

Heather: Do you have a poem with you now that you could read to us?

Terry: Yes, I have a poem that I could read. I think it sums up what I've been saying. It's called The Kingdom. You know the kingdom is a theological concept, which is very difficult to understand and encapsulate. What is the kingdom? What is the kingdom of God? Well here is a poem:

There is a realm
Beyond time,
Immune to the rigours
Of inquiry
That formulate,
Measure
And categorize.

Familiar tools
Fail to illuminate
The highways
Of this kingdom.
A kingdom
Without height,
Breadth,
Depth.
A kingdom
Infinite.
Not of this world,
But embedded
In the depths
of soul.

How can we know
Such a mystery?
How can we touch
The intangible?
How can we prove
That which cannot be captured
In scientific tables?
Be still.
Listen to the inner voice.
Learn to love.
Let compassion
Guide your actions.
Walk calmly
Through the mists
Of unknowing.
The kingdom is yours.

That's one poem and perhaps there's one more, which maybe you could take as an epitaph, 'Do Not Forget Me'.

Do not forget me
When I'm old.
Do not forget
That we loved with
A passion
That took us
Away from this
World,
Lost in each other,
Lost in a realm
Where in giving
We received
More than we
Could ever hope for.

Do not forget me
When I have departed
This life.
Hold me in your
Heart,
For we shall be
Together
And death
Will not part.

Heather: Thank you for sharing those Terry. Who would you say your book is for?

Terry: It's for all people. It just expresses my thoughts. I think it's for young and old, and as I say it's a very comprehensive collection, but it's not too long and it's not too short. It's in a very nice paperback format so it's very easy to carry around.

Heather: How can people buy it?

Terry: Bookshops will get it. It's called Out of the Silence and is published by SPCK. The internet is also a good place to get it. But let me just support bookshops. A good place to go is a book shop and say, "Can you get me Terry Waite's book called Out of the Silence?" If they haven't got it, they'll get it for you. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.