Candlemas
Once a year all the chairs are removed from the nave of Wells Cathedral. The uncluttered space is even more magnificent than usual, and made a perfect setting for a Candlemas concert by Opus Anglicanum on 25th January 2013.
Candlemas
no stars tonight
by twos and threes
muffled in fur and fleece
here come the pilgrims
into the muted light
of a wide glade
between fluted trunks
shadows stripe the floor
et nunc et semper
chant patterns the silence
O admirabile
now and always
memory is stained with absence
de profundis
one incense-bearer
two candle-bearers
smoke flows like ground-mist
spice in the nostrils
and in the lungs’ fractal labyrinths
et nunc et semper
fireflies in the gloom
motes dance in tallow-beams
anima mea
rapt faces
winter-pale
turn to the east
absorb the chant
give back the gleam
east to south
follow the light
south to west
follow the song
lumen
lumen
psalm and antiphon
echo in vaulted canopies
high above the forest floor
whereunder bishops lie
Burwoldus
Ioannes
Arturus
footfalls trace a line of song
from each tree-shadow
sunwise
to the next
one voice fills the space
to the highest tracery
stone ribs and rafters
umbra and penumbra
sanctus sanctus sanctus
west to north
candles cluster
under the celestial clock
north to east
lights and echoes dwindle
unwilling to leave
the enchanted grove
the pilgrims drift
by twos and threes
into the sting and spite
of slanted sleet
pull coats close
gloves on
hats down
scarves tight
and each one harbours
a pinpoint of light
AMA, I love this poem. I can hear the voices, see the candles and must pull on a hat and mittens. V
Thank you so much, Victoria. And thank you for visiting!
Utterly beautiful, felt like I was there partaking of the mystery and experience xx