A little poetry ,actually carols ,for the Solstice and Christmas season.
The holly and the ivy were brought from the old religion with their magic for the solstice and mingled together with the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The rising of the sun referring to the solstice sunrise when the day starts to get longer again.
"During the solstice season make your home a temple to greenness and growing things. To sit in a room, lit only with fire and candlelight, to see the flames reflected in the glossy surfaces of the leaves of holly, ivy or laurel, is to be in a magicl place, where the dreams of our ancestors, and the magical reality of the Solstice, come alive in ways we can scarcely imagine."*
*John Matthews, " The Winter Solstice"
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown:
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
- Christmas Carol
When they are both full grown,
Of all trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown:
O, the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
- Christmas Carol
This doesn't sound very Christmassy to me but back when these were written there was snow everywhere, sort of like this country right now. Christmas white.
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
- Christmas Carol
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter,
Long ago.
- Christmas Carol
Tags: | Edit Tags Tuesday December 4, 2007 - 09:31pm (MST) Edit | Delete | Permanent Link | 
This is so beautiful, and your page is so warm and cosy, I love it! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteyes we are fast approaching the winter solstice ..... Thanks for sharing these :)
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely seasonal words you have here this week.
ReplyDeleteI like the words, Snow has fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow...In the bleak mid-winter, Long ago...
ReplyDeleteSo pretty...
They sound so new, yet they' re so old...Their ancient character lays behind the lines and brings fresh winter images! Oh, they're dreamy, like a fairy tale!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
For the 2nd poem I think of the line from CS Lewis'
ReplyDeleteChronicles of Narnia
always winter and never Christmas
No matter which of the winter holidays
one celebrates light warmth and love are a part of them
Winter would indeed be bleak if there were none of these.