Tag: song

St. Cecilia’s Day

Let there be music in my heart:
O Spirit, sing in me
resounding notes of peace unmarred
by my cacophany.

You sing in groans; let me have words,
and I will wake the dawn
with all the wrens and mockingbirds
who sing to raise the sun.

With whippoorwill and nightingale
I'll sing at midnight, too.
Your song in terror does not fail,
then let me sing with you.

For oh! The world seems bleak indeed,
and oh! The night is long.
In discord, grant me harmony;
in sorrow, give me song.

And when at last the morning comes,
give me to sing still more
with all the world as horns and drums,
your mercy to adore!

And you—no dove, but meadowlark—
sing loud, and louder still
'til music overflows my heart
and all the world is filled!

Lefthand side folio 132v and righthand side folio 133r from the Book of hours by the Master(s) of Zweder van Culemborg Illuminations on the left folio 132v The full-page miniature shows St. Cecilia of Rome holding two birds The virgin martyr cecilia of rome; possible attributes: falcon, musical instruments, organ, wreath of roses and lilies (11HH(CECILIA)) Birds (+ animals as attributes) (25F3(+13)) – This media file is from the collections of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, part of which is available on Wikimedia Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61225730

Breaking

The world you spoke first long ago
was broken into shards,
and it is all the world I know,
though it will break my heart.

But now you speak a different world
I cannot comprehend.
How shall it break me open, Lord,
when this old world shall end?

What shall it be, this world you speak,
where night is clear as day
that we may find the road we seek
and safely go our way?

This world you speak, what shall it be,
this breaking dawn on high
to pierce the fog of prophecy
and touch the longing eye?

This world you speak, where music sounds
upon our long-deaf ears
like fallen seeds, and breaks the ground
we watered with our tears,

what shall it be?  What shall we see,
whose eyes were closed so long,
when all those weeping silently
break into joyful song?

And in this world, what shall I be?
Shall you remake me, too?
What seeds are breaking forth in me
when you make all things new?

Oh, give me eyes to see your world
and ears to hear its song;
let day break in my heart, O Lord,
while yet the night is long!
Am Schloßtor, signiert F. Knab, Öl auf Leinwand, 50 x 40 cm By Ferdinand Knab – http://www.dorotheum.com/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49335372