Poets in the Garden
  • Poets in the Garden
  • About
  • Contact
  • Fly with the Ospreys
  • Pensive Oasis Press
    • New Page

Christmas is Song and LIght

12/24/2019

4 Comments

 
Picture
photo from Flikr via Weebly, may not be copied or altered.
​Christmas Eve

Candles glowing in the night
                                         reflect the stars to Earth bent near.
Everywhere the scent of pine
                                           as trees and wreaths come indoors.
On the stage the children's chorus
                                                sings ageless hymns with voice divine.
On this one night of the year
                                                  are joined Earth-Nature-Heavens' Light

​MW 1993


Picture
photo from Flickr via Weebly, cannot be copied or altered.
Burn steady, candle, burn bright,
Let neither sword nor sorrow dim thy light.
May those who fear draw on thy might,
May those who hate know love tonight.

Feed the hungry, warm the cold,
Lift the timid, calm the bold.
Heal the hurt, comfort the ill,
Those who fight send thy goodwill.

Those who grieve lend will to live,
Help the wronged learn to forgive.
The enslaved free through thy light,
The enslavers teach wrong from right.

Burn steady candle for us tonight,
Be the star with beaming light,
Guiding us in darkening sky,
Bringing hope and peace from on high.

​MW 2000 
Church in Oslo, where my great grandparents were married, taped by MW.
Song and Light, LIght and Song,
Lift your voice above the throng.
For one night, let us rejoice;
Let us sing with one voice.

Strangers walking down the street
One another cheerfully greet.
Carollers their music share,
Joyful songs fill the air.

Where one normally would see
Bluish cast of TV,
Tree lights cast their ruddy glow
From a brightly lit window.

Shoppers stroll with a smile,
Never mind the extra mile.
Families join to talk and feast,
Nations call truce, west and east.

What night this that brings such light,
Song and joy and Peace on Earth?
What night? Why, 'tis the night
When we welcome Christ's birth.

​MW 1995
Ring Out Wild Bells
words by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Music traditional

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light,
The year is dying in the night,
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow,
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite,
Ring in the love of truth and right; 
Ring in the common love of good.



I recommend finding the original poems to read, as each has more stanzas that are highly relevant to today's world.  


Heartfelt thanks to my two music teachers who helped me with these recordings.
I Heard the Bells
words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, music by Johnny Marks

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play, 
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom 
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said; 
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
 
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Picture
Christmas 2018
MW, JM and Píccola wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
​May the year 2020 bring you joy, friendship, love and peace. 
Picture
photo from Flikr via Weebly, cannot be copied or altered.
And may the New Year bring Peace, Goodwill, and  20/20 Clarity to all nations on Earth!
4 Comments
Guitars link
6/19/2020 09:47:29 pm



Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. The common elements of music are pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture

Reply
Bass Guitars link
6/20/2020 08:14:08 am



It's an incredible and elegant work. You indeed are doing real art, each of them is a unique conteiner of something beyond words. Congratulations.

Reply
Lathe link
6/20/2020 10:21:48 am

The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought youd have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.

Reply
Classical link
6/20/2020 11:45:08 am



I hope that we can continue to improve this craft and this community that we have built. There is nothing that I want more than to see this community grow to the best possible version of itself, that is my dream.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    September 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos from Eric Kilby, tracie7779, USFWS Mountain Prairie, Denis Bourez, jinxmcc, Japanese beauty, voyager2014, Kirt Edblom, nevil zaveri (thank you for 15+M views:), kennethkonica, FaceMePLS, Marianne Serra, irio.jyske, 270862, NASA Hubble, steviep187, Keith Laverack, corsi photo, Howard J Duncan, Luna sin estrellas, Lynda W1, bvi4092, John Brighenti, Kecko, Cambridge Cat, Alexxx1979, ashwin kumar, vastateparksstaff, Marian Elizabeth May, sussexbirder, ell brown, David Meurin, Rod Raglin, Swallowtail Garden Seeds, A_Peach, timo_w2s, acryptozoo, NASA Hubble, El Coleccionista de Instantes, gizmo-the-bandit, THE Holy Hand Grenade!, RRS13, StoresundPhoto, mikecogh, Tony Webster, ajari, dsgetch, A_Peach, joiseyshowaa, focusonmore.com, SchuminWeb, Sam-H-A, Yves Sorge, Me in ME, Denkrahm, US Mission Geneva, Cambridge Cat, Marianne Serra, Theo Crazzolara, François Reiniche, Mark A. Nakasone, devasTated_cZar, Mikey G Ottawa, Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel, lundyd, 7beachbum, Tim J Keegan, OliBac, alh1, blachswan, oberbayer, alh1, hepp, Dmitry Karyshev, L_K_M, ibm4381