The lucid moon and sun
Continuing my round of roundels celebrating the patterns of the Primal Week in Genesis Chapter One, I come to the fourth day on which we receive the gift of the sun and the moon, the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars in their courses, all the heavens declaring the glory of the Lord. As before I give you the verses from Genesis which form the poem’s starting point and then the poem itself, which you can hear by clicking on the Roman Numeral or on the ‘play’ button. These poems will be gathered together with others in ‘Parable and Paradox’ my next book of poetry, to be published by Canterbury Press in the summer of 2016
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Lights in the night, the lucid moon and sun,
The lesser and the greater share your light
And lift my heart to you when day is done,
Lights in the night.
And lonely souls are gladdened by the sight,
For those who dwell in darkness hope is born.
The scattered stars still tingle with delight
Treading the dance, the seasons in their turn
Salute the lights of heaven in their flight.
In our dark hearts your praises shine and burn;
Lights in the night.
The scattered stars still tingle with delight
Malcolm Guite 