"O Sun that kills with life,
And brings to breath all silent things—O Dawn,
Waken me with old earth, keep me awake!"*
*From "Winter Dawn" by Kenneth Slessor. Read the complete poem here.
Photo of a burning sun cross by Thomas W. Fiege from Wikimedia Commons. (FYI, yes, I know, some distasteful groups have adopted the sun cross, but it is an ancient and honorable symbol, and the hatemongers do not own it. I'm reclaiming it for the forces of good.)
6 comments:
Thank you for the poem, and "god jul"!
Here the light is sparse this day, as the sun barely rises at this time of the year; at the highest it is only 3 degrees over the horizon.
Hello, Stella P! I have never been in the far north at midwinter, but I would love to see it. Dave has been in Alaska this time of year, and he says there is a beautiful, magical quality about it. Here, we are having bright sun for the first time in a week, so it really feels as if we are welcoming its return.
Happy Yule to you, M!
Glad Yule, Maria. What an exquisite poem! I especially loved the descriptions in the 2nd stanza.
Good Yol, dear! Love the poem, thank you for intoducing me to it!
lillie
It is a great poem, isn't it? Kenneth Slessor is not a poet I've read before. I need to find more of his work.
It's nice to see you all here! I hope everyone enjoyed the day.
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