The Greening
The Greening.
December cold moon
wanes and waxes,
sharp edged as ice
like a peephole cut
in the night sky
she looks into
a realm of pure light
casting her long shadows
across the frosted glass ground
scribbled by bare black branches.
Above the diamond lit stars,
below the glittering snows,
reminders both that even
the darkest of winter days
gives way at last to dawn.
Now the night of greening comes
as in defiance of the cold and dark
the forest is foraged for the gift of life
hidden in its grey sleeping hills.
Comes forth the ivy,
in her tenacity and strength!
Comes forth the holly,
bright berried and blood blessed!
Comes forth the red Rowan,
long mountain born!
Comes forth the Fir Tree,
in her verdant mantle!
Now nature once again
hallows the halls
of consecrated stone,
illuminating the cloisters
and the advent purpled apse
as scribes once warmed
the word with colour.
Leaf and branch and winter fruit
gathered and laid as offerings
bringing life and warmth
into the place of peace,
clothing the Advent wreath
and its singing people
in circling sanctuary!
Lighting our longing
we lay them for
our Saviour evergreen
who brought forth
the new Spring
in the libation of his bright blood
upon the old earth,
in the divine seed planted
upon the rocky skull,
there overcoming the old
sin-wintered death’s stroke at our roots,
He grafts us to Himself anew
our Advent Adam, binding the knot
in swaddling, and breathing
new blessing over the earth,
as with His holy birth
a breeze from summerlands
hits hard and drives back
the cold and dark!
He the true source of our verdant life,
a root renewed,
a shoot green and bursting,
born from a thornless Rose
that blooms this Winter night,
blessed beneath the whitest snow,
as now the greening comes again.
Traditionally the evening of December the 16th was the day of the Greening of the Church when people brought branches and fruits from the forests to decorate the Churches, monasteries and holy wells to prepare for the Christmas Feast...
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