Thursday, May 01, 2008

Thursday Poem - For Beltane/May Day

There is a song in the greenwood,
There's an age old tale to be sung,
Healing is there in the greenwood,
Spiralling endlessly under the sun.

Seat yourself under the oak trees,
Watch the leaf dust dance in the breeze,
Breathe in the flowers and catkins,
The slow buzzing motion of bees.

I give you a song from the greenwood,
A song to enchant and delight,
Refrains of sowing and reaping,
The lyrics of life at its height.

Join in the dance of the greenwood,
Cast off your woes if you dare,
Life will be sweet in the greenwood,
Far from all hurry and care.

Hold high the cup of forgetting,
Drink deep of the greenwood wine,
Partake of the wildwood nectar,
So honey sweet from the vine.

Hear ye the pipes of the greenwood,
Far off music and dancing feet?
Ye shall be healed in the greenwood,
One with the earth's heartbeat.

This madcap song for the greenwood was written by me, and profuse apologies are owing to Jethro Tull and its magnificent creation, Songs From the Wood, which was the inspiration for my mediocre undertaking.

It's May, it's May, the merry month of May, and here we are again at Beltane or May Day. The most thoughtful and eloquent article on this lovely ancient Celtic fire festival I have ever encountered is by Waverly Fitzgerald of the exquisite Living In Season blog, and it may be read here at her web site, the School of the Seasons. There is a rambling effort of mine own on this festive day at my old untended Geocities site.

Beltane (or May Day) blessings to each and every one of you!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Beltane Day to you as well. Time to rejoice and dance in the blossoming flowers. Your poem is truly amazing.

Louise

Anonymous said...

A Joyous poem!
Your writing on Beltane is wonderful. There's a lot I hadn't heard before. Thanks! RJ

Marcie said...

I love the lovely lilting poem you wrote. It sings itself to me as I read it. Perfect, perfect, perfect for these days of early May!