Cathedral darkness bound in stone
is pierced by beams of coloured light;
the earth resigned to mason's bite
to give it buttresses of bone.
A thousand years the bishop's throne
commanded service from its height;
cathedral darkness bound in stone
is pierced by beams of coloured light.
We put the devil's lies to flight
in Lady-worship; we atone
for sufferings the slaves have known.
The heartless rule of spirit's night
is pierced by beams of coloured light.
Author notes
The bg is from a photo of the rose window of Notre Dame in Paris.
De colores!
In a list
A contest entry
- an upsurge of points by monkus.
950 points, ended September 13, 2007, 10 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 19 of 19
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What a lovely way to celebrate my 50th birthday--by reading such a beautiful piece.
Congratulations on your gold, my Dear. Hugs, Patricia 
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Great rhyme to this.
Congratulations on the gold!
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loved the lady worship line, especially in the lilght of the churches history of misogyny:-)
thanks very much for the entry! -
Excellent.
Your cheering section has said everything I'd have said, so I'll just say good job and move on.
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Thank you for applause, Jim, I'm glad you like what you saw.
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A lovely simplicity of repeating form is so perfect in this poem, to describe the essence of this great cathedral! The cathedral itself is a study in repeated form from the "flying buttresses" outdoors, to the pillars in the interior. Stained glass admitting multicolored light, the cool on a hot summer day.
Many years have passed since I had the opportunity to visit Chartres Cathedral that I had seen in photographs. I vowed to visit it when I was ten, I guess knowing somehow there would be a special reason for me. Even more than the rose window was the feeling of immense antiquity, a kind of absorption into History. A sense of awe, even at the evidence of Age in the stone stairs on entering where centuries of countless feet of worshippers had eroded the stone to less than half its thickness, curved down from its edges! We arrived between masses and saw the wooden chairs in rows instead of pews, charming in their functional simplicity.
Thank you for bringing back its memories!
Terry
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When we were visiting Chartres cathedral, I made a point of looking for the labyrinth. This is a pattern of stones in the paving, which leads around eleven circuits to the rose in the centre. This was originally marked with a plaque showing Ariadne, Theseus and the Minotaur, but that was melted down for the copper in 1792. Traversing the labyrinth on one's knees was considered equivalent to pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This August, walking it was impossible, since the chairs covered it. The cathedral is a spectacular place, I'm grateful for the opportunity to see it.
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Thank you for sharing your memories, Terry. I knew you had visited Chartres, but not why. Thank you for your lovely comment and applause.
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splendid piece of work, am happily impressed and pleased that you have entered this in my contest. a pleasure to read...
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The Rose Window at Chartres is truly inspiring. Thanks for a hopeful poem.
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Thank you Keith - you should see the other two rose windows too!
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This is lovely! In fluid words and rhyme you have painted the image of a time preserved Cathedral and the beauty of light that caresses it. A high place of worship reserved for the Bishop to lead his flock.
Love,
Amera♥
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Thank you Amera I'm happy you like it.
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I like this piece. It gives a wonderfully descriptive picture.'cathedral darkness bound in stone
is pierced by beams of coloured light.' Good luck in the contest.
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Thank you! The stained glass of Chartres cathedral is justly famous.
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I experience such glee ...
in reading your words. To be more precise: I feel bubbly and happy and rejuvenated! YES - De Colores! How we could go on and on about them`...
This is a typical MargaretG poem.
Love
Myra
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I have great reason to hope for the world, as you do too.
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I really liked the simplicity of this poem. It has an interesting rhythm to it. I thought the second stanza was the best, and most easily flowing.
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Thank you silvie; this is iambic tetrameter. I will think about the other stanzas and see if they can be improved. Thanks for applause.
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