Spell of Creation

This is for my dear belle-soeur, Andy, who first walked into our lives and our hearts as a luminously lovely 18 year old, and is as beautiful and as well loved now as then. Wishing you a safe return, and get well soon. (Sorry the poem's not home-made, I didn't have anything good enough, but the pictures are...)

Spell of Creation by Kathleen Raine

Within the flower there lies a seed,

Within the seed there springs a tree,

Within the tree there spreads a wood.

In the wood there burns a fire,

And in the fire there melts a stone,

Within the stone a ring of iron.

Within the ring there lies an O,

Within the O there looks an eye,

In the eye there swims a sea.

And in that sea reflected sky,

And in the sky there shines the sun,

Within the sun a bird of gold.

Within the bird there beats a heart,

And from the heart there flows a song,

And in that song there sings a word.

In the word there speaks a world,

A word of joy, a world of grief,

From joy and grief there springs my love.

Oh love, my love, there springs a world,

And on the world there shines a sun,

And in the sun there burns a fire,

Within the fire consumes my heart

And in my heart there beats a bird,

And in the bird there wakes an eye,

Within the eye, earth, sea and sky,

Earth, sky and sea within an O

Lie like the seed within the flower.

( Apologies if any copyright infringed. For more on Kathleen Raine and her legacy, go to www.temenosacademy.org . Also credit due to Tom, who took the 5th and 6th of the above pictures.)