Monday, June 15, 2009

In the cathedral


So, inside, was anything shown?

Nothing new, just what was known, relearned,



where a flame, mirrored, burned between ribs,


in fragments, a heart in the stone, silence


held sound, and dark nurtured colour and light,


and always and still,


knowing, in not knowing.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

The second photograph and its caption are especially thought- provoking andmysterious, the one complementing the other, in series of which you must be proud.

marja-leena said...

Wonderful work. You've been very successful in shooting in dark quarters and capturing the mood in image and words.

kurt said...

The first photo is my favorite, and of course, your text.

Rouchswalwe said...

The first and the last had me looking and reading several times; I realize now that these are the only two in which human figures are there in the shadows, yet there is light at hand. This series, on the heels of a deep conversation engaged in with a good friend last night has me pondering now...

Bee said...

The mysterious quality of your words is represented so beautifully by your pictures.

(The flame, burned between ribs, looks like a devil to me. Anyone else?)

Lucas said...

A beautiful stillness coming from the Cathedral itself has informed your words and photographs. I love the last photo in the sequence and its caption.

Zhoen said...

I sit in the last one. May I always find the courage to not know.

Dick said...

Fabulous photos, Lucy. The first and second have something of the atmosphere of an Eisentstein movie - like stills from a colour version of 'Ivan The Terrible'!

Dave said...

Very impressive photos indeed.

herhimnbryn said...

Beautiful words and images both.
I agree with Bee about the flame!

Lucy said...

Thanks for such a positive response.

I didn't use flash in the cathedral at all. I new the pics would be grainy and blurred but that was OK, I didn't try too many postcard shots of stained glass, you can buy those of good quality anyway; I don't like the flash on the Canon, and I didn't want to go round making annoying flashes. Plenty of people did, Tom took a few as his pocket Nikon has a far more subtle flash, and in fact it's not particularly intrusive; the peculiar quality of the place is to absorb large amounts of light and noise into itself without being harmed by them...

I didn't see the devil in the detail!

The Joined up Cook said...

That first photograph has quite grown on me.

It has a haunting quality that seems to become more intense each time I look at it.

The indistinct figures in the centre could be medieval monks.

The Joined up Cook said...

That first photograph has quite grown on me.

It has a haunting quality that seems to become more intense each time I look at it.

The indistinct figures in the centre could be medieval monks.

The Joined up Cook said...

Good grief, I was so impressed I posted that twice. :)

Ghost Dansing said...

seraphim

The Crow said...

Beautiful work, Lucy - photos and text compliment (and complement) each other wonderfully.

And I agreed with Bee - Diablo was what I saw, too!

:)

vicki johnson said...

Oh!
stunning
literally.
Just beautiful.
My personal cathedral (which has a hammock for me when i need it) provided me with 2 angels the other day...which i just posted...but these...they are perfect. No flash needed or wanted!

Fire Bird said...

Quite wonderful images. Atmospheric is an overworked adjective, but it will have to serve. Your presentation in this post reminds me of Paula (House of Toast)

Anonymous said...

The second photo . . . what a stunner . . . absolutely wonderful.

Roderick Robinson said...

Before we took off for the Languedoc a fortnight ago we discussed whether we should take the laptop. I said no and announced to a jeering mob (of three) that I would be taking Ulysses instead. Big mistake. (1) Re-reading Joyce is difficult when sweat balls are forming in your eyebrows. (2) Without the laptop (and the co-operation of some adjacent Frenchman with a bad sense of security) I was unable to keep up with your wonderful LONG posts and find myself now barking feebly in the metaphorical wake of a long-departed Dutchman towing that which all Dutchmen are apparently born to tow. So just one comment: I like the Danish flags, hanging pendant fashion, on the wall of your atelier. This is a side of you that hasn't yet emerged in your blog.

Lucy said...

Thanks all.

TG, while I lack her convictions, that is a huge compliment.

BB - I had to puzzle and puzzle to work out what an earth you might be talking about. I'm not much the wiser, but the Danish flags are, in fact, a cream painted open trellis against the red wall behind. Towing Dutchmen and insecure Frenchmen I am still at sea about. Welcome back friend!

The Crow said...

One photo keeps drawing me back, Lucy - the dark, brooding, mysterious, entrancing first one. I would like to sit on a pew in that room for several hours, I think.

Roderick Robinson said...

See what happens when I spend a fortnight trying to get the better - linguistically - of the French. Security thing: assuming we had taken the laptop would we have found an unsecured WiFi link with which we could have accessed the Internet and/or email. The other thing: the dog barks and (but?) the caravan moves on.