Saturday 27 December 2014

December Stillness, by Siegfried Sassoon - Louisa Young


These quiet days, between one set of sparkliness and another, are one of my favourite times of year. Nothing showy for you today, just this, sent by a friend when my mother died, four weeks ago.


December stillness, teach me through your trees
That loom along the west, one with the land,
The veiled evangel of your mysteries.
While nightfall, sad and spacious, on the down
Deepens, and dusk embues me where I stand,
With grave diminishings of green and brown,
Speak, roofless Nature, your instinctive words;
And let me learn your secret from the sky,
Following a flock of steadfast-journeying birds
In lone remote migration beating by.
December stillness, crossed by twilight roads,
Teach me to travel far and bear my loads.


3 comments:

Carol Drinkwater said...

Dear Louise, I am so sorry to hear that your mother has just died. May she rest in peace and I hope that you can find peace within the grieving. Kindest wishes, Carol

Spade and Dagger said...

Perfect sentiments for this time of year.

Katherine Langrish said...

My sympathy to you, Louisa, and my thanks for the poem.