A Poem for Epiphany

                                BC: AD

This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future's
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.

This was the moment when nothing
Happened. Only dull peace
Sprawled boringly over the earth.

This was the moment when even energetic Romans
Could find nothing better to do
Than counting heads in remote provinces.

And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect
Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.

                                       ~ U.A. Fanthorpe 

 

Ursula Askham Fanthorpe (1929–2009) graduated from Oxford University, after which she taught at Cheltenham Ladies' College for sixteen years. She later worked as a clerk and receptionist at a psychiatric hospital. In 1994, she was the first woman to be nominated to the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Fanthorpe published some twenty books of poetry, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

(Re-posted from Dan Clendenin’s blog Journey with Jesus)

Monday Music: A Child Is Born (Tony Bennett and Bill Evans)

 I'm listening to the legendary Tony Bennett with the remarkable Bill Evans 
at the piano and looking ahead to the Feast of the Epiphany.

 

-

Epiphany Notes from J.S. Bach and T.S. Elliot

January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, is a day to commemorate the realization of the divinity of Christ by the Gentiles as the Wise Men form the East came to pay homage to the Christ Child. It is a day full of light symbolized by the star that dominated the heavens to announce the divine light coming to the world. Today I would like to direct your attention to two masters who have addressed the subject of Epiphany: J. S. Bach and T.S. Elliot.

The tune for “O Little One Sweet” (O Jesulein Suss) is based on an old German melody, harmonized by J.S. Bach. Often sung as a Christmas carol, it serves quite well as an Epiphany hymn (the German text for the hymn was written by Valentin Thilo and translated into English by Percy Dearmer). 

Bach's sublime chords lend a palpable grace to the Epiphany story of the Christ Child come to earth's domain, casting divine energy upon the consciousness of humankind, awakening the world. 

 

*    *    *

T.S. Elliot wrote “The Journey of the Magi” after his own conversion and confirmation into the Anglican Church. His poem, in contrast to Bach’s music, takes on a darker tone and a rough-hewn vision as he speaks from the point-of-view of one of the wise men who makes the difficult journey but realizes that the old days of kings and magi must come to an end in light of the new day seen in the Christ Child. The poem is quite rich in symbol and allusion to the wider aspects of incarnation. As fate would have it, Elliot died 50 years ago today on the Feast of the Epiphany.

You can read “The Journey of the Magi” (or listen to Elliot read the poem) at http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/journey-magi.

     
______________________

Photo: Latvian postage stamp depicting Three Wise Men
Public Domain, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons


- 

The Journey of the Magi

On this, the Feast of the Epiphany, what better time to sit back and listen to Alec Guinness read T.S. Elliot's poem, "Journey of the Magi."



For a bit of commentary on the poem and to hear T.S. Elliot read the poem himself, check out Michael Rennier's blog post at Dappled Things.



-

Epiphany

January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, is a day to commemorate the realization of the divinity of Christ by the Gentiles as the Wise Men form the East came to pay homage to the Christ Child. It is a day full of light symbolized by the star that dominated the heavens to announce the divine light coming to the world. Today I would like to direct your attention to two masters who have addressed the subject of Epiphany: J. S. Bach and T.S. Elliot.

The tune for “O Little One Sweet” (O Jesulein Suss) is based on an old German melody, harmonized by J.S. Bach. Often sung as a Christmas carol, it serves quite well as an Epiphany hymn (the German text for the hymn was written by Valentin Thilo and translated into English by Percy Dearmer). 

Bach's sublime chords lend a palpable grace to the Epiphany story of the Christ Child come to earth's domain, casting divine energy upon the consciousness of humankind, awakening the world. 

To hear “O Little One Sweet” go to The Music of the Spheres.

*    *    *

T.S. Elliot wrote “The Journey of the Magi” after his own conversion and confirmation into the Anglican Church. His poem, in contrast to Bach’s music, takes on a darker tone and a rough-hewn vision as he speaks from the point-of-view of one of the wise men who makes the difficult journey but realizes that the old days of kings and magi must come to an end in light of the new day seen in the Christ Child. The poem is quite rich in symbol and allusion to the wider aspects of incarnation. As fate would have it, Elliot died 50 years ago today on the Feast of the Epiphany.

You can read “The Journey of the Magi” (or listen to Elliot read the poem) at http://www.poetryarchive.org/poem/journey-magi.

     




______________________

Photo: Latvian postage stamp depicting Three Wise Men
Public Domain, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons


- 

The Feast of the Epiphany

January 6 marks the Feast of the Epiphany, the liturgical date used to commemorate the Wise Men’s arrival from the East to see the child Jesus, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. It is the date which culminates the twelve days of Christmastide, and is some cultures is the date for traditional gift giving.  

Unfortunately, Christmas – as celebrated in the United States – begins with commercial bombardment at least by Thanksgiving (in some cases as early as Halloween!) with radio stations giving entire programming to Christmas jingles and advertisers promoting what you really need to buy this season. It all comes to a crashing halt by dinner on Christmas Day for many, and completely vanishes on December 26.

My friend Loren Peters is a recent graduate from The Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin Texas. He has been reminding his friends on Facebook that there are twelve days of Christmas celebration by posting a brief sentence on his status each day about regarding each day of Christmas. It is a refreshing reminder of what is now foreign to so many: that Chrismas does not end on Christmas Day.  It BEGINS on December 25 and goes on for 12 days until Epiphany on January 6. 

After all, isn't EPIPHANY what we hope will actually happen to us every once in a while? That there will be a moment when we find ourselves within proximity and realization of the Ground of All Being right before our eyes! It could happen anytime; we can use this day to remind us to be aware of it when that moment comes.






*