A Collection of Pagan Poetry
Last Update 28/5/98
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By Janet Farrar:
- The Witches' Complaint (1975)
Sally the Witch is feeling vexed;
No spells to be worked, no one to be hexed,
And the rest of the coven is undersexed -
What is a girl to do?She's run right out of pigeon's gall,
Her broomstick's due for an overhaul,
And she's blown a fuse on her crystal ball -
What is a girl to do?Being a Witch is no more fun,
Now it's the thing for everyone -
Quid on the altar and get yourself done -
What is a girl to do?She's fallen out with High Priest's wife,
And blunted the edge on her white-hilt knife;
She's lost her way on the Tree of Life -
What is a girl to do?
Alas!
What is a girl to do? - I Just Knew (1970)
So you’re the Great Goddess
How come they never mentioned you when I was being schooled?
Though come to think of it, they did;
Scarlet woman, Babylonian whore.My father said I may worship you,
And told me I was Freya’s child, because I was born on Friday.
Strange, that; he is a good Christian,
Jesus man, Mary’s servant.I am told, my Lady,
Your secret name talks of circumpolar stars,
Never beyond the horizon;
Just how many names do you have?Sweet Isis, Mother of All,
Queen of Heavens,
Mistress of the Waters, Protectress of all that is living;
Nobody told me you were there, Mother, my Mother. - Little Pagan Priestess (~1990)
Little pagan priestess in the moonlight,
Fairy lady in your robes of gold -
Haven't they told you, didn't they warn you,
The poor Horned Lord is growing old?Little fairy princess in the springtime,
Little lady in your robes of blue -
Haven't they said the Hornèd One is lonely?
He's searching in the empty woods for you.Little fairy priestess in the summer,
Dancing all alone in woods of green -
Don't you know the Hornèd One must need you
To reign beside him as his Summer Queen?Little pagan priestess in the autumn
When the falling leaves are turning red -
Now summer's almost gone, and winter's coming on;
The Hornèd One hangs low his antlered head.Little pagan priestess in the winter -
Can't you see you, too, are growing old?
The seasons all are lost, and the ground lies thick with frost;
The lonely antlered head is not so bold.Little pagan priestess in the moonlight,
Dancing barefoot in a fairy ring -
Today you are a child, tomorrow woman wild;
Maybe next year you'll hear the Horned One sing.O little girl who dances in the sunlight -
Is that your father's step upon the path?
Remember that I, too, was once a child like you.
Perhaps one day you'll make a good man laugh. - I Know You (1988)
I know you, Jonathan, Man in Black,
Betrayer of clan,
Traitor and knave.We answered your summons to the forest meet,
Obeyed unquestioning the command you gave.
My mistress, our Queen, looked upon you well,
You found favour in her eyes.I remember your mating,
You crowned with antlers proud.
I saw your embrace,
Saw the blood between her thighs;
And as the seasons turned
So your seed quickened within her womb.
My mistress,
Sunlight in her eyes, so full of joy,
Blossomed with the Moon.Yes, Jonathan, I know you well,
Remember even now your treacherous deed.
While she slept
Your steps to strumpets strayed,
And filled with drink and greed for gold
You sold us to the Witchfinder,
Our lives lining your purse -
Blind Thomas, little Kate,
Matthew the Woodsman,
All of us,
Even our Queen,
And me her nurse.When he came for us,
From our homes,
Huddled like sheep we were herded to that field;
You rode beside him on a fine grey mare,
Our sword at your belt,
Cowardice your shield.Our Queen regarded you with sorrowing eyes;
"I know you, Jonathan," quietly she said.
One look of fury crossed your face
And with our sword
You struck off her head.By fire and rope we died;
Little Kate said not one word
But smiling through the flames
Became almost divine.
I did not leave this world so well,
But cursed you, Jonathan,
Swearing to hunt you throughout time.Now I know I have found you again;
This time, too, you are the Man in Black,
We are all here, Kate, good Matthew,
Thomas no longer blind;
We are the monkey on your back.I now reign as leader;
Revenge tasting sweet upon these lips
That long since, blackening, swore
To hurt, destroy you,
As you did us -
The clan, your Lady, our Queen,
Who gave you more
Than gold, or goods, or any earthly prize
Could bring;
She took you, low-born man,
Made you our King.But even as we raise the power,
I think I hear, so far away,
Her voice:
It says to me
"Nay, stay your hand,
Seek not revenge;
Your Lady loves him even now -
Let him go free!"But I do know you, Jonathan.
- Moonlight (1971)
'Twas late as I wandered
Beside moonlit waters
That sang and whispered
Their path to the sea;And there 'twas my lover
Came with the moonlight,
A-singing and calling
His way there to me.Our Lady was smiling,
And the stars of her gown
Covered my hair
With cascading crown;And there sat my lover,
There beside me.
Till the first rays of dawn
Crept up from the sea. - Was I Your Child? (1973)
O Great Mother
Was I your child
Whene'er you formed the trees?Deep in you windswept breast I lie
And hear the call of tiny birdlings.O Great Mother,
How the perfume of your body fills me !
Or could it be that my essence is touched
By the chill of Hades as he opens the gate for your daughter?Silver and celestial are your rivers;
They are but your hem.With each tiny whisper of my soul I feel your touch responding;
I, like your trees, reach for you.Do your children hear you?
I fear they do not.
But to hold your tiny featherlings to my breast -
I know, I feel, I am.Oh Great Lady, how touched with tears am I!
For no words, no song, no human embrace
Can, or ever would, express your love.Fearless and found
Joyous with tears
I love you
How I love you! - Power, You Said? (1978)
Until you have held a dying bird in your hand
Or watched away the midnight hours
While a mother cat kittens Don't talk to me about power!Until you have carried the soul of a pony
On the mighty wings of Pegasus
While the gentle vet's hands have eased its body's pain
Don't talk to me about power!Until you have breathed life into a pup's mouth,
Or splinted the wing of an injured swan
With sedge reeds and garden stakes
Don't talk to me about power!Until the rapid beat of a rabbit's heart
Has trembled against your fingertips,
Or you have buried a motorway badger cub
Don't talk to me about power!If you have searched for tadpoles
Watchful by the muddy pool
And laughed at frogs' leaping in summer fields
Then think and ask about power.Power is a swallow's flight, migrating Southwards,
Power is the crying of a fallow deer,
Power is sensing all their mysteries
Understand that,
And then talk to me about power. - I Am (1981)
Seek me,
Feel me,
Eat of me - I am the Mother.Embrace me,
Move me,
Chase me - I am the Virgin.Touch me,
Arouse me,
Burn for me - I am the Lover.Divine me,
Worship me,
Watch with me - I am the Priestess.Adore me,
Love me,
Explore me - I am the Mistress.Despise me,
Take me,
Learn from me - I am the Harlot.Lie on me,
Drained by me,
Die beside me - I am the Crone.Know me,
Understand me,
Come with me - I am the Earth. - To the Desert Soldiers (1984)
The Prophet Mohammed
(salat Allah 'aleh we-salaam)
Cut away the corner of his cloak
So that his cat, most elegant of beasts,
Might sleep undisturbed.Yet I and my kind,
Winged messengers of Spring
Travelling in that same desert
May find no rest in the Prophet's footprints.For we are your prey,
O Man,
You murder our kind with your metal hands
And take your pleasure
In watering the desert with our blood.In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful,
Be kind to us
Your brother Swallow.(On reports that Arab soldiers were shooting Swallows for sport; sent to the Embassy in Dublin. Orders were given shortly after to stop using birds for target practise).
- Give Me A God(1989)
Give me a God - a good God
Who, tossing his antlered brow
Embraces the Sun with his eyes.
Not a savage God
Bent by his wrath on punishing his children
Like a bored infant
Mutilating a once favoured toy.Give me a God, a gracious God,
All father,
A sculptor who takes pride in his work.
Not a God who has forgotten
How to inspire anything except perhaps bigotry, Fear, and more than a little hysteria.Give me a God, a Horned God,
Lord of Animals,
Dancer, who gives my faltering feet life.
Not a static God
Worn out, frustrated,
Because nothing works any more.Still, cheer up, old Ancient of Days -
It's not all your fault, you know.
By Stewart Farrar:
- The Dominant Gene (1957)
The Dominant Gene, the Dominant Gene,
Is the happiest creature that ever was seen;
We mortals can only admire at a distance
The joys of a chromosomatic existence,
And marvel how Nature determines the sexes
By cunningly mixing the Ys and the Xs
(For as Mendel has proved, it is only statistics
That settle our primary characteristics).
Imagine the life of ineffable bliss you
Could spend as a speck in the nuclear tissue,
Fraternally linked to a charming Recessive
(Your relationship tender, but firmly possessive),
Dictating the pigment, the shape of the nose,
Or whether your host should have suckers for toes.
You find immortality's promise seductive?
Make your home in a cell that is marked Reproductive.
A short life, but merry? You dread being static?
Your calling is plain - you are clearly Somatic;
For you cannot grow stale, with your every ambition
Fulfilled by perpetual cellular fission.
So banish your doubts, your neuroses, and revel
In life as it's lived at molecular level!Princess! You'll discover the key to my riddle
By shuffling two chromosomes, split down the middle.Published in "The Lancet", Britain's leading medical journal
- Is Anybody Listening? (1991)
When Nile-born Isis spread her rainbow wings
From Nubia to York,
From Asia to the Pillars of Hercules,
Her silver voice rang clear: "There are no frontiers."Was anybody listening?
When the Nazarene drank at the Samaritan well,
When loinclothed Ghandi stilled massacres with a word,
When Geldof swayed the spellbound stadium,
The word rang clear:
"There are no frontiers."Was anybody listening?
In distant Chernobyl, one concrete room berserked;
And round the world the Geigers clicked:"There are no frontiers."
Is anybody listening?
For God's sake -
Is anybody listening? - Invocation (June 1970)
Veiled lsis, Aphrodite of the Sea.
Thou Mother-Goddess of the thousand names
Thou in all women, and they all in Thee -
Thou of the chalice flanked by candle-flames;
Marah, Levanah, bitter-sweet, benign,
Thou mother, mistress, lover, sister, wife,
Who art at once the water and the wine,
The gate of death. the bringer-in of life.Take this my will, my spark of urgent fire,
Gestate it in Thine all-enfolding womb,
Sharpen and cleanse my arrow of desire;Make me the shuttle, and the world the loom.
Until the warp and weft of magic make
A web the claws of Qliphoth cannot break. - Cycle (1970)
When is the Spring born?
None can say - unannounced, she's there;
Opening the year's door
To the day, shaking free her hair
Touching the new flowers
One by one, with her finger-tips,
Kissing the young world
Just for fun, with her younger lips.Summer, the sun-soaked,
Brown of 1imb, honey-warm, feet bare,
Seeking the sweet cool
Water's rim, in the too-still air.
Summer, the full time -
Long, long, long, go the blue days by;
Play is a gay thing,
Work a song, to the towering sky.Autumn, the painter,
Palette thick, with his browns and reds;
Mellow his canvas -
Ripe to pick are the apple-heads.
Scarlet the combine
Thrusting out, where the corn is gold;
But the first bite of
Frost's about, as the year grows old.Winter; the chill earth
Falls asleep, in the grateful dark;
Sap of the new year
Slumbers deep, in the tree's grey bark.
Close are the doors shut,
Windows glow, in the homes of men;
Waiting the day when
Snowdrops show, and it's Spring again. - Avebury (1971)
Here where the Old Gods are, in their circle of stone,
Where the three-formed Goddess walks - Maid, Mother and Crone
We come hand-in-hand to seek them; we come alone.Here where the dolmens stand and the ditches are deep
That ring the village around in its heedless sleep,
There are secrets old as Time for the Gods to keep.Few call their names, or trouble to hear them said;
Few glimpse the halo of stars, or the horned head;
The temples are long forgotten, the priests are dead.All dead? Not all; there are candles still to burn
And we to burn them; secrets still to learn,
As long as the Moon shall rise and the stars shall turn.Here in the heart of the ring we cast our spell,
Here mark our Circle round, and bind it well;
Skyclad our dance we tread, our Rune we tell.The Gods press in, and breathe on the candle-flame!
The ancient Gods are come, their own to claim
Listen and hear them call us. each by name.Their spirit is with us still, when the flame has died;
The Circle fades away, but the Gods abide.One jewel they leave with me: the Living Bride.
By Others:
- Arboreal by Pauline Kennedy Woodward ©
I have thrust my feet into the dark, rich earth and fed,
I have drunk from the crystal waters of the depths,
I have clothed myself anew, in shades of green, to greet fair Spring,
I have been washed clean in Summer's rain,
I have shed my raiment, now gold and scarlet, at Autumn's command,
I have stood proud and naked before Winter's sun.I have housed a million lives within my boundaries,
I have watched lovers embrace at my feet,
I have comforted the lonely child in my arms,
I have been cut down and my body used to bring warmth,
I have grown once more in the cycle of life,
I have been one with the Forest, yet a single being.I am the Tree.
- White Mare by Pauline Kennedy Woodward ©
Where Winter's blanket meets the deep midnight sky,
There you can see the White Mare fly.
Beneath the moonlight silver and clear,
True magic at this time of year.Her mane and tail are streaming out
As She speeds sure footed, never a doubt.
A stream of light follows Her passage
Bringing the joy of Her wonderful message.Life is for living as hard as you can,
To enjoy every moment, that should be your plan.
The beauty of Winter, as lovely as Fall,
As Spring and as Summer, Her Love made them all.The White Mare paused, looked me straight in the eye,
Her beauty and wisdom it made my soul cry.
Then She wheeled and She started once more to fly
Where Winter's blanket meets the deep midnight sky. - Fey Woman by Tanya Willis ©
Chorus:
Midnight in the oaken forest
And the faery fires burn deep
The moon stands swollen in the sky now
Tonight no human soul shall sleepSlipping quietly through the branches
And seen solely by the moon
Leafs and flowers dress her body
Midnight's passion fills her soonChorus
Hair entangled with the breezes
And her dark cloak flares out wide
She and the trees in silence breathing
Dancing the heartbeat of the nightChorus
Beneath an oak she kneels down and
Lights a fire from her hands
Lets the cloak fall from her shoulders
Awaits the coming of her manChorus
There he steps within the lightring
Pulsing muscles, burning blood
In awe he looks upon his Lady
Knows himself not man, but GodChorus
In the soft think moss they laid then
Bodies sunken into one
Till the bright morn'light awoke him
And found his Faery Woman gone - Pan In Spring by Tanya Willis ©
You laid me down under newborn green,
While the lake faintly licked at my feet.
You blew scented Spring air in my face
And made our honeyed bodies meet.
And in the shadowplay of the leafs,
I saw sun-spotted dark green eyes.
You ravenously inhaled my yearning scent
As I explored your fur-clad thighs.
Then you covered me with musk-breathing kisses
My life was yours, your blood was mine.
We were solemn, serious and dark.
We pleasured, laughed, and were divine.
My eyes were opened, awakened my dreams,
As we lay on your ancient forest floor.
The green blood rose within the trees,
As we made Spring once more. - May Pole by Ann Marie ©
They went to the forest these young men hearts a blaze of seasons need
The search was long and as the noon sun rose in the sky on every forehead sweat did bead.
The perfect one must be found and every man searched round and round.
Then at last a shout they heard form high upon the hill as they reached that spot it gave the men a thrill
The object of their search stood tall and proud the branches of the mighty oak did beckon and call
"I’m the one who’s willing to fall ".
With axe in hand they went to work and soon they heard a mighty crack
And the ground did jerk as to earth the proud oak fell and the hills did echo all went well.
They trimmed the branches each in turn, for Beltane night their hearts did yearn.
Back to the village they carried the prize and as they marched down the village square every window shade did rise and women blushed with excitement for the this night.
Hair and robes were done up right for the dance would soon begin.
The ancient battle for power which sex would win.
The women had dug the spot to plant the prize and guard it they would till just the right time.
Feast prepared and bodies bathed the night air inviting one and all to the ritual hall,
The candles were lit and the words were spoken the deities invited to this night.
The bale fires lit upon the hill the cattle and people with seeds in hand walked through with hope and joy and anticipation for the coming fertile times
And then the cry went up from the village square as the maidens called out their warning for the pole to come no closer,
Yhe men pressed on their need was great and no longer would they wait
They set the pole and grabbed a ribbon as the women did the same.
They skipped and danced around the pole their bodies touching now and then
a look exchanged a promise given two by two they wandered off and soft sounds of pleasure filled the night
as couples claimed their Beltane delight.
The Maypole stood straight, strong and proud and listened to the sound as the young bodies went to ground. - ReEnchant by Wil Bason ©
And it's up to Us
to re-enchant this planet EarthWe are the elves and giants
We are the shining ones
daughters of the Moon and
sons of the Sun.We are the shapeshifters. We are the
mysterious light shrouded in mists at
the dawn of Our time and it's
up to Us to re-enchant this Planet.Up to Us to midwife at Our own rebirth
up to Us to send Our dead along their
ancient pathways to the future
up to Us to re-enchant this planet Earth.It's up to Us to break the spell
that steals the colors from the world and
leaves it lifeless
it was Our spell
We can break it.
Up to Us to break the spell
that steals the music from the
Wind and Rain
and leaves them senseless
it was our spell
We can break it.As We dance Life's
magic dance
Our bodies will re
member. We will sing
the magic songs and in
time We will remember
how to live together
how to love each other
how to ride the dragons
how to call this living
sacred planet
HomeWill Bason: "Ecoblalance" (sent to us by Silja Muller)
- Vestigia by Bliss Carmen © (modified by an uppity woman)
I took a day to search for Goddess,
And found Her not. But as I trod
By rocky ledge, through woods untamed,
Just where one scarlet lily flamed,
I saw Her footprint in the sod.Then suddenly, all unaware,
Far off in the deep shadows, where
A solitary hermit thrush
Sang through the holy twilight hush --
I heard Her voice upon the air.And even as I marvelled how
Goddess gives us Heaven here and now,
In a stir of wind that hardly shook
The poplar tree beside the brook
Her hand was light upon my brow.At last with evening as I turned
Homeward, and thought what I had learned
And all that there was still to probe --
I caught the glory of Her robe
Where the last fires of sunset burned.Back to the world with quickening start
I looked and longed for any part
In making saving beauty be....
And from that kindling ecstasy
I knew Goddess dwelt within my heart.(sent to us by Silja Muller)
- Four Seasons by Link ©
Spring,
Full of promise, looking forward to all the things to come
Springing up from the darkness of Winter
Spring is a Lady wearing flowers in Her hair
Painting Herself with color, anointing Herself with fragrance
Merrily Courting New BeginningsSummer,
The heat at its peak
99 degrees and rising
Just how hot can it get?
Doing all that you hoped for each Spring
Fireworks, bare feet, no shirt, freedom from sleeves and coats
Like the freedom we must find in leaving our bodies behind
Ah, I'm free from all that nowAutumn, Fall
All falls back to the Earth
Fruition, rewards for your hard work and sacrifice
Colorful, but gentler colors than any other time of year
Change
Relaxing before the big SleepWinter
Even sounds like the word "White"
The White Lady returns
Each Snowflake, unique from any other
Renewing old friendships with a cozy wool coat
Like putting on a body again after the Long Sleep
Ah, I missed it all so much(Copyright Link)
Link (Anthony)
Suite A-211
203 Main Street
Flemington, NJ 08822
AnthLink@aol.com - Inward Eyes by Link ©
Fire, Water, Earth and Air
Strong and brave, kind and fair
I am both The Sacred Pair.Energy, inside of me
As clear, as clear as I can see
Through inward eyes,
Divinity.(Copyright Link)
Link (Anthony)
AnthLink@aol.com - My Simple Story by Link ©
Winged white horse,
Pegasus in the Eastern Sky
Fly forth into my Circle
And join my simple storyFire breatehrs,
Dragons of the South
Kindle my passion's flame
And join my simple storyFish-tailed Lady,
Loving green-eyed mermaid
Swim gently into my arms
And join my simple storyWandering great white wolf,
Hunter of snowy nothern plains
Help me see what I need to survive
And join my simple storyDear Lady, Dear Lord
Dear Ones of Old and of New
Who give myth and lore to each new day
You make the story quite real(Copyright Link)
Link (Anthony)
Suite A-211
203 Main Street
Flemington, NJ 08822
AnthLink@aol.com