I volunteered at the Revels this weekend, for the Saturday and Sunday evening shows and strike on Sunday night. I love strike -- we get to take things apart and haul heavy pieces of stage and scenery and props around in tank tops in the freezing cold, clear night. I got nicknamed "GI Jane" by one of the stagehands, and had way too much fun running all over the place and getting myself very sore for today. :P
The Revels show itself was good as well, though I had to miss the first few bits because of ushering duties. The female soloist had the most gorgeous voice you could imagine, and the chorus was strong on vocals as well. And the sword dance was..... Wow. Absolutely incredible. They used Papa Stour, a wonderful seven-person longsword dance that I can't quite find the right adjective for. It made me wish I was in the sword dance again this year. My favorite song is always the Sussex Mummers Carol, the song sung at the end of every Revels show in every city every year. That was the part that really brought me back to memories of being in the Revels last year, and remembering being on stage for that song. It was a good time.
I wanted to share the last bit of the show before the Sussex Mummers Carol, written by Dick Lewis (I believe - he wrote the rest of the script, so I'm assuming he wrote this bit as well). It was in last year's script, and I was so glad to hear they used it again this year. It really gets to the heart of Solstice and makes me love the wintertime even more. I know it's not quite Solstice yet, but it's on my mind, so here it is:
The Shortest Day
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them,
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land;
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Good poem. It's been in the Christmas Revels for at least 10 years, though, since I just heard it on this album. Not sure where it came from, though
Well, that solves that question. I had an inkling it might have been around longer, but couldn't remember it from childhood Revels years. But even if Dick didn't write it, I still love it.
I believe that is was written by
John Langstaff, who died yesterday.
Wow. Thanks for sharing that, Borden. It makes sense that he would have written it, and as the article said, fitting for him to go at this time of year.
Lacey, why won't you join us on the Revels Map that we are building, hoping to get all Revellers nationwide "on the map"!
It's at www.frappr.com/revels
thanks! Welcome Yule!
Liz
Post a Comment