I was looking at my collection of Pagan books earlier and noticed that half of my books weren’t Pagan at all but were texts that I believed to be essential to my beliefs. These books have been more like companions to my worship and to my being for years. They are books of Poetry from many beloved American Naturalists and other authors. Burroughs, Walden, Huxley, Emerson Frost, Stevenson, Whittier, Whitman, Poe, Shakespeare, and many other authors have a home on my “Pagan Shelf.”
One of the books that has been the most useful to me for ritual has been John Burroughs’, Songs of Nature, 1938, two hundred and twenty-three poems collected by America’s beloved naturalist. This collection of poems contains many authors all writing for Mother Nature, Old Man Winter, Jack Frost, Midsummer Nights, Spring Flowers, and Rippling Pools of Water.
Every Monday I’ll be featuring a nature poem that you can use in your daily thanks to the Deities or in your Rituals. Right now in Michigan it’s winter again… But Spring is again on its way and the first signs of green have been poking through the snow. Since its looking like winter again here in Michigan I’ll leave you with this, A Glee For Winter, from Alfred Domett:
A Glee From Winter
by Alfred DomettHence, rude Winter! crabbed old fellow,
Never Merry, never mellow!
Well-a day! in rain and snow
What will keep one’s heart aglow?
Groups of kinsman, old and young,
Oldest they old friends among;
Groups of friends, so old and true
That they seem our kinsmen too;
There all merry together
Charm away chill Winter weather.What will kill this dull old fellow?
Ale that’s bright, and wine that’s mellow!
Dear old songs for ever new;
Some true love, and laughter too;
Pleasant wit, and harmless fun,
And a dance when day is done.
Music, friends so true and tried,
Whisper’d love by warm fireside,
Mirth at all times all together,
Makes sweet May of Winter weather.
