When the bloom was on the roses
and on her cheeks as well she
came before the people:
young, luminous—theirs—
in glorious regalia, saying, I have in sincerity pledged myself to your
service, as so many of you are pledged
to mine. Throughout all my life and
with all my heart I shall strive
to be worthy of your trust.
In the marketplaces where throngs
gathered that day, baskets and frocks
were filled with gourds and roots,
leafy bunches and dewy petals, with
offerings from the abundant vine
and the heavy branch.
And when the people heard, I thank you
all from a full heart.
God bless you all.
they whipped and flung into the skies
all blessings worthy of her
blooming before them, trusting
she would ripen well, singing
she would live long.
Written for The Mag: Mag 120 that inspired with the above photo prompt (image by Klaus Enrique Gerdes).
Queen Elizabeth II's June 2, 1953, Coronation Speech full text.
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16 comments:
Seems the GreenMan does indeed smile on this venerable old girl who sent my ancestors here to die ! . As you can see i dont hold it against her. I find the whole royalty thing so interesting for its archetypal forms, which tells me there must have been some form of gnosis amomg the aristocracies in europe long ago. Interesting 'eh ? . See, your verse inspired my train of thought.
Well and truly she arose
to the greatness thrust upon her.
He had sent her off with his blessing;
he recalled her home with his death.
Young and gentle,
but no shrinking violet,
grasping firmly the role
for with she had been prepared.
Pledged to her people,
a commonwealth across the globe,
yet, like others,
the cloth for her coronation dress
came with the help
of her post-war ration points.
Well and truly has she served
for 60 years, this kindly woman,
"long to reign over us,
God save the Queen."
Thank you, Lydia, from remembering this daughter of King George III, America's ancient ruler.
Kutamun~ Wow, an inspired train of thought it was indeed! You get to the heart of the fascination with the "whole royalty thing" (love that description), and then go even deeper. I to a lot out of your comment. Thank you.
Rob-bear~ That's beautiful! Is it your poem? Thank you for placing it here.
Such a lovely tribute to the Queen and very timely too ~ Cheers ~
Bear shares his own work. You are a wonderful inspiration, Lydia.
Even before I saw the image at the bottom, I was attributing this piece to Queen Elizabeth II. You have done so well to utilize the conglomeration of vegetation to express her Jubilee. I love it!
Kat
Oh you got it perfectly! I knew of whom you spoke before long! HM is a great lady and I wish I could have seen more of the Jubilee! Thanks.
Do send it to the Queen! This is masterfully joyous and celebratory.
I am quite a fan of the Monarchy .. tears in my eyes most of this morning watching the ceremony! Your poem is beautiful, just beautiful!!
Beautiful and timely tribute....
I was born in England right after WWII and among my first memories was hearing the funeral of George VI on the radio. His and Queen Mary's bravery in staying in London during the blitz was recognized and appreciated by all of my parent's generation so his passing just a few years later was a great tragedy for them. Some of that feeling rubbed off on me. I'm old enough now to remember the coronation and how beautiful she was.
I'm catching on to the whole Jubilee thing! great tribute!
Grace~ Glad another of my Canadian friends appreciated it. :)
Rob-bear~ I am touched that you would say I was an inspiration. Please see rosaria's comment to me, as I would suggest that to you!!
Kat~ Oh, thanks much. I'm glad you liked it.
izzy~ Thank you! I wish I had seen more of it, too. Saw snippets of news and then watched the concert, or as much as was broadcast here. Great concert. :)
rosaria~ I am so honored by your comment. Please don't miss Rob-bear's poem in his first comment here. The Queen would love that one.
Helen~ Ah, thank you. When I read your comment I wondered why in the heck I didn't think to turn on the TV in the morning to watch. A fine historic moment, most definitely.
Tess~ Thanks, and again, without your prompt I'd never have written this!
susan~ Wow, your comment brings such historical richness to this post. It really touched my heart.
Karen~ Thank you. It was really something to celebrate, I think. After all, how many people stay with a job for 60 years? Sure, it has had enormous perks, but still--60 years!.....
Marvellous. I spent some time wondering how I could bring in the Jubilee. Never thought of combining these two. Brilliant!
Dave~ Oh, you are more than kind. Thank you.
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