10/22/09

Evocative, Gorgeous Poem for Listing

Since posting the previous pictures, I have rubbed each piece... except for the gold military one, with wax and dirt.  Now I'm letting them dry/harden/set (?) before I consider if they need rinsing or wiping down.  Ah, the joys.  I have all sorts of stuff planned for the "descriptions" and titles.
Here is this moving and seriously gorgeous poem by Aleister Crowley invoking some guiding spirits before a tarot reading.




The Interpreter

Mother of Light, and the Gods! Mother of Music, awake!
Silence and speech are at odds; Heaven and Hell are at stake.
By the Rose and the Cross I conjure; I constrain by the Snake and the Sword;
I am he that is sworn to endure -Bring us the word of the Lord!

By the brood of the Bysses of Brightening, whose God was my sire;
By the Lord of the Flame and Lightning, the King of
the Spirits of Fire;
By the Lord of the Waves and the Waters, the King of the
Hosts of the Sea,
The fairest of all of whose daughters was mother to me;

By the Lord of the Winds and the Breezes, the King of the
Spirits of Air,
In whose bosom the infinite ease is that cradled me there;
By the Lord of the Fields and the Mountains, the King of
the Spirits of Earth
That nurtured my life at his fountains from the hour of my birth;

By the Wand and the Cup I conjure; by the Dagger and Disk I constrain;
I am he that is sworn to endure; make thy music again!
I am Lord of the Star and the Seal; I am Lord of the Snake and the Sword;
Reveal us the riddle, reveal! Bring us the word of the Lord!

As the flame of the sun, as the roar of the sea, as the storm of the air,
As the quake of the earth -let it soar for a boon, for a bane, for a snare,
For a lure, for a light, for a kiss, for a rod, for a scourge, for a sword -
Bring us thy burden of bliss -Bring us the word of the Lord!


PERDURABO.
Aleister Crowley

Now I need to decide which piece matches this or part of this verse, and which of several gorgeous chunks to use as the name... like: "Burden of Bliss".  Or even: Bring us thy burden of bliss, bring us the word of the lord!  But that's too long, of course.  "King of the Spirits of Earth"  might be right for a more orange-y one I'm working on.  And I have several other Crowly verses that are so bad-ass...  Post another tomorrow....

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