WOODLAND POETRY

SELECTED POEMS FROM
SEASONS IN ELFLAND ©2006
Shadows
Rose Red (The Moon's Daughter)
Runes of Elfland
Blood of the Moon
Dark
Roots
Under the Snow
The Hymn of the Wind
The Cauldron and the Flame
Winds of Ostara

TWILIGHT ©2003
I Remember
Will o ’ the Wisp
The Dragon
Faery Mist
Into the Twilight
Morgana Moon
Mermaid
The Grove
Larksong
Nightblossom
Silver Crow
Midnight Ring


SHADOWS
Shadows, Shadow Dance Away the Fire
From summer green to fallen leaves
Oh light the sylvan pyre,

For the day is red and ripe upon the branch,
The leaves of autumn turn to gold,
Shadows, Shadows Dance away the fire,

For there is a summer in each life,
Until the shadows ride the samhain wind
To a twilight celebration,

And there is a shadow to each light,
A dusk to every morning spring,
To a seasons celebration in the dark,

Shadows, Shadows wash away our pain
The Harvest hour of letting go,
Till the hearth’s alight again,

For the night is sweet and ripe upon the vine,
She seeds our dreams within her herbs,
And ancient grains of wisdom in her wine…

For there is a winter in each life,
‘Til springtime blooms carry us,
To a maidens celebration,

And there is a fire in each night,
A sleep unto awakening,
To a seasons celebration in the light

Shadows, Shadows carry us to rest,
To roots of willow and beds of stone,
To hillsides where our ashes are blown,

Time Time Dance away the cold
Feel the starlight in the wintery hood,
The summers gift the fire in the wood…

For there is a season to each life,
A hope for sorrow and despair
Shadows, shadows dance away the fire…

For there is a season to each life,
A gift of joy for every pain.,
To a seasons celebration in the heart…
.back to top

ROSE RED (THE MOON'S DAUGHTER)
Memories of apple blossoms
Now the fruit is bright and red
Rose-Red the lips of the mother
A crown of stars around her head

Rose-Red the moons-daughter
Taste the fruit when it’s dark and red
The winged heart of the apple-mother
A crescent moon upon her head

Black the mane of the scarlet priestess
She holds the child to her breast
Round and round the blackthorn tree
Her path of shadow bright and blessed

Rose-Red the moons-daughter
At her feet the blessed bow
The winged heart of the apple-mother
A crescent moon upon her brow

Scrye the vision in the black night water
The twilight fruits the seasons keep
The wayfarer of the river
When the waters are dark and deep

Rose-Red the moons-daughter
Taste the fruit when it’s dark and red
The winged heart of the apple-mother
A crescent moon upon her head
.back to top

RUNES
The lay of the land,
Stories written in the stone,
Beneath the hills and mounds,
Epitaphs are laid in bone,

Enigmas of time,
Written in the seasons rhyme,
Ancient sacred rites,
Fires in the autumn night,

Beneath the twilight sky,
The messenger of memory,
A raven taking flight,
Through the season

By hill and valley.
The memory of the land.
The story of the stones.
Is written in the trees…

How the story of the stones,
Was sung through all the ancient trees,
The mysteries of night,
Carried by a stag of light,
The memories of home,
Born into our hopes and bones,
The song of the stones,
Retold by the ancient ones,

By wing and antler,
The memory of the land.
The story of the stones.
Is written in the trees…
The story of us all
And the world beneath,

Cloaked within the sleeping sands,
Hidden in forgotten lands
Awaiting eyes to gaze with trust
To see what vanished into dust
For memories of days of old,
By man and land and beast retold
Still held within each sleeping heart
Each trembling leave and twinkling star…
The story of the stones is written in the trees…
.back to top

THE BLOOD OF THE MOON
When the trees grow bare,
In the frost chilled air,
And the shadows long and cold,
Kindle the night,
With a seasons light,
And a melody of old…

To dance across the fields of snow,
The wheel of stars-a-turning,
When the season dims gather friends,
And keep the fire burning…

For the night wouldn’t feel so cold,
If we all had a flame to hold,
And the fire never burns as bright,
As the darkest hour of a winters night…

When the frosty breeze,
On the naked trees
Is whistling through the land,
With Holly and Mistletoe,
Gathered in our hands…

Tending to the midnight fire,
With the moon overhead,
The dragon of the seasons,
Has another skin to shed…

With hair as dark as ravens,
And blood red lips on a field snow bright,
With silvery fingertips of light,
She plays her song on the threads of time…

The blood of the moon,
A river through time,
As scarlet as the autumn leaves,
A winters sleep in a cauldron deep,
Dreaming of what’s to be,

A mother Hel we gather by your well
And give thanks for the waters you bring
When the blood of the moon upon the fields,
Rises to live again…
.back to top


DARK
Dark Dark
The wind it calls,
The leaves all tumble into fall
Gathered up within the shawl of darkness,

From Within,
A silver light,
From the mooncast place in the shade of night,
Within the light born from darkness

Deep in the wood when the shadows fall,
The roots beneath our feet they call us

Dark, Dark,
Born form darkness,
Sleeping in the nest of darkness,
Drifting on the sea by night in darkness

Within beneath and all about,
Wrapped within the wings of shadow,
We're tumbling like stars born from darkness,

Upon the sea when the shadows fall,
The wave beneath the mist are calling,

Dark, Dark,
A home that's dark,
Within the chambers of the heart,
Born Born
Like stars from the darkness...
.back to top

ROOTS
From a book of fire
Was a world of flame,
Cast in the name of light,

Now the darkness,
Is returning,
Like the beauty of a starry night

For our roots reach down into the darkness,
To the well of life,
For our roots reach down into the darkness,
To the mysteries of night…

In the cool of a summer's shadow,
In the forest dim with shade,
She bears the fruits of darkness
When the rays of summer fade,

For our roots reach down into the darkness,
To the well of life,
For our roots reach down into the darkness,
Like the beauty of a starry night…

Lady night rises form the ashes,
With the cradle of tomorrows care,
Singing, "live with hope and passion,
Defy all doubt and despair!"

On the shining black wings of ravens,
In the horns of the stag,
The old ways shall return again,
In a way they already have,

For our roots reach down into the darkness,
To the well of life,
For our roots reach down into the darkness,
To the mysteries of night…

For our roots reach down into the darkness,
To the well of life,
For our roots reach down into the darkness,
Like the beauty of a starry night…
.back to top


UNDER THE SNOW
Awake from the darkness of the sleeping night
Now the hour of dawn is breaking
Through ceaseless winds in a land of ice
That hope has never forsaken

Oh shake the ice from these ragged wings
For the hour of flight is returning,
And grains of hope have begun to grow
Where promise was sleeping under the snow

Oh wake me when it’s over
Shake me from this sleep
From the dark of endless winter
Light return to me,
For the season wakes
And hope awaits
Through the dark of endless night
The season is the reason
For the vigil of the light…

Rise from the sorrow of dark despair
For the light of grace is dawning
Hold on to trust and hope and care
For we’ve almost made the morning

Oh shake the fear from these leafless limbs
For the tide is surely turning
The buds of hope have begun to grow
Where tomorrow was sleeping under the snow

Oh wake me when it’s over
Shake me from this sleep
From the dark of endless winter
Hope return to me,
Let the season wake
Fulfill our fate
Through the dark of endless night
Let the season be the reason
For the vigil of the light…
.back to top

THE HYMN OF THE WIND
Baptized by the greenwood rain,
A Paradise awaits,
Beyond the rowan gates,

In cathedrals of oak and pine,
Resurrected by the moon,
Beneath the stars tonight,

The echoes of wells
Familiar juniper smell,
The raven speaking in spells… riddled in rhyme

Singing “I’ll be born again,
By the Psalm of the sun,
And the hymn of the wind.”

A pentacle hangs above the door
Beneath the stars tonight
She spreads the cards once more,

The further on her tale explores,
A sign we’ve all been here before,

Altars of stone,
Drums of skin and bone,
Songs of the wood… echoes of home,

Tongues in the trees,
Books in the brooks,
Sermons in stone,

All are born again,
By the Psalm of the sun,
The hymn of the wind…
.back to top


THE CAULDRON AND THE FLAME
In our robes of dusty stars,
Phantoms made ofr earth,
The hunger of all time is filled,
By seasons of rebirth,

In our soul there lives a fire,
Like a lightning in the sky,
The keeper of the lovers flame,
By the cauldron of life...

When the morning star lights the sky,
And the shadows fade away,
Into the dark and hidden womb,
To be born another day,

From visions hope the dawn is born,
A fire in the sky,
From cradle dreams the morning weaves,
It’s way...through the gentle night...

The candle on the altar burns,
Like the lightning in the sky,
The soul within the fire yearns,
For the cauldron of life,

From visions hope the morrow born,
On wings of feathered fates,
The keeper of the cauldron and,
The keeper of the flame...
.back to top

WINDS OF OSTARA
We drink from wells dug by hands of old,
By ancient fire circles we gather against the cold,
Though the flames have faded into coals,
The morning star is here a season to behold,

By dawn we walk on trails not yet tread,
We are rising from the dead,
Memories of the past,
Pentacles are carved in ash,
Turn unto the place of spring,
Movements of a black birds wings,
Stir the cauldron of rebirth,
For the seasons of the earth...

Morning dew like a mother's tears,
Mysteries wake softly in the dawning of the year,
Morning light the way is shown,
Though our footsteps are hidden,
Our trail is still here,

Night has passed oh rise these weary bones,
Rise from the sleeping stones,
Through the forest and the fields,
New life shall be revealed,
Turn unto the well of spring,
The early morning robin sings,
A brighter song of rebirth,
For the seasons of the earth...
.back to top

TWILIGHT LYRICS

I Remember
Hear the howling of wolves,
Provoking the night,
With wild dances,
In the full moon light,
Run with horned one,
To the hollow hills,
Hear the beating of hooves,
In the night once still,
Of dances in the bonfire light,
I remember,
Old voices singing in the night,
I remember…
Speak to the shadows,
Listen to the moon,
Hear the silver crescent croon,
Run to the crogan,
When midnight wails,
As she twists like a dragon,
With scarlet scales,
Of fiery manes and emerald eyes,
I remember,
Gazing deep within the fire,
I remember…
In the woodland mist,
In the early morn,
The eyes of night,
Greet the rise of dawn,
The full moon watches,
As the sun awakes,
And sees the reflection,
Looking into the lake,
Of dances in the bonfire light,
I remember,
Old voices singing in the night,
I remember…
Of dances in the bonfire light,
I remember,
Gazing deep within the fire,
I remember…
back to top


Will o' the Wisp
Misty lights 'neath the tree of life,
the midnight air was crisp,
gathered in the circle of night,
the will o' the wisp,
Circled round that willow tree,
All the ribbons were tied for thee,
And all that was and forever shall be,
Was all the way it was meant to be,
All the way it was meant to be…
Glimpses of the world beneath,
Hidden in the sound,
Like flowers woven in a wreath,
The lovers souls are bound,
Circled round that willow tree,
All the ribbons were tied for thee,
And all that was and forever shall be,
Was all the way it was meant to be,
All the way it was meant to be..
.back to top


The Dragon
The dragon rising from the cave,
From the cauldron of rebirth,
The sleeping one again awakes,
From within the olden earth,
Sweep my hand across the grains,
My eyes a violet sky to meet,
A flower on a scarlet day,
A weed amidst the golden wheat...
The mistletoe shall ever grow,
Within the grove of magic dreams,
The serpent in the round of oaks,
The medicine of poison leaves,
Sweep my hand across the grains,
And thank the blessed giving rains,
For the dragon is born again,
And none have ever lived in vain...
The earth trembles with blessed dreams,
And the unseen dreamer weaves the seams,
The rainbow serpent has taken flight,
And the magic dream has come to life,
When harvest skies are cold and grey,
Fol de rol I’m on my way,
Through winter nights and summer days,
Fol de rol I’m on my way,
Sweep my hand across the grains,
Fol de rol I’m on my way,
For the dragon is born again,
And fol de rol I’m on my way...
back to top


Faery Mist
In the shade where the maidens wade,
The dew sleeps on the petals,
With an acorn cap and the scent of sap,
A lonely pixie meddles,
The mushroom springs from a mossy bed,
Of fragrant moonlight dreaming,
And from the fire in the head,
Enchanted rivers streaming,
Through the mist on the waters of dreaming,
Oh drink now from the river of sight,
Where the unseen world is wildly weaving,
In the melancholy wood of night…
The silky luminescent wings,
Of midnights' moonbeam riddles,
Sung upon the silver strings,
Of starlit forest fiddles,
The spiral of the branches reach,
The pattern of all life,
Written in the melody,
Upon a faery fife,
Through the mist on the waters of dreaming,
Oh drink now from the river of sight,
Where the unseen world is wildly weaving,
In the melancholy wood of night…
The ivy crowns and lichen gowns,
Of dryads' woven dances,
Perched upon a toadstool throne,
A midnight faery glances,
Under the hill in the wild night,
The one the pixies kissed,
Hidden from all doubtful sight,
The treasures of the mist,
Through the mist on the waters of dreaming,
Oh drink now from the river of sight,
Where the unseen world is wildly weaving,
In the melancholy wood of night…
back to top


Into the Twilight - Lyrics by WB Yeats
Out-worn heart, in a time outworn,
Come clear of the nets of wrong and right,
Laugh, heart, again in the grey twilight;
Sigh heart again in the dew of the morn.
Your mother Eire is always young,
Dew ever shining and twilight grey,
Though hope fall from you and love decay,
Burning in the fires of a slanderous tongue,
Come, heart, wear hill is heaped upon hill:
For there the mystical brotherhood
Of sun and moon and hallow and wood
And river and stream work out their will,
And God stands winding His lonely horn,
And time and the world are ever in flight;
And love is less kind than the grey twilight,
And hope is less dear than the
dew of the morn.
back to top


Morgana Moon
When the crescent lifts her shadowy veil,
And the wood grows bright with silver light,
The queen of night with a crown of stars,
Dances through the clouds in flight,
And in her face a memory,
Of long ago in a distant sea,
When she called upon the ocean waves,
And spoke of times forgotten days,
She calls me to the river,
And holds me by the water,
And gazing in her mirror,
A glimpse of forever,
And so her love called on the sea,
And the clouds danced over the thirsty land,
And falling upon the distant peaks,
Down to the valley how the waters ran,
And the sea became many rivers,
Journeying alone,
And even forgetting from whence they came,
They always ran towards home again,
She calls me to the river,
And holds me by the water,
And gazing in her mirror,
A glimpse of forever,
And by the light of the moon so bright,
In the valley where the waters meet,
Two rivers becoming one,
And journeying home to the sea,
And by the light of the moon so bright,
In the valley where the waters meet,
Many rivers becoming one,
And journeying home to the sea…
back to top


Mermaid
Well the ocean never forgets it’s song,
To the waves longing to belong,
And the moon never forgets the tide,
In the waves her gleaming palace hides,
And the sea as deep as her eyes,
By the shore the sound of her cries,
How the sea cries for the shore,
To see her lovers eyes once more,
To a body longing to belong,
From the palace she rose to be born,
And the sea as deep as her eyes,
And the moon never forgets the tide,
To the waves longing to belong,
And trhe ocean never forgets it’s song,
And trhe ocean never forgets it’s song,
The ocean never forgets it’s song...
back to top


Larksong
From the tattered remnants of long before,
And the scattered ruins of myth and lore,
From the foggy morning above the moor,
Pages on the wind,
The shattered reflections
Of our splashing tears,
In the mirrored pools of yesteryear,
Upon the water a vision appears,
Like a ghost on the wind,
I hear the voices all whispering,
And mingling in the dark,
The dew of morning bright and glistening,
In the sweet song of the lark,
The mosaic patterns of the emerald shade,
The woven webs and dreamy braids,
The vivid vision of the virgin wood,
As pure as the fire in the blood,
When the singer sleeps and the phantom wind,
Blows across this land again,
Oh sing that forgotten verse,
Pages on the wind,
I hear the voices all whispering,
And mingling in the dark,
The dew of morning bright and glistening,
In the sweet song of the lark,
In a wood so silent,
On a night so dark,
There you left your shining mark,
And in the morning came a lark,
Pages on the wind…
back to top


The Grove
The groves still green and growing,
The Juniper and Oak,
The Willow and the Rowan,
Still wear their leafy cloaks,
The Holly and the Hawthorn,
All wrapped in a wreath,
Where the old bark is peeling,
There is new wood beneath,
The Spindle and Vine,
The branches all entwined,
In the old sacred grove,
We gather tonight,
For it was written in the stars,
And bowed upon the breeze,
A tale braided in the branches,
And the color of the leaves,
From a fallen Rosewood bow,
A harp sings a fable,
From the wood of a Willow,
A rocker for a cradle,
Oh the arms of the Ash,
The winged fruit,
Where the old tree has fallen,
New life takes root,
The Elder and the Pine,
The branches all entwined,
In the old sacred grove,
We gather tonight,
In honor of the queen of leaves,
And her green man in the trees,
A tale braided in the branches,
And the color of the leaves...
back to top


Night Blossom
Kiss the petals when the stars all bloom,
Dance the spiral and jump the broom,
Climb the gyre through the darkened storm,
By the crescents horns the night is born,
And as I walked that lonely stair,
And rode the sky on a starry mare,
A great white owl rose in the sky,
And dreamed the flight of lullabies,
Grandmother gazing from the stars,
With shadowy eyes and silvery hair,
Becoming a newborn child,
Gazing down in the midnight air,
Spiraling down in the nighttime sky…
And there within the halos’ nest,
The tattered wings of ravens rest,
The woven twig and thread and thorn,
The twinkling eyes of the moonlit faun,
And as I climbed that lonely tower,
There within the midnight hour,
The piping of the hillside breeze,
The orchestra of windy trees,
Old one gazing from the stars,
Wrinkles of wisdom and lines of grace,
Suddenly the world grows calm,
When you show your newborn face,
Spiraling down in the nighttime sky…
The drifting smoke of our vigil fires,
Rises through the rainbow crown,
The movement of the dance inspires,
A vision spiraling to the ground,
And as I wandered lost in awe,
Without a worry or a fright,
The loneliness was here no more,
As silver wings filled the night,
The mirror in the indigo,
Soft as sand and white as snow,
Newborn eyes young and bright,
Grace the elder face of night,
Spiraling down in the nighttime sky…
back to top
 

Silver Crow
(written by Lily Swan)
Grandmother, tell me a story
From the pages of once, long ago
When the wind was a child
And the rivers ran wild
Tell me, Grandmother, so I will know
 
From the days of our early beginnings
When the very first children asked, “Why?”
There appeared in the sky
In the wink of an eye
 The form of a large, silver crow
Saying, “All that you ask, you shall know”
 
How big is the sky?
How long is forever?
Who are we?
Why are we here?
Will we ever be able to piece it together?
Will it ever become wholly clear?
 
The sky’s a reflection of all that you are
Forever’s in every breath
You’re the laughter of rainbows
The music of stars
you’ve  come to become who you are
back to top


Midnight Ring
Wander,
By the wick and the wax,
Onward,
By the stick and the staff,
See the moon in the waves
of the shimmering seas,
Listening,
To the twinkling of stars,
Glistening,
In all that we are,
Find the rhythm in the wind
through the wavering trees,
Wash your sorrows
in the river of memories…
So put the wood on the pile,
Let the flames grow tall,
Gather round and make your sound,
Oh kindle the fire,
And sound the call,
To dance in the midnight round…
Sojourn,
Through the valley of the night,
Gather,
By the standing stones tonight,
Through the wood and the fields
with a gift to bring,
Onward,
Through the twilight and the dawn,
Onward
Through the barley and the corn,
Through the meadows
the melody of life still sings,
All around to the sound
in the midnight ring…
So put the wood on the pile,
let the flames grow tall,
Gather round and make your sound,
Oh kindle the fire,
And sound the call,
To dance in the midnight round…
Gallop,
Beyond the rising hills,
Journey,
Through the winters windy chills,
Until the bloom of the flowers
of the budding spring…
back to top