Shortest and brightest

[sovay]

It's the shortest day, and the sky is all the pale, cloudless, distant brightness of winter: the sun in its dying rage. I am off to buy greenery, to ensure spring. There are skimmed-milk shadows on the snow.

Oh, the winter's in its prime and the snow will soon be flying
Let us go then, you and I, while the light is slowly dying
Will you go, lassie, go?

(chorus)
And we'll all go together to the hills white with snow
Where in summers we picked heather
Will you go, lassie, go?

I will build an icy house by yon clear frozen fountain
And I'll deck it all around with the holly of the mountain
Will you go, lassie, go?

By the frozen waterfall where the light sparkles lively
We will fill our baskets full of the green fir and the ivy
Will you go, lassie, go?

We will twine a merry wreath with our spirits full of loving
For to keep the summer's green till again we can go roving
Will you go, lassie, go?

And we'll all go together to the hills white with snow
Where in summers we'll pick heather
Will you go, lassie, go?

(tune, traditional; words by Sonya Taaffe, Peter Gould, Mollie Burke)

Comments

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Wishing you joy.

Nine

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

You've seen Peter? How is he?

[sovay]

Well, we wrote the song two or three years ago: but I have seen Peter, and he is still archetypal. I'm seeing him again in January, for Luis' seventieth birthday. It's all cool.