Bright Lady

This is how it all started; why Pithukuf came to be here... Someone sent me a pair of verses to Nonesuch, a blessing for a trader's stall apparently known as "the Lady's Bransle" (although Nonesuch isn't a bransle). I was inspired to write a third verse (the last one in this song) as a puzzle drawing on W B Yeates and on Jack McDevitt's "Engines of God". However, since I couldn't find the original author, I couldn't tell whether adding my verse onto the end would spoil their imagery, so the result was to write more verses echoing the phases of the moon and using my own "Temple of the Winds" as inspiration. Nonesuch is such a lovely tune.

Bright lady of the waxing moon
Give love and life hereafter
Sing now for us the brightest rune
of passion and of laughter
The warp and weft of life and light
we'll weave into this token
So dance the maze with us tonight
until the dawn is broken.

Oh lover of the full-moon's light
With bitterness and sweetness
Be with us in this place tonight
and grant us your completeness
The darkest wine: the brightest star
enrich us and sustain us
The circle joining near and far
within its bounds contain us.

Dark lady as the old moon wanes
for one last time enfold us
Share now our joys and loves and pains
and gentle us and hold us.
Draw down the life within our heart
The end will bring no sorrow
and, come the time, we'll merry part
and merry meet tomorrow.

Oh lady whisper soft to me
with light from dark perfect us
and from the darkness set us free
and in this hour protect us.
The circle starts just as it ends
Short times we have together
but dancing with the best of friends
is what we share forever.

Oh Lady, hold our dreams this day
the golden skies above us
Deep-water blue the hard fired clay
Protect them all, and love us
and tread them gently where they lie
Bejewelled silver burning
the temple where the free winds fly
From each a gift returning.