I’ve been taking a bit of a break during
March, but I still had some articles and posts appearing (links below). I
needed some time away from my normal routine and the bombardment of media you
sometimes slip into.
Articles
and links
I’ve had requests for some articles about
Easter and the Easter holiday. In the more serious article about why Easter is
celebrated, I tried to give a short and quite basic answer; as I intended it to
be for readers who do not know why Easter is celebrated and just want to find
out the basics. The last article is one I’ve already Tweeted about. The subject
of classic literature is close to my heart, and I want to do a follow up
article here on Hersenskim as well. Click on the titles to read the articles:
That said, there are more articles to come,
as well as my post for the Writing Process Blog Tour, and I’ll be taking part
in Campnanowrimo in April. While I won’t be tackling a novel in April, I will
be continuing with some major worldbuilding and planning of the stories I want
to write. I hope to start working on a proper draft of the first one in May and
will then take part in Nanowrimo again in November (though I will have to wait
and see how far I get before knowing what exactly I’ll be writing in November).
As this will be my first camp, I’m quite
looking forward to it! (And I know my local coffee shop will be seeing a lot of
me…)
“Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger; Stronger than the dark, the light; Stronger than the wrong, the right; Faith and Hope triumphant say Christ will rise on Easter Day.” – Phillips Brooks
Easter is both a time of death, suffering and a stone tomb. But, more than that, it is a time of life, of renewal, of forgiveness and hope.
When you look around you – whether it is the daily news or perhaps even your own circumstances – it is very easy to forget that there is still good in the world. Days may be dark – but there have always been dark days. Chaos seems all around – but has it not been like that for centuries? Light will triumph in the end because it has already triumphed. There is no need to search for immortality and everlasting joy, because it is already within reach – just beyond the doorway, just beyond the curtain. The Light has already triumphed and the tomb is empty. Death is nothing now.
rume roderas;þæt is rice god,
sylf soðcyning,sawla nergend,
se us eal forgeafþæt we on lifgaþ,
on deft æt þam ende eallum wealdeð
monna cynne. þæt is meotud sylfa.
The God of glory, the God of all strength,
made the wide firmament
and the kingdom of heaven.
He is the true King,
The Keeper of souls,
The One who forgives,
the One who bestows life here and hereafter –
the Ruler of mankind.
He is the One who is. ~ From “Maxims I – B”, translation by Brigit Pegeen Kelly. Quoted from The Word Exchange: Anglo-Saxon Poems in Translation, eds. Greg Delanty and Michael Matto. Published by W.W. Norton & Company.www.wwnorton.com/books/
Before the throne
In my room I will bow before the throne
And be still and search for words
In the tongues I know
To exalt and praise and plead.
I will go into my room to be alone,
I will be still and think only of this
And realise that there is an ear that will hear my words
On the throne that none can see.
I will think of ancient stone and desert lands harsh to withstand
And buildings great and grand.
But not there, not there will I go, not where all can see
A lone person praying. A broken person pleading.
I will be still and know that here my words are like
A song of praise that I can but imagine and not sing,
That stuttering words will become sweet music,
That simple words will be given flight,
That all asked from the Prince will be answered,
That the Spirit will fill the simple room where I am,
That the King will place his hand on my shoulder,
That I will go from this room with new life.
Tears will be dried,
New life will enter me.
New love will enter me.
New peace will enter me.
I will be unbound and look at the world anew.
I will go into my room to be alone,
To plead, to praise, to humbly ask for new life. ~ Written by Carin Marais
May you have a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!
For this last
week before Easter, I chose the song “Stabat iuxta Christi crucem”, written by
John Browne.
When I first
read the lyrics, I was deeply touched by the emotion of the song.
All the sadness of the crucifixion is contained. What really touched me in this
song was the personal focus on the sadness and horror of a mother having to
watch her child killed.
Here is a video
of the song, but it can also be listened to here. Below the video is the
English lyrics, followed by and Afrikaans translation[1].
The translation
of the English lyrics quoted here, has been taken from the booklet of Anonymous4’s album Four Centuries of Chant.
More info about the album can be found here at Harmonia Mundi or here at thegroup’s website.
