Solemn jubilee

On Boxing Day, or the feast of St Stephen, I want a poem which is noble, celebratory, but neither tawdrily cheerful or sweetly religious.  Inspired by the BBC, which is currently broadcasting Paradise Lost (what a wonderful way to enjoy this poem, admittedly daunting on the page), I turned to John Milton.  Not, as you will all be guessing now, to his Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity, but to the lovely At a Solemn Music.

This is very fine poetry, calm and powerful, with some lovely phrasing - "high-raised phantasy" and the cheerfully perverse pairing of "saintly shout and solemn jubilee".  And what do you think "disproportion'd sin" might be?  I love it, and I hope you will too.  This is John Milton's At A Solemn Music. 

("Quires" is merely "choirs"; "diapason" has many technical musical definitions, but the most useful meaning seems to be a full, rich outpouring of harmonious sound).

Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'n's joy,
Sphere-born harmonious Sisters, Voice and Verse,
Wed your divine sounds, and mixt power employ
Dead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce,
And to our high-rais'd fantasy present
That undisturbéd song of pure concent,
Ay sung before that sapphire-colour'd throne
            To Him that sits thereon,
With saintly shout and solemn jubilee,
Where the bright Seraphim in burning row
Their loud up-lifted Angel trumpets blow,
And the Cherubic host in thousand choirs
Touch their immortal Harps of golden wires,
With those just Spirits that wear victorious Palms,
            Hymns devout and holy Psalms
            Singing everlastingly;
That we on Earth with undiscording voice
May rightly answer that melodious noise;
As once we did, till disproportion'd sin
Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din
Broke the fair music that all creatures made
To their great Lord, whose love their motion sway'd
In first obedience, and their state of good.

   O may we soon again renew that Song,
   And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long
   To His celestial consort us unite,
To live with Him, and sing in endless morn of light.

Comments

[Peter L]

To many musicians (and choral singers in particular) this poem is best known in its setting by Hubert Parry - the problem then being for one such that one's 'mental image' of the poem is a seriously 19th Century one and rereading it stripped of the music can be a little disorientating, though of course very rewarding! Anyone who is not familiar with the Parry setting might find it an interesting experience - Parry takes the 'rich outpouring of harmonious sound' very literally!.