Mike's musings

Finish, then home

Last night, I went to a concert in the chapel at London Colney Pastoral Centre (where we were having the weekend) by the St Alban's Chamber Choir. They sang Palestrina's Missa Hodie Christus Natus Est and a selection of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany motets by Palestrina, Lassus, Guerrero and Vittoria (or Victoria). The acoustics in the chapel are good for that kind of music, and it was a real treat for me to hear some live choral music. Afterwards, in the bar, Sarah, a good friend on the course, introduced me to the George Herbert poem, "Aaron".

            HOLINESS on the head,
    Light and perfection on the breast,
Harmonious bells below raising the dead
    To lead them unto life and rest.
            Thus are true Aarons drest.*

            Profaneness in my head,
    Defects and darkness in my breast,
A noise of passions ringing me for dead
    Unto a place where is no rest :
            Poor priest ! thus am I drest.

            Only another head
    I have another heart and breast,
Another music, making live, not dead,
    Without whom I could have no rest :
            In Him I am well drest.

            Christ is my only head,
    My alone only heart and breast,
My only music, striking me e'en dead ;
    That to the old man I may rest,
            And be in Him new drest.

            So holy in my Head,
    Perfect and light in my dear Breast,
My doctrine tuned by Christ (who is not dead,
    But lives in me while I do rest),
            Come, people ;  Aaron's drest.

Today also went well, but I was, of course, glad to get home. We've had a nightmare putting Jo down tonight. In fact, she's really sleeping rather badly at the moment. She's always up twice during the night, and sometimes three or four times.

Bit of a random blog - don't really feel that I've processed everything from the weekend, so we'll see how we go over the next few days.