Prayers from the Ark

Sunday's readings on Noah's Ark were a timely reminder to me that the Holy Spirit is always with us, even during trips to the library. Just the afternoon before, I had discovered two tattered and unassuming volumes of poetry tucked timidly beside works written by the likes of Robert Frost and John Keats. My first unexpected find was "The Creatures' Choir," translated by Rumer Godden from the original French of the obscure poet, Carmen Bernos de Gasztold. Originally published in booklet form by the Benedictine Abbey at Limon-par-Igny, France, this cluster of poems, presented from the point of view of the animals on Noah's Ark, was rediscovered by Godden, who determined to introduce the work to the English-speaking world.

Far from being sappy or sentimental, The Creatures' Choir" presents the animals' point of view in an authentic and often heart-rending way. Although I have never paused to consider how an animal might "feel," the poetry rings true at every turn. Each individual animal cries to our heavenly Creator with simple faith, confiding in Him its every affliction and aspiration--and oftentimes, the humblest of creatures have the most to say. Here are some examples:

The Toad

Lonely and ugly--
who hasn't a horror
of me, Lord?
Yet my song trills
of an unmalicious heart.
In the night that hides me,
I dedicate
the melancholy chant
of my unwholesomeness
to You, Lord.
Of Your mercy
graciously accept it,
and at last I shall learn
to bear my odium
with love.

Amen.

The Mole

I dig and dig,
looking
for life itself.
You have chosen darkness
for me, Lord,
and my tunnel
lengthens
in cavernous night.
Here and there,
a tiny hillock
shows above ground;
the rest
is buried in deep dark.
A hidden life,
Lord,
but not a poor one--
my velvet coat shows that.
In shadowy gloom
one can walk without presumption
and be perfectly safe--
but the sun
can turn one's head;
Lord, keep me from the vanities of the world,
and guide the strivings
of my little paws
so that they reach
some secret Paradise.

Amen.

The Ladybird

Dear God,
I belong to Our Lady, Your Mother.
That isn't hard to believe;
It's written in my name.
Oh! May my midget
thanksgiving,
the small circles of my flight
across the meadow,
gladden Her heart.
How I love each blade of Your grass!
I love to land there,
resting the happy whirr of my wings--
dotted with small black eyes.
Thank you for having made me
so that no one is afraid of me:
a little toy,
a penny toy,
a mite of comfort and laughter.

Amen.

Rumer Godden notes in the introduction that some of the poetry defied a proper translation. For example, the word "gnat" in French means both "gnat" and "color," so the double meaning intended by the poet is lost to an English speaking audience. Perusing these poems in French would make an excellent addition to our study of the French language.

"The Creatures' Choir," is a companion work to another separate volume, "Prayers from the Ark." My library carried a picture book version, translated by Rumer Godden and beautifully illustrated by Barry Moser. Once again, the poetry is tender and moving, although this time, a human voice cries out to Our Lord as well:

Noah's Prayer

Lord,
what a managerie!
Between Your downpour and these animal cries
one cannot hear oneself think!
The days are long,
Lord.
All this water makes my heart sink.
When will the ground cease to rock under my feet?
The days are long.
Master Raven has not come back.
Here is Your dove.
Will she find us a twig of hope?
The days are long,
Lord.
Guide Your Ark to safety,
some zenith of rest,
where we can escape at last
from this brute slavery.
The days are long,
Lord.
Lead me until I reach the shore of Your covenant.

While we have enjoyed this edition of "Prayers from the Ark" enormously, it only contains selected poems from the original, and I would love to get my hands on an unabridged version.

For more on Noah's Ark, take a look at Jan Brett's site for patterns to make a mural with your children. Needless to say, Jan Brett's lavishly illustrated version of the story is not to be missed. I also found a site with a fun online matching game, not to mention a wildly expensive, but well worth a glance page of heirloom Noah's Ark toys. These remind me of the handcarved Noah's Arks early American children were allowed to play with once a year on Christmas!

Several years ago, by the way, my husband surprised me for Mother's Day with Rien Poortvliet's gorgeous and glossy masterpiece, Noah's Ark. Each animal is presented in fine detail, making it a perfect book to pore over with young ones. Normally, because it is quite expensive, I would not recommend it for purchase, but it is currently marked down significantly.

Comments

[Dawn]

Alice, I so enjoy your lovely blog ... you can't imagine how much this post has inspired me this morning! We've just started a "Noah and the Animals" project, and these poems are a perfect complement.

[Helen]

Thanks for another great post Alice. I just began a new section in my notebook entitled
"Ideas from Cottage Blessings"
Love,
Helen

[Happyheartsmom]

The online matching is fabulous!! Beautiful post and again so inspiring, Hugs!

[Alice Gunther]

Dawn, Helen, and Happyheartsmom, I can't thank you enough!