The Circling of Silbury

From where the land   beneath the circling Sun God   rises

we see   at day   the circle of The God of Air

In anger  clouds race round the sky where at the fall of night

a force of light more dark than day sets The Sun to rest

And in His measurement the God of Stars communes

to share his vastness with the varied Moon

She circles our watching heads   changing Her position with the seasons

sometimes close and round as The Sun in the day

sometimes pared away and distant   sometimes gone

These Gods - more steadfast and more powerful than we -

send fatted grain to swell the husk of spelt

At the closest brightness of The Moon -

and in The Light of Sun - we harvest

Each season follows on as Gods decree they should

But when the God of Air is angry in His circling

clouds send no rain and crops dry up and wither in The Sun

or too much rain - they rot along the stalk - and grain can never ripen

In the best of harvests   when spelt is brimming in the store

we climb the hill and raise our thanks to meet The Gods

giving generously of grain They gave to let us eat

And in the desperate times

when grain is poor and full of mould

we give the best to Them to strike a bargain for the years to come

and sadly we wait out the cold of winter

This rising of the land is not enough to keep us close

Along the plain   just where that rock juts forth

we plan to build a hill much higher

Its circling will be an echo of the seasons

Our tools - as good as any tools The Gods allow us -

continue striking every hour that we can see

We prepare the steps in circle upon circle to the top

As our lives and seasons change and fade away

we'll carry clay and stone to raise our offerings much closer

A centre mound of clay above the steps of rock will form a circle

Around this circle   in a circle   we will place the blocks of chalk

Along a ramp and rising   we will raise the blocks to meet The Gods

Each season   higher than the last we'll please The Gods with offerings

Feasting on the flattened summit

we'll celebrate the Goddess of the Earth

The Sun God and The Goddess of The Moon

The Gods of Sky and Air  The Goddess of The Water

On Their alter made of clay beneath the arch of circled boughs

we'll place our offerings of gratitude for harvest

call our invocations to The Gods wherever they may be around us

celebrate the harvest and the circling of time

1997 CPR