Deep Peace

Deep Peace by Fiona Macleod

Fiona MacLeod, was a Celtic visionary and romantic of the late nineteenth century. Readers of her era were enchanted by the marvelous weaving of folklore, myth, vision, and personal observation she brought forth in her prose and poetry.

It was eventually revealed that the lovely, mysterious Fiona MacLeod was in fact, William Sharp. This seems to have been more than a literary affectation or a trick to sell books, but a genuine effort on William Sharp’s part to express an inner female nature. Fiona’s literary stock tumbled quite a bit after this discovery, though her work continued to enjoy some success thereafter, most notably with the long running opera The Immortal Hour based on Fiona’s poetry, which ran in England in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Deep peace I breathe into you,
O weariness, here:
O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to You;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to You;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace from the Son of Peace to you,
Deep peace from the heart of Mary to you,
And from Briget of the Mantle
Deep peace, deep peace!
And with the kindness too of the Haughty Father
Peace!
In the name of the Three who are One,
Peace!
And by the will of the King of the Elements,
Peace! Peace

From “the Dominion of Dreams Under a Dark Star” by Fiona Macleod (1895)

More Prayers for Peace

About the author

Charles is a Presbyterian minister, writer, editor, activist, publisher and public theologian.

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