Saturday, May 07, 2005

St. Aldhelm

I’ve never heard of St. Aldhelm (7th century), but his riddle-like poem is so beautiful. I quote from Lacey and Danziger’s The Year 1000 (p.158):

Multicoloured in hue, I flee the sky and the deep earth.
There is no place for me on the ground, nor in any part of the poles.
No one fears an exile as cruel as mine,
But I make the world grow green with my rainy tears.

The “answer” to this riddle is “cloud.” Incredible diction and exactitude. What if I composed a series of, say, 36 pieces in this fashion?