Divined Folklore [Revised 27 Oct 07], Logarhyme for Halloween Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Divined Folklore

There was a time when Druid priests
did celebrate all souls deceased,
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
would acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.

Most welcomed on the eve enroute --
those spirits loved, that lurked about
to sites indwell’d,
where Celtic lands then turned pitch dark
and costumed man entrenched his mark;
traditions held.

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception, Boo!
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern Fred
was soon conceived.

The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved;
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch pervades the scene
now recognized as Hallowe’en --
Pagan salute.

Remember... when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door --
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared;
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divined folklore!

Copyright © Lorraine M Kanter


<sub>Original: Oct 06, 2006

Divine Traditions

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.

The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to dark
while costumed man would set his mark:
traditions held.

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.

The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved;
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered scene
so recognized on Halloween;
Pagan salute.

Remember when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared,
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!</sub>

[JustDaniel]

A clever tracing of the history of the widely-practiced traditions of the end of this month, Lori, aptly, deftly and for the most part flowingly using Keith's form.

Just a few notes:

Divine Traditions

I'm unsure that the title is not a twist of the meaning of Divine ? I'd like to understand your reasoning here ? I do follow the history you spread out here and see that the RC Church utilized the festival and changed its meaning. Is that what you're positing in the title? Maybe 'Divined' ?

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.
[ or fear ? ]
The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
[ dwelled ? I'm not sure that a place can be dwelled, since it is an intransitive verb ? ]
Cold Celtic lands would turn to dark
while costumed man would set his mark:
traditions held.

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
[ unfamiliar to me, so what does claimed deception mean ? ]
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.
Good development there!
The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved; [ em-dash ? ]
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered pervades the scene
so now recognized on as Hallowe[']en; [ the apostrophe to show the transition ? ]
Pagan salute.

Remember[...] when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared[;] (,)
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!

Copyright © Lorraine M Kanter

Of course you know the deal: sort through the bag and toss out all the questionable stuff, and if there's anything dangerous try to trace it back to the one who put it in the bag...

but please don't arrest the fat man; just toss what he offered!

not so Lightly, Daniel _________________

[Guest_Cathy_*]

Quite appropriate for this time of year! LOL

A few thoughts for you to ponder... take or toss as you wish!

Cathy

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain[,]{.} These lines feel like they should be linked, not separated by an end stop.
[t]heir crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.

The spirits that [then]do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route Switch 'on' and 'in' around...
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to[pitch] dark
while costumed man would set his mark: I think 'set' could be stronger. What about 'stage' to correlate with 'costumed'?
traditions held.

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.

The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved;
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered[commands the] scene
so recognized on Halloween;
Pagan salute.

Remember when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared,
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!

[Guest_Gregory_*]

Cleo, I am with Daniel here, clever. Good to see old 'Fred' get a mention and the control of the use of sacred symbols that has pervaded our culture since. I think Divine is quite appropriate, although non-denominationally I see a more universal application of the word can be implied here. I like the tone of rhetorical strength in the meter, and see its uses here in reminding folks of the traditions of our ancestors. I am a great fan of this poem, try " their dwelling places". Cheers, Gregory

[AMETHYST]

Hi Lori ...

I've been going over this the past couple of nights at home. This is wonderful. You hadn't left much to nit pick about. The story steadily builids, poetically through to the final stanza. I found the original language interesting and mind catching. The subject is quite interesting, as it is far side from the usually poetry I have read and this enlivened my experience of the read.

A well chosen title drew me in. Divine Traditions has a multitude of ideas that come to mind and I was more impressed by what I actually found. Let's see what else I can discuss here! Also I felt the subject was quite fitting of the Form "Logarhyme" ...


...

Big Hugs and cheers for the poetry I've found here!

Liz ...

Divine Traditions

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.


Very strong opening stanza. It brings the subject into view. Using powerful images and poetic techniques, strong end rhymes which feel unforced. Now this might only be my perspective on L2 but it reads to me as the celebration is of those who 'died' on fest Samhain. Perhaps..

would celebrate beloves deceased,
on fest Samhain.

beloved maybe. hmmm... I'm not even sure that change does it. I think a comma after deceased might do it. I've gone over this little stumble of mine several times and although I know on a second read of the line it is clear of the intended meaning...



The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to dark
while costumed man would set his mark:
traditions held.

The first 3 lines of S2, I keep wanting to read it switched, such as L2, revised to fit as a L1 and then bringing L2 down, revising L3 to fit the switch. I have no idea what makes me feel this way.

Sort of like this (this is a weak attempt)

Most welcome in the eve on route
those spirits lost, who lurk about
their placecs dwelled.

I suppose the idea I am trying to reach for is to enhance the image that the spirits are looking for their way home... and often on this eve, beloved ones invite them home so they can then move on to their rightful place...




To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.

Ah, my mother's family belief was that Oct 31st was all hollows eve, and Nov 1st was all Saints eve...where on the eve of Halloween, the spirits would spook and lurk about, mischief and other souls about, and all Saints day, is when the Saints or angels came to show them the way to where they needed to be...

I enjoyed the frolly of this stanza, the intwinement of history and folly in one. No nits here!


The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved;
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered scene
so recognized on Halloween;
Pagan salute.

Again, the Logarhymes bouncy meter enhances the frolicking tone, and yet,
I enjoy the history that unfolds. I especially liked how you've drawn out the Irish tradition, and L3... :)

Again, I've no nits... Good word crafting.


Remember when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared,
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!

This is a perfect, well rounded, smoothly written ending stanza...


Copyright © Lorraine M Kanter

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hello Daniel, Cathy, Gregory and Liz.

I'm sorry not to respond in depth to all your wonderful suggestions, I've been behind since coming back from vacation.

I'll be back with proper replies thjis weekend.

Thanks again!
~Cleo

[Eisa]

Hi Lori

This one brings me out in goose-bumps yet I have learned a lot from reading it too

Just a few thoughts --

Divine Traditions

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.

L2 -- poss. 'all souls deceased'

The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to dark
while costumed man would set his mark:
traditions held.

L1 -- sounds a bit awkward, perhaps

The spirits lingering about

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.

This St made me smile!

The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved;
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered scene
so recognized on Halloween;
Pagan salute.

Remember when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared,
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!

Perfect ending Lori


Great read

Snow

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hello Daniel.

So sorry for my tardy response!

A clever tracing of the history of the widely-practiced traditions of the end of this month, Lori, aptly, deftly and for the most part flowingly using Keith's form.
Thanks very much - this is the only Logarhyme I've written thus far and the theme illustrates the time of year I learned of his form.

Just a few notes:

I'm unsure that the title is not a twist of the meaning of Divine ? I'd like to understand your reasoning here ? I do follow the history you spread out here and see that the RC Church utilized the festival and changed it's meaning. Is that what you're positing in the title? Maybe 'Divined' ?
Yes, the RC church condemned the Pagan festival and changed it (the following day to 'All Saint's Day') - so my title is in fact a PUN. Hmmm - I think perhaps 'Divined' is more appropriate.

Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.
[ or fear ? ]
It isn't 'fear' within that the druids sacrificed, it is their 'faith' - their traditions, which to this day, still remain.

The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
[ dwelled ? I'm not sure that a place can be dwelled, since it is an intransitive verb ? ]
I am using it as a verb (wihtout object) as in 'resided'. It seems OK when I look it up in Dictionary.com.

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
[ unfamiliar to me, so what does claimed deception mean ? ]
The Pope was attempting to replace the earlier Celtic pagan festival with a church-sanctioned holiday. As this Christian holiday spread, the name evolved as well, "Trick-or-treating" is what became of this tradition. The distribution of "soul cakes" was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money. The church tried to replace the "belief that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth". On the eve of Samhain, the gates of the Abyss were unlocked and spirits from below flew free. Human souls that had been trapped in the bodies of animals were released by the Lord of the Dead and sent to their new incarnations. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. As you can imagine, the RC church must have been spinning at that thought/faith and changed the meaning of spiritualism to mysticism.

A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.
Good development there! TY!
The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved; [ em-dash ? ] Not sure what you mean?
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered pervades the scene
so now recognized on as Hallowe[']en; [ the apostrophe to show the transition ? ] Excellent suggestions!
Pagan salute.

Remember[...] when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared[;] (,)
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!

Of course you know the deal: sort through the bag and toss out all the questionable stuff, and if there's anything dangerous try to trace it back to the one who put it in the bag...

but please don't arrest the fat man; just toss what he offered!

not so Lightly, Daniel _________________
Thanks so much Daniel for your comments and suggestions!

~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hello Cathy.

Sorry for my late response!

Quite appropriate for this time of year! LOL
A few thoughts for you to ponder... take or toss as you wish!
Cathy

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain[,]{.} These lines feel like they should be linked, not separated by an end stop.
[t]heir crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.
I don't see what you see Cathy? One thought is about the bonfires and the other introduces the festival Samhain.

The spirits that [then]do lurk about - Good idea!
are welcomed in the eve on route Switch 'on' and 'in' around. I think you mean en route?
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to[pitch] dark - Another good idea!
while costumed man would set his mark: I think 'set' could be stronger. What about 'stage' to correlate with 'costumed'?That could work too Cathy.
traditions held.

A pumpkin patch soon entered[commands the] scene - This is good, I like Daniel's idea too for 'pervades' - will think on it.
so recognized on Halloween;
Pagan salute.

Thanks so much for you comments and suggestions Cathy - rev coming up!
Cheers
~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Cleo, I am with Daniel here, clever. Good to see old 'Fred' get a mention and the control of the use of sacred symbols that has pervaded our culture since. I think Divine is quite appropriate, although non-denominationally I see a more universal application of the word can be implied here. I like the tone of rhetorical strength in the meter, and see its uses here in reminding folks of the traditions of our ancestors. I am a great fan of this poem, try " their dwelling places". Cheers, Gregory

Hello Gregory.

Sorry for my tardy response!

Yes, I agree with you, Divine is really meant to be a pun on the RC church's actions to change the festival and beliefs of the Celts. I'll give your suggestion consideration as I revise.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Cleo

[JustDaniel]

How about ( also to replace on route )...

... enroute
to sites indwell'd.

Again, a place cannot be dwelled, though it can be dwelt in. One can reside in or dwell in a house, but a house cannot be resided or dwelt, but resided in or dwelt in or indwelt. You are correct that you're using it as a verb without an object, but your subject is itself inert, and for something to dwell, reside, live, I think you'll see that it has to be a living being or at the very least something personified, and you're not personifying the dweller here -- which itself is a place and can only be indwelt.

Lightly, Daniel

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hi Liz.

Apologies to you as well for my tardy response.

Hi Lori ...

I've been going over this the past couple of nights at home. This is wonderful. You hadn't left much to nit pick about. The story steadily builids, poetically through to the final stanza. I found the original language interesting and mind catching. The subject is quite interesting, as it is far side from the usually poetry I have read and this enlivened my experience of the read.

A well chosen title drew me in. Divine Traditions has a multitude of ideas that come to mind and I was more impressed by what I actually found. Let's see what else I can discuss here! Also I felt the subject was quite fitting of the Form "Logarhyme" ...

Big Hugs and cheers for the poetry I've found here!
Liz ...
Thanks so much - it's always neat to research a topic and uncover the multiple layers, isn't it? I had no idea how Halloween had started until I read about samain from something Lucie had written a few years back.

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.

Very strong opening stanza. It brings the subject into view. Using powerful images and poetic techniques, strong end rhymes which feel unforced. Now this might only be my perspective on L2 but it reads to me as the celebration is of those who 'died' on fest Samhain. Perhaps..

would celebrate beloves deceased,
on fest Samhain.

beloved maybe. hmmm... I'm not even sure that change does it. I think a comma after deceased might do it. I've gone over this little stumble of mine several times and although I know on a second read of the line it is clear of the intended meaning...
Thanks Liz. Actually, it is about celebrating the dead. It is the one night the 'veil' between living and dead is at its thinnest, so the celts would welcome the dead into their homes. I could probably say 'during Samhan'?

The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to dark
while costumed man would set his mark:
traditions held.
The first 3 lines of S2, I keep wanting to read it switched, such as L2, revised to fit as a L1 and then bringing L2 down, revising L3 to fit the switch. I have no idea what makes me feel this way.

Sort of like this (this is a weak attempt)

Most welcome in the eve on route
those spirits lost, who lurk about
their places dwelled.

I suppose the idea I am trying to reach for is to enhance the image that the spirits are looking for their way home... and often on this eve, beloved ones invite them home so they can then move on to their rightful place...
I see what you mean there - but the souls aren't 'lost', so maybe:
Most welcomed in the eve en route
those spirits loved, who lurk about
their places dwelled.

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.

Ah, my mother's family belief was that Oct 31st was all hollows eve, and Nov 1st was all Saints eve...where on the eve of Halloween, the spirits would spook and lurk about, mischief and other souls about, and all Saints day, is when the Saints or angels came to show them the way to where they needed to be...

I enjoyed the frolly of this stanza, the intwinement of history and folly in one. No nits here!
That's a good way to look at these traditions!

The Irish turned a turnip carved
with scary face and embers starved;
first lighted fruit.
A pumpkin patch soon entered scene
so recognized on Halloween;
Pagan salute.

Again, the Logarhymes bouncy meter enhances the frolicking tone, and yet,
I enjoy the history that unfolds. I especially liked how you've drawn out the Irish tradition, and L3... :) Again, I've no nits... Good word crafting.
Thanks very much!

Remember when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared,
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!

This is a perfect, well rounded, smoothly written ending stanza...

Thanks Liz for your visit and comments! Much appreciated! I need to ponder all the ideas presented...

~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hi Snow.

Sorry for my late reply to your ideas.

Hi Lori

This one brings me out in goose-bumps yet I have learned a lot from reading it too
Excellent Snow! I'm always thrilled to pass along info I find researching topics.

Just a few thoughts --

There was a time when Druid priests
would celebrate the souls deceased
on fest Samhain.
Their crops ablaze in sacrifice
to acquiesce a sacred price
of faith within.
L2 -- poss. 'all souls deceased'
Yes, that could work very well! TY!

The spirits that do lurk about
are welcomed in the eve on route
to places dwelled.
Cold Celtic lands would turn to dark
while costumed man would set his mark:
traditions held.
L1 -- sounds a bit awkward, perhaps

The spirits lingering about
Yes, that do is kind of like 'filler' and many are commenting on that line. Your idea keeps the meter where I like it. I'll be pondering your suggestion for sure!

To honor Saints and martyrs too
the Cath’lics claimed deception - “Boo!”
on Hallow’s Eve.
A festival of Christian dead
complete with Jack-O-Lantern “Fred”
was soon conceived.
This St made me smile!
I couldn't think of anything else to rhyme with 'dead' so I came up with naming the pumpkin Fred - glad you like it!

Remember when you pass out treats
and welcome souls of those in sheets
at your front door -
give thanks to Celtic symbols shared,
be wary and be rightly scared:
Divine folklore!
Perfect ending Lori

Great read
Snow

Thanks very much Snow - I will be back when a revision is written.
Cheers
~Cleo

[Guest_Don_*]

Hi Cleo,

I particularly liked your first stanza. I wonder about changing the word would to did? Another point is that though most us believe the Druids to be ancient, there are significant number of active modern conterparts. While on the subject it was not just the Druids celebrating, but the entire populace.

May the RC's have compassion upon your soul.

Don :)

[Cleo_Serapis]

How about ( also to replace on route )...

... enroute
to sites indwell'd.

Again, a place cannot be dwelled, though it can be dwelt in. One can reside in or dwell in a house, but a house cannot be resided or dwelt, but resided in or dwelt in or indwelt. You are correct that you're using it as a verb without an object, but your subject is itself inert, and for something to dwell, reside, live, I think you'll see that it has to be a living being or at the very least something personified, and you're not personifying the dweller here -- which itself is a place and can only be indwelt.

Lightly, Daniel

Thanks for visiting again Daniel. Yes, I see what your intending and will give this more thought when I prepare the revision.

Cheers
~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hi Cleo,

I particularly liked your first stanza. I wonder about changing the word would to did? Another point is that though most us believe the Druids to be ancient, there are significant number of active modern conterparts. While on the subject it was not just the Druids celebrating, but the entire populace.

May the RC's have compassion upon your soul.

Don :)

Why hello Don!

Nevwer thought of that but I believe it would 'correct' the opening there. I would reflect the tradition as 'past tense'. Thankies!

Oh yes, there are many 'pagan' rituals still happening and I'm glad! Yes, well, I don't they RC's will, and I'm not overly concerned about it either, !

Thanks for stopping by Don!
~Cleo

[Guest_Don_*]

Thanks Cleo. As a reincarnated Celt, I sincerely appreciate your consideration.

Don of the Brigantines

[Cleo_Serapis]

Well then - I think we are one in the same Bro! I too am fascinated by the Celtic ways - perahps we are related?

Cheers Don
~Cleo

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hi all,

I just posted the first revision, one year after the original, with a new title too. Thanks to everyone that offered their feedback.

I hope this is am improvement!

~Cleo