August 15th marks an important date in the Catholic Church calendar. This is the day which celebrates the Assumption of Mary. Many 16th and 17th Century poets wrote about this day, amongst them the Catholic convert poet Richard Crashaw.
Crashaw's poem On the Glorious Assumption of Our Blessed Lady is written in his usual gloriously Baroque style, filled with the extravagance and excess of language which denotes his poetry.
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| Palma Il Vecchio, “Assumption of Mary” (1512) |
Take thy farewell, poor world! heav’n must go home.
A piece of heav’nly earth;
Purer and brighter
Than the chaste stars, whose choice lamps come to light her
While through the crystal orbs, clearer than they,
She climbs; and makes a far more milky way.
She’s called. Hark, how the dear immortal dove
Sighs to his silver mate, “Rise up, my love!
Rise up, my fair, my spotless one!
The winter’s past, the rain is gone.
The spring is come, the flowers appear
No sweets, but thou, are wanting here.
Come away, my love!
Come away, my dove!
Cast off delay.
The court of heav’n is come
To wait upon thee home;
Come, come away!