Lines written at Chartres
Beauty is in its expression
in the act of its articulation
in the fact of its confession
the light that shines through
the stained-glass narratives
in the huge rose window
of Chartres Cathedral
A story of grace as told
by the human family
the craft of revelation
the assertion of faith
and hope in the rendering
of charity in the unity
of the sun and the stars
and the earth and the sea
the colourful fragments
with which the wholeness
is composed – many flowers
in a single bouquet
the truth that lies in the art
Wake at daybreak
to the sound of birdsong
sweet as on the day
of its creation
We are the birds of Chartres
and in our voices you will hear
only beauty and peace
and you will know that love
without its expression
is as dead as the cold
untouched stone that awaits
the craftsman’s hand
John Lyons