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