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| ROSMERTA and MERCURY from a relief in Roman Gloucester. |
Cup, vat and ladle
she brings to the feast,
offerings held out
to sup, to taste the mead
of prophecy, the welling spring
of inspiration, of validation.
Plucked harp strings resonate
for her, tuned to her plenty:
the flow of awen contained
in the cup she offers
because it is blessed by her
with the gift she brings
to the feast for which
there is no invitation
save the one held
by the harper, the divine son
of inspiration ─
it is for her he plays
and for us to hear
or not to hear
the rippling waves
of the harp, the breeze
on the flowing stream
which her cup holds.
I like the image of Rosmerta at the feast and the mysterious invitation to Maponos. It interests me that Maponos is present but there is no mention of Lugus/Mercury with whom Rosmerta is paired.
ReplyDeleteOf course I wondered whose feast it is. Is it the Otherworld feast, the feast of the King and Queen of Annwn? If it was it might give me a little more of an idea of how Rosmerta fits into the mythos I am working with.
I second Lorna's comment on the mystery and intrigue of Rosmerta's feast. The poetry of course must speak for itself, and it does echo with the strains of the plentiful season. I close my eyes and try to visualize the scene, and I feel like it's summer time, at night. My reading is probably way off.
ReplyDeleteOn a tangent, what is Mercury clutching to his chest?
Thanks for more of your work!
Mercury is often depicted with a purse as well as with the caduceus and the cockerel which can be seen in this image. So a purse would be my best guess as to what he is holding.
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