Du Sang Sur La Glace (Blood on the Ice): An original poem

Hello :) This is a poem I wrote a few years ago for a Poetry Slam in French. I'm not very fluent in French so hopefully it is okay! A translation follows underneath.
Hope you find it encouraging.

Du Sang sur la Glace 

Sur les nuages de l’orage
On fait du patinage ;
La pluie qui tombe est comme un drap
Recouvrant la terre noire en contrebas.

De là-haut les couleurs chatoyantes
Font vibrer la création abondante ;
Mais l’homme sous le soleil couchant
Ne porte pas cette glorieuse tiare.

Séparé loin du patinage cristallin
D’une pureté enveloppante
Captif du cycle de l’angoisse et de la mort
L’homme est déchiré, fragmenté, ensanglanté.

Pourquoi, crié-je, es-Tu si loin,
Si loin de la nuit glacée ?
Ton drap mouillé étouffe la terre
Et empêche ma prière de s’unir à l’univers !

Laissant pénétrer son nectar divin
L’aurore s’empare du soir écrivain;
Puis une voix chuchote, une main touche mes lèvres,
J’ai un frisson de regret sous le déferlement de lumières.

Dansant sur le ciel en larmes
L’Amour s’élance sur la patinoire pourpre,
Et trace ces mots avec Ses pieds nus
Sur la glace, une épée dans Sa chair :

Puisque l’homme choisit de boire la pluie noire,
Puisque l’agonie du poison coule dans ses veines,
Moi, Je le sauverai en versant mon sang,
Moi, Je boirai la coupe de sa peine.

(C) Naomi Seto 2013

Translation:

On the storm clouds above
One skates on ice;
The rain which falls is like a sheet
Covering the black earth underneath.

From on high shimmering colours
Enliven abundant creation;
But Man, under the setting sun,
Wears not this glorious tiara.

Separated far from the crystal ice-rink
Of purity all around
Captive of the cycle of anguish and death
Man is torn, fragmented, bloody.

Why, I cry, are you so far away,
So far from the icy night?
Your wet sheet chokes the earth,
And stops my prayer from uniting the universe!

His divine nectar penetrating,
The aurora breaks through the authorial night;
Then a voice whispers, a hand touches my lips,
I shiver in regret under the shower of light.

Dancing on the teary sky
Love soars over ice-land crimson,
And traces these words with his naked feet
On the ice, a thorn in his flesh:

Since man chooses to drink the black rain,
Since the agony of poison runs in his veins,
I, oh I will save him in pouring out my blood,
I, oh I will drink the cup of his pain.

"The Coronet" - Andrew Marvell

Just some random (and quick) thoughts on one of my favourite poems. "The Coronet" discusses the awful struggle that goes through a Christian artist's mind upon composition of a work. Am I pleasing God? Or am I composing this to praise my 'own' abilities and bring glory to myself? The persona in "The Coronet" tries to weave a 'coronet' (a crown) for God in the form of a poem..... The very content is an embodiment of the struggle:

When for the thorns with which I long, too long,
With many a piercing wound,
My Saviour’s head have crowned,
I seek with garlands to redress that wrong:
Through every garden, every mead,
I gather flowers (my fruits are only flowers),
Dismantling all the fragrant towers
That once adorned my shepherdess’s head.
And now when I have summed up all my store,
Thinking (so I myself deceive)
So rich a chaplet thence to weave
As never yet the King of Glory wore:
Alas, I find the serpent old
That, twining in his speckled breast,
About the flowers disguised does fold,
With wreaths of fame and interest.
Ah, foolish man, that wouldst debase with them,
And mortal glory, Heaven’s diadem!
But Thou who only couldst the serpent tame,
Either his slippery knots at once untie;
And disentangle all his winding snare;
Or shatter too with him my curious frame,
And let these wither, so that he may die,
Though set with skill and chosen out with care:
That they, while Thou on both their spoils dost tread,
May crown thy feet, that could not crown thy head.

...

Praise be to God that He can still graciously bless what work we do, in spite of our sins as we compose it.

Some Advice to Mothers and Daughters - Love from, Hannah More

Hannah More (1745-1833) is not a name remembered by many today, yet just over two hundred years ago, she was one of the most influential and well-known women in Britain. What makes Hannah so interesting to me, however, is her passionate and active faith in Jesus, which produced many “good works” and challenged diverse people in her society to honour God through trusting where He has put them. One of these groups of people were women – in particular, mothers and daughters in Christian families. Hannah’s time was a time when many mothers and daughters who were Christian seemed to lack enthusiasm for Jesus as Lord over their lives, roles and relationships with one another. Hannah desired these ladies to truly love God in their heart, with their actions and in their relationships. She believed women who did this could humbly change and protect society from spiralling into sin. I hope and pray Hannah’s advice will be somewhat encouraging and helpful to many mothers and daughters who read this post.

Hannah lovingly encouraged the Christian mums of her time to love and esteem their role as mothers to the next generation, even though mothering can be tiring, tedious, and the fruits are often not seen for years (or even in this life). She calls “the education of your children” the great privilege of mothers: “a power wide in its extent, indefinite in its effects, and inestimable in its importance” (Strictures, 1799, 59). With such great influence, mothers should resolve to constantly and lovingly plant seeds in their children’s hearts to trust and obey Jesus as King. Hannah believed one way of doing this was to slowly go through the Lord’s Prayer together with the children – exploring and thinking about one line at a time to teach the kids to pray.

Meanwhile, Hannah reminded Christian teenage daughters of their duty to love their neighbour as themselves, and especially to love, honour and obey their parents. In the eighteenth century, girls would spend time learning how to sew, and I think it had come to the stage where many girls were sewing themselves beautiful clothes in order to capture others’ attention. Hannah recommends that girls instead should be pure in their motivations, and perhaps try sewing clothes for their mother instead as a way to encourage godly love and cut vanity, envy and flirtation right out of the picture. Hannah also tells teenage girls to fulfil their responsibilities for God’s glory, and even (especially) to practice being mothers to their siblings when given the opportunity. I think a lot of Hannah’s advice may apply to 21^st century Christian teenage girls: In the interest of making Jesus our King, we can all seek to bless Mum and Dad at home, and make the effort to care for younger siblings (if we have any) through learning from Mum. With regards to school, we can all aim for self-control and obedience to Jesus when in the company of pressuring peers, and apply ourselves to our schoolwork/ homework in a way that glorifies God.

Altogether, Hannah More’s call to good works within our families is a call to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12b). By no means does this mean good works saves us, and we should never base our assurance on what we do or don’t do. Nevertheless, because we have been saved by faith in Jesus’s death and resurrection, we should be thankful and obedient slaves to Him, our Brother and LORD. I think James 2:17-18 sums up Hannah’s call very well: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works”.

(C) Naomi Seto