Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
The Pomegranate Tree: A Carol by Robert Graves
If you haven't read (or reread) Robert Graves' King Jesus lately, let me recommend it.
Don't be put off by the title, or the subject matter. This novel is Graves' revisionist Goddess history of that erstwhile Jewish prophet, and—Graves being Graves—it's matriarchy versus patriarchy in the Battle of the Millennium.
Spoiler alert: the Goddess wins.
(No big surprise there. Anybody that knows Her knows that, in the end, the Goddess always wins.)
Written at roughly the same time as Graves' “grammar of poetic myth” The White Goddess, King Jesus is equally filled with savory tidbits of lore, but—with its iconoclastic narrative to buoy it up—it's eminently the more readable of the two.
Among the riches that you'll find there is this delightful little carol. We generally sing it to the tune of the traditional Appalachian song The Cherry Tree Carol.
The Pomegranate Tree Carol
Down in the garden as I walked
one lovely day in spring
a tall pomegranate-tree I spied,
of every tree the king.
A tall pomegranate-tree I spied,
of every tree the king.
More green his leaf than beryl stone,
caught in a blaze of sun;
his scarlet flowers that budded out,
more sweet than cinnamon.
His scarlet flowers that budded out,
more sweet than cinnamon.
With trembling hand a flower I plucked
between my breasts to lie—
fruit of the tall pomegranate-tree,
sleep well and lullaby.
Fruit of the tall pomegranate-tree,
sleep well and lullaby.
Lyrics: Robert Graves
Tune: Appalachian Traditional, The Cherry Tree Carol
Comments
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Friday, 14 December 2018
Anthony, I'm astounded. A well-read guy like you?
Tell you what. If you can't find a copy at your local library, buy yourself a cheapie used copy on the internet (I'll bet you could find one for 6-7 dollars.)
Next time I see you (Paganicon, maybe?) I'll cover the cost myself.
Call it a Yule gift. -
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I remember reading about the book King Jesus in Drawing Down the Moon but I've never stumbled across a copy of the book myself. If the author of Drawing Down the Moon is correct then King Jesus by Robert Graves served as a gateway book to paganism for many back in the 70's and 80's.