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| Her Late Majesty outside Hitchin station, 14th June 2012 |
Queen Elizabeth, for seventy years our unfailingly good and just sovereign, died earlier today.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. Welcome her into the kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
For the moment I have no other words than these, written for her Platinum Jubilee:
Beacons
After the fanfare the beacons flare
Out in the dusk and the still June air;
Thousands of parishes blaze brave light
Loyally into the nearing night,
And on the hillside a quiet prayerLifts, though the words are hard to find,
Up from the heart; because, behind
These great festivities, we know
There are some deeper thanks we owe —
Thanks for deep faith, the quiet kind;Faith shown in small things that fulfil
Great vows of youth; that sows good-will;
Faith that has long encouraged us;
Faith without faltering or fuss,
Plain as a beacon on a hill.This long example that you have set
Shows us, Your Majesty, how we yet
May find eternal jubilee:
We see, we understand and we
Will not forget, will not forget.
Amen! My deepest condolences to you and all her subjects. Indeed, much of the world is in mourning today, even beyond her realms.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maolsheachlann, for your kind words. Yes, I shouldn't wonder that the world is in mourning: she is one of the great women of history, and all the greater because she was a good and a just woman. I consider myself privileged to have been her subject.
DeleteMay she rest in the Lord for all her goodness and good work. Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her, may she rest in peace. Amen
ReplyDeleteAmen and amen. Thank you, Kevin. Hope you're well.
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