Michealmas

As we have not celebrated Michealmas before, I thought this year celebrate by hearing a bit about the stories and learning this poem. I appreciate the idea of celebrating this festival as a time to reflect on the bounty of the season and our preparations for winter. A time for finishing our preserving and preparing our clothing and home for the cold dark months ahead.

St. Michael's Harvest Song

In autumn Saint Michael with sword and with shield 

Passes over meadow and orchard and field.

He's on the path to battle 'gainst darkness and strife -

He is the heavenly warrior protector of life.

The harvest let us gather with Michael's aid;

The light he sheddeth fails not nor does it fade,

and when the corn is cut and the meadows are bare

We'll don Saint Michael's armour and onward we'll fare.

We are Saint Michael's warriors with strong heart and mind,

We forge our way through darkness Saint Michael to find.

And there he stand in glory; Saint Michael we pray,

Lead us into battle and show us thy way.

- Anonymous

Michaelmas Circle

Songs and verses compiled from the Wynstones Autumn book, the oral tradition, and other sources

The autumn wind blows open the gate,

O Michael, you, you we await.

We follow you, show us the way.

With joy we greet the autumn day,

Good morning, good morning

And I wonder who is this Michael? And I hear the wind sing:

Michael, God’s great knight,

Strong and pure and shining bright.

I’ll be a knight of Michael, too,

And polish my crown to a golden hue.

Ask the gnomes the iron to mine,

Iron from the stars, from the earth, so fine,

To bring to the blacksmith, who with his might

Will make me a sword, so strong, so bright.

And we follow the falling stars to the mountain cave where the gnomes are working.

And the gnomes say:

With fire and stone, we work with a will

With our strength and our skill.

The iron we soften and then we bend

Into hammers, swords, and nails to mend.

Dear gnomes, may I have some iron?

Are you noble? Oh, yes.

Are you good? Oh, yes.

And do you hear the singing of the stars? Oh yes.

Then you may have some iron.

(Song) Thank you little gnomes, in your crystal homes.

Oh bring me a galloping horse for to ride,

A crown on my head, the iron by my side.

Off to the blacksmith we must go.

Galloping, galloping, off we go.

Dear blacksmith, will you make me a sword?

Of course! for:

I am a blacksmith, strong and true, Best of work I always do.

All day long my hammers go, slinging, clanging, clanging, so,

A rickety, tickity, tickity, tick,

A rickety, tickity, tickity, tick.

Thank you, kind blacksmith, for your might.

I’ll polish my sword, so fine, so bright.

I will use it for the right,

Not for some silly quarrel or fight,

But to drive away evil, I will try

And protect those who are weaker than I.

(After a week or two of the preceding, the following is added.)

Oh bring me a galloping horse for to ride,

A crown on my head, my sword by my side,

For it’s off the to castle we will go.

Galloping, galloping, here we go.

The knights came together and proclaimed

No fear here! Michael, be my guide and stand by my side.

And they knew that Michael was always ready to help.

Michael, God’s great knight,

Strong and pure and shining bright.

Barbara Klocek has been a kindergarten teacher at the Sacramento Waldorf School for many years.