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A Christmas Cantilena
(based on the chiastic structure of Pietru Caxaro's 'Cantilena' c. 1470 in Maltese)
Across the years a song has sung
Formed in our hearts from yearnings deep
For one to come – as hope has sprung –
That love will shepherd us like sheep.
Our searching, fighting, lying tongue
Cries out amidst the tears we weep.
Into our flesh comes the light
Present and clear in our sight
Babe in the straw from the height
Making our human night bright.
Dawn brings the day out of night
Wonder and truth bring love’s right
Challenging power and our might –
No more each other to fight.
As angels, magi, fade away
In passing years the story grows
But still we fail to stop the fray –
We change God’s song to human prose
But now today this love we pray
Our worldly fear and hate depose.
© Neil Thompson 2025