So I am excited to share with you all that my good friend Phil Kemp and I have made the first steps towards a second edition of Psalter of the Birds. We haven’t finalised anything yet, so I won’t give you all the details, but I will say we’re going to try and make the poems easier to chant/sing by giving them meter and rhyme.
This week I have been reworking #36 The Tree of Life. It is one of my favourite medieval Irish texts, found in the Yellow Book of Lecan. I am also thinking about chanting/singing it as part of the guided meditation I will be leading during our upcoming online retreat (more details below).
Of course, whenever you translate a poem with any eye for meter or rhyme, you inevitably have to make some significant changes. In this case, the original text is not even a poem, so it’s been a fun challenge. It also reflects my own interpretation of the text and the way it speaks to me.
Sometimes working with meter and rhyme feels like a co-creative process. I have to let the poem tell me what it wants based on what actually fits. While it can be frustrating, and sometimes limiting, I also find it a good spiritual practice to let go of the outcome and trust the process.
The Tree of Life
Receive this tradition wise and ancient
So wondrous a tree should be praised in verse
It branches out beyond the firmament
Deeply rooted in the depths of the earth
With every melody in its midst
Whispering in the leaves upon the breeze
This tree grows downward from the clouds and mist
A contrary, unlike any you’ve seen
Nine branches grow, from a taproot of love
From those nine, countless stems and twigs are born
Each branch more beautiful than that above
Celebrating diversity of form
Pure white birds perch in the forks of the tree
Contemplating the songs of every age
Awaken the mind’s eye, that you may see
There is more than what you read on the page
Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life, budding
The end of every creature’s beginning
Son of God, maker of earth, sun, and moon
Son of Man, born of Mary’s blessed womb
The melodies whispering in its midst
Are the perfection of heavenly bliss
Found in the mystic depths of the divine
By shining souls, among the angels nine
The taproot of divine simplicity
Is the oneness of God in mystery
From the nine angelic boughs of the tree
Branch out the blessed saints in verdancy
We who dwell together upon the earth
Implore mercy from the gracious divine
May we, as birds, contemplate you through verse
In peace and friendship with the angels nine
If you would like to participate in our upcoming online retreat, click HERE to download a pdf with all the deets. The retreat will take place in two sessions, with a half hour break in the middle, from 12:00-3:30 pm ET on April 13, 2025. If you have any questions or would like to register, please send Justin and email: justin@newedenministry.com