Erthe upon Erthe

For the past few weeks I have been discovering that I can listen to just about any song on YouTube and am delighted to discover some wonderful artists. One of the songs I have frequently played is "Erthe upon Erthe" by the Mediaeval Baebes--quite a group name, indeed.

This song bridges many intersections of my mind right now. Because of my thesis I am always thinking about the mortality of the earth and the irony that as humans develop they destroy themselves and the world around them. The words to this song, posted below, relay in beautiful Old English, this reality.

As well the Latin in the middle reminds the human that they are mortal, reciting the line from Ash Wednesday, "remember you are ashes, and to ashes you will return." It is Lent, Ash Wednesday was last week, a blur in my memory, as all last week. Still, I am interested in participating in lent now not so much as a "spiritual discipline" whatever that means. Rather I have begun to see it as an opportunity to join in solidarity with those who have less than myself by restricting some aspect of my consumption to the same level. It is in this awareness that I am reminded of the finiteness of myself and the earth. I relearn to respect both. Again, I hear the words

"He who swans around the earth, glittering like gold
As though earth won't really have to return to earth
Will soon find earth indeed becoming earth again, no matter how much he tries to fight it"

Added to my growing awareness of the earth and the season of lent, I am auditing a course on the Pentateuch with Cameron. We are now on to comparing it to the creation story of Enuma Elish. I love trying to wrap my mind around the ancient vision of the world both its cosmic order and place of humans within that order. It deserves a separate reflection, but for now suffice it to say that within the two creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2 there seem to be two different sources. One is older and one is younger. The older is the one with God actually forming humans with clay and dush and breathing into them.

"Erthe out of erthe is wonderly wroghte

Erthe hase geten one erthe a dignite of noghte

Erthe upon erthe hase sett alle his thoghte

How that erthe upon erthe may be heghe broghte"

I love this telling of the story of humans. Earth, God and humans all in one mess. For all the fear of the returning to the earth, I feel myself in revisiting these ancient ways of thinking also with a bit of awe in the reality of our mortality. Perhaps we are ash, and will return to ash, but we have been breathed on by the Elohim, and we turn and breathe out that spirit around us.

Lyrics

Erthe out of erthe is wonderly wroghte

Erthe hase geten one erthe a dignite of noghte

Erthe upon erthe hase sett alle his thoghte

How that erthe upon erthe may be heghe broghte

Erthe upon erthe wolde be a kinge

Bot how erthe to erthe shall thinkes he no thinge

When erthe bredes erthe and his rentes home bringe

Thane shall erthe of erthe have full harde parting

Memento, homo, quad cinis es

Et in cenerem reverentis

Erthe upon erthe winnes castells and towrres

Thane sayse erthe unto erthe, "This es al ourres"

When erthe upon erthe has bigged up his barres

Thane shall erthe for erthe suffere sharpe scowrres

Memento, homo, quad cinis es

Et in cenerem reverentis

Erthe goes upon erthe as molde upon molde

He that gose upon erthe, gleterande as golde

Like erthe never more go to erthe sholde

And yitt shall erthe unto erthe ga rathere than he wolde

Whye erthe lurves erthe, wondere me thinke

Or why erthe for erthe sholde other swete or swinke

For when erthe upon erthe has broughte within brinke

Thane shall erthe of erthe have a foul stinke

Memento, homo, quad cinis es

Et in cenerem reverentis