A Time of Rest, Renewal, and Letting Go

The Song Meadow Awakens Begins

In the very early spring of 2020 I was asked to write a poem for Circle Sanctuary to celebrate Imbolc, using a picture of one of the springtime meadows in the sanctuary as a reference. Gazing at the photo of a green meadow nestled at the base of some foothills I could hear the hum and buzz in the air as life went about the business of welcoming in the springtime, and I could imagine the joy in life that filled them as they investigated the first flowers and cleaned out their homes of the detritus of a long winter’s sleep.

I knew that just a few weeks earlier they were nestled in their burrows or nests, awaiting the first spring thaws as the sun began shining for longer and longer periods each day. I could see in my imagination the snow covering the land and low hills, most sounds hushed and muffled by the insulating cover provided by the air that was trapped between the myriad different flakes blanketed on the sleeping earth. I could see in my mind’s eye the creatures of the meadow in their homes under ground or in the trees, snuggled together waiting out the long winter’s night until they could once more venture forth into a new dawn.

Here is the original text of that poem:

Cold are the days ‘neath a weak winter sun,
Colder the nights ‘neath the moon.
Warm are the dreams of those sleeping ‘neath snow,
Warmer the days yet to come.

Flowers and grass lie beneath frosty quilts,
Dream of new days in the sun.
Seeds and old roots intertwined in the loam,
Await Mother’s call and hum.

Burrowed deep down ‘neath last season’s old growth,
Creepies and crawlies do lie.
While up above nestled warm in old nests,
Sleep denizens of the sky.

Each passing night brings another new dawn,
Each day longer than the last.
Spring soon is here, time for dreaming near done,
Time to let go of the past.

Mother, she calls, and all souls must answer,
breaking forth with life anew.
Snow melt and warmth get the old rhythms moving,
and Meadow awakens, once more.

New grass and flowers dance in the spring breezes,
Butterflies and bees abound.
Yips and howls tell of early spring romance,
And the wheel turns, round and round.

“Meadow Awakens” (c) 2020 by Meren King

And the Wheel Turns

There is something about a field, a meadow, a forest waiting with bated breath for the return of the heat of the sun and thrum of life in a renewed springtime. The air is crisp and sounds don’t carry very far, and yet, there is a low hum as life waits to spring forth and flourish once again. Over the winter most everything in nature has rested, sleeping off their autumn binging or rising now and then to snack on their larders of saved seeds, nuts, berries and other things harvested in the heat of late Summer and the cooling days of Autumn, returning to their dreams of warmer days to come as they wait out the turning of the wheel.

A few weeks ago we here in the Northern Hemisphere saw the wheel of the year bring us from the post-Yule time of resting and deep dreaming to Imbolc, the first day of Springtime. We have watched the winter constellation moving across the sky and look forward to the stars of Summer. We are at the halfway point now between the Winter Solstice’s dying sun and the rebirth of life at the Spring Equinox, but that doesn’t mean that Winter is quite done with us yet. Out on the Northwest Coast they are getting heavy rains and snow, while Midwest America and the Northeast Coast are still dealing with heavy snows in some areas while others have the first flowers of spring beginning to work their way through the loam.

It is a different story in the Southern half of the US, with temps ranging from 65 on the coast in Arkansas to 80 down in Florida, but that is always subject to change. I’ve lived here in Florida many years now and I’ve seen below freezing days in February and even into March. I must admit that the times that we do have cold weather here in Florida I am happy for it, as I’ve always been a cold weather person and probably always will be.

A Poem Reborn

Perhaps that is why at Imbolc time of 2023 I decided that I wanted to revisit “Meadow Awakens”. I wanted to put into music the feeling that I had when writing the original poem. I knew that it had to be soft and gentle, and slowish like those resting in their warm places breathing as they dream and wait for the springtime. I sat out on my back porch and thought about those folks in the meadows, fields and forests as I re-read my poem and tried out a few different chordings. I remembered some chords from another song and thought they might be just lovely for this poem, so I got to work putting music to poem to music. Things changed here and there, and a chorus got added because it just needed to be there to carry the hope that the new spring brings, and over the course of the next day or so “Meadow Awakens” was reborn.

Following is the new arrangement of the poem, now lyrics, with chording and direction if you would like to add this song to your Imbolc listening/singing:

Meadow Awakens – Meren King – April 2023

Tuning: EADGBE
(Very slow strum, once per chording)

[C7m]Cold are the days beneath a [Am7]weak winter sun,
[C7m]Colder the long nights beneath the [Am7]moon.
[Fmaj7]Warm are the dreams of those sleeping [C7m]beneath snow,
Warmer the [G]days yet to [D]come.

[C7m]Flowers and grasses lie under [Am7]frosty quilts,
[C7m]Dreaming of new days in the [Am7]sun.
[Fmaj7]Seeds and old roots Intertwining [C7m]in the loam,
Await Mother’s [G]heart beat and [D]hum.

(Gently strum a soft rhythm to keep the beat)

[F]Each passing night brings another [C]new dawn,
[F]Each day longer than the [C]last.
[F]Spring soon is here, time for dreaming [C]nearly done, **
Its Time to let [G]go of the [D]past. **(return to Very slow strum, once per chording)

[C7m]Burrowed deep down ‘neath last season’s [Am7]old growth,
[C7m]Clusters of bumble bees do [Am7]sleep.
[Fmaj7]While up above, nestled warm in [C7m]treetrunk homes
Chickadees [G]dream of berries and [D]seeds.

[C7m]Mother, she calls, and all souls must [Am7]answer her
[C7m]Slowly awakening in the [Am7]sun
[Fmaj7]Stretching and moving to the rhythm [C7m]of the earth
The Meadow’s awa[G]kening has [D]begun.

(Return to Gentle strumming rhythm through end of song)

[F]Each passing night brings another [C]new dawn,
[F]Each day longer than the [C]last.
[F]Springtime is here, time for dreaming [C]at an end,
Time to let [G]go of the [D]past.

[F]Each passing night brings another [C]new dawn,
[F]Each day longer than the [C]last.
[F]Springtime is here, time to reach up [C]for the sun,
Its time to grow[G] and [C]bloom.

Meadow Awakens (c) 2023, music and lyrics by Meren King, from the album Walking the Spiral: Songs from the Wheel of the Year

A Sight for the Eyes and Ears

About a month after getting the final version of “Meadow Awakens” from my producer, I thought about making a video for this lovely little early springtime song, so here is a link to my video for “Meadow Awakens”. I hope you enjoy it:

May these early days of Spring bring you a sense of renewal and hope for the future. Blessed Springtime!

cover photo of meadow taken at Circle Sanctuary, 2019

For more information about Meren King, including her collected articles here on Pagan Song, her bio, and links to Meren’s sites on the web, check out Meren’s page on Pagan Song.

We have many more posts about Imbolc, here on Pagan Song. They are collected on our Candlemas / Imbolc page in our online Book of Shadows. Come check it out.

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