(Poetry) He Has Taken Me With A Snare . . .

from...  IN THE PATHS OF MYRDDIN WYLLT... 
            Yn y Llwybrau Myrddin Wyllt
(12,000 word epic poem; a link to the manuscript below) 

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A Ring of Love . . .

 He has taken me with a snare

A ring of love

And broken me when I fell stumbling

He has taken me with a fish trap

A tangled web of passion

And broken me when I surrendered

He has opened me with sunlight

And filled every crevice

He has seen me with moonlight

And tipped me out

He has chosen me with a circlet   

A ring-knife of swiftlight

He has cut me in twain

And torn down all my walls

He has chosen me in the furnace

And set me amongst the burning stars

Not any hurt can harm me

Nor can any terror shake me

With their silent speech

With the circle of their fiery sound

He has married me to the sons of Wales

Made of ever-living paths, I am

Yet before ever they were, the rising wells

With the lucent shore

With the amaranthine rocks

He has married me to the tidal Sea

Made of mortal flesh, I am

Yet of spirit overawed and overflowed

   

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Myrddin Wyllt, also known as Lailoken, or Merlinus Caledonensis is considered an important sixth century forerunner of the many faceted image of the Merlin of the middle ages in the medieval legends of King Arthur. 

This lyrical tale, inspired by ‘Lailoken and Kentigern,’ (a fifteenth century manuscript of the sixth century legend of Saint Kentigern and Lailoken) offers another aspect to the Merlin legend and further insight into his character by giving us a background look into the story-life of his forerunner Myrddin Wyllt. 

Intrigued by Myrddin’s seemingly bizarre ‘three-fold death,’ (which is a theme in the above mentioned manuscript,) the author has woven a fascinating tale lightly around this infused with deep spiritual insight and has laced it together with the silver threads of prophetic truth within mysteries which have fascinated humankind since time immemorial.

Much study and research has preceded the writing of this lyrical tale in order to weave historically accurate facts into an extraordinary story. There is an extensive bibliography at the end of the book. The author is Welsh and resides in New Zealand. 

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Here is a link to the manuscript . . .

               IN THE PATHS OF MYRDDIN WYLLT
   Yn y Llwybrau Myrddin Wyllt


               Email:    judithdeverell@hotmail.com