The Song of the Seraph

[Guest guest]

 

The Song of the Seraph

of San Francisco

by Esther Crump

Audio version: for instructions to hear, click here

Audio part 1 (3:15) ~ to listen click here

 

Over the light-yoked Harbour nightlygreat planes come and go,over the necklace bridges flashing their traffic,

under the stars that dip low in the curved Pacificand blaze more statelythan plane-twinkle or city-glow,great planes circle slow.

 

Sweeping wide and wider than the greatplanes ever sweep,one night recently,advancing from Far to nearer far

through the Eastern deep,a live Star moving intenthastens toward the Occident:never has such Light illumined western land or sea.Now Heaven, knowing Earth's distress,assays in man's extremity

God's Opportunity– Yes Yes O Yes –and now, approaching our planet's night,one of the Lord God's Seraphimcomes, Ambassador sent from Him,to implement a cosmic Planin behalf of the Family of Man.

From afar the Light is bright dazzling white.

 

But then, as the Seraph drawsnearer, making poised pause,coronal color shows:fiery gold-white from the vast heart flows,

blue-white like a two-edged sword outthrustsfrom the throat through space,violet-white around the princely head in a halo glows.The quality of these intermingling lights is interstellar,all of them together are of the color of peace

(of PEACE!)and from the nimbus' lofty center shines aFaceof lively graceintelligent compassioncognisant missionLove-Wisdom benttoward mankind to releasepent peace.Clear through the near reaches

making transitionwhile the great Brotherhood of Light watches,swift the Lightbearer approaches the destined place.

 

Behind him the celestial abyss. Nowpauses the Seraph over night-cloaked Earthover bright-yoked San Franciscowhere great planes reached a destination

where brave hopes sought a consummationwhere men of goodwill in free cooperationattending the embattled birthof a planetary aspirationfor peace(for PEACE!)joined in a new project, noble to dare,

against the scourge of war.

 

[Audio part 2 (5:30) begins here ~ to listen click here

and for full instructions, see below]

 

They planned from heart's height.Striving. Beginning.Acknowledging dire need.They moved from minds' might.

Surviving. But not winning.A time is full indeedand Earth's care becomes Universe's Careas the Seraph towers over the Light-flooded city.Then, lifting his triple wingsin salutation,verging his steadfast Eye

from the spangled skyto radiate humanity,the fiery One sings.

 

Fusing men and angel tongues,This is the song He sings:

 

The stars of Western sky flash highreassurancesinto Earth's night.Galaxies sweepingconstellations radioactive

planets luminous.Stars of greater magnitudestars of lesser magnitudehow We love them!How We love them all.

 

I would reach out and pluck them, thick-hanging clusters.— thicklike grapes on autumn-brown-speckledvineyards,

like poems on the fringe of human awarenessjust right just ripe for the plucking —I would reachI would pluckI would gatherI would distribute their light- and-life-bringing potenciesfor the healing of the

nations of Earth.

 

O worn nations of torn Earth,I reach for you.Reach to Me.O tired nations of scarred Earth,I gather for you.

Gather to Us.O buffetted nations of suffering Earth,how We love you!How We love you all.

 

Into western sky I reach.I grasp of the massed virtues of the stars.With mind and heart I garner of themnaming and loving as I tap

the free flowing Energy-sap of them ...

 

From Venuscloud-shroudednearestdearest of them,Love I harvest.LOVE.

 

From Meraksteadfast in the Great Bear waiting,Peace I gather in burgeoning abundance,PEACE.

 

From Betelguesestriding with Orion magnificenttriumphant messianic forgiving over the zenithGOODWILL.

 

From Vegacon brio from her lyre down-sweepingarpeggios of festivalglissandos of plenty:SHARING.

 

From Arcturusthe brightest the best of the Sons of theMorning,the peerless the true the altogether lovely,our ever living

once and future King:VICTORY.

 

From Pleiadesincredible clustercrackling across millennia of lightyearswith vigorous vast vitality:COOPERATION.

 

(Not for Freedom do I reach. Norfor Courage. For courageabundant is here in drear dearEarth. And where Courage is, Freedom

yet lacking will comeenough and to spareto transmute Earth in swift shift torebirth.No. Notfor Freedom do I reach. Norfor Courage.)

 

ButFrom Regulus, DEDICATIONFrom Aldebaran, INTEGRATIONFrom Sirius, ILLUMINATIONand fromthis One and

that One and all the shining singing-together Ones,JOY.

 

So on and on and on through thestars and the planets:calling themloving themnaming the names of them in the one Name

(Great NAME of the Lord of the Universe),I reach out and pluck oftheir light and their virtues.I pluck for thehealing of thenations ofEarth.

 

 

Audio version: InstructionsTo listen click here for part 1 (3:15)

click here for part 2 (5:30)or use links above to follow with the words

Hints: This audio is available here in MP3 format and is recorded at a speed that should be adequate for streaming provided your modem is 56K or faster. If you are unable to hear sound after you click the link to listen, either above with the words or here below, you probably need to set your preferred application within your browser. And if your browser creates an interfering window when you click to listen, you should be able to bring this window forward to follow along with the text, while the clips play.

Two recommended softwares are available for download by linking to them from here:

Quicktime and RealPlayer.

 

Esther Crump wrote this poem during the organizational meetings of the United Nations which convened in San Francisco on April 25, 1945. In her words, " I followed those sessions avidly, partly because I had shared a dream of world peace with my girlhood friend … who in 1945 was the correspondent on international affairs with ABC radio and was doing their hour-to-hour radio reporting from San Francisco. One evening as I listened to her, I became aware of a great Light hovering over the area, downward inclining toward the Cow Palace (where the meetings were being held) and beaming its ray into each of the gathered delegates. It was a vivid image, and I began writing down whatever comments I could before it would fade. These jottings turned out to be a long poem, the title of which would be 'The Song of the Seraph of San Francisco.' "

It is interesting to note that The Great Invocation (current version) was also given by the Tibetan on Apri 17, 1945, and that the U.N.'s convention referred to in this poem occurred also at the Wesak Festival full moon that year, April 27.

[ return to top of page ]

 

Published in The Beacon,Volume LIII, Number 10, July/August 1990© Lucis Publishing Co., 120 Wall St., 24th Floor, New York, NY 10005

 

Questions? Answers? Feel free to write us with your comments!

 

Inspired? We invite you to participate!

There are several ways tosupport our work.

 

 

 

Linkups~SouledOut.org's Recommended Links

Glossary of Esoteric Terms & PhrasesSouledOut.org Site Map

SouledOut.org Home