MARI-LWYD (Hugh Lupton)                Page 239

The Hodening Hoss, the Marbury Dun,
Old Bone-face the deathless am I,
Heavy with foal two thousand years,
Bridled with sorrow, Saddled with fear,
I canter through pastures of tremble and quake,
I gallop the track between sleep and awake
Seeking the deep of welcome
And stint for my tears.

The Mare-headed Queen, the Mari-Lwyd,
I was mother of all the herds.
Ten thousand years my shining foals,
Bridled with starlight, Saddled with gold,
I Leapt the divide between living and dead,
I Quickened the year with each toss of the head,
Seeking the deep of beauty
And never grew old.

But Mother of God, the Mary Mild,
The pregnant virgin came,
Bursting with Jehovah seed
She entered my stable and cried out her need.
With rope I was dragged from the birthing straw,
Aching with foal I was heaved to the door,
Swapping warmth for bitter weather
And birth of a rival creed.

And now I am nightmare, I am rattling womb,
The Uffington wraith I've become,
Forced into dark you've made me a fiend,
Bridled with shadow, Saddled with scream,
From window to window traversing the night,
My face in your glass in a shudder of light,
Seeking that deep of welcome
Befitting a Queen.
Let me in once again,
Let me in!


From Tim Radford