Robert Herrick's "Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve"

The Daily Poem

Goldberry Studios

Education For Kids, Arts, Kids & Family

4.6 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 2 February 2024

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today’s poem from Robert Herrick is not only an ode to the holiday of Candlemas, but a meditation on the everlasting revolution of the seasons.

For more on the history of Groundhog Day and Candlemas, check out this conversation between Richard Rohlin and Jonathan Pageau.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

Transcript

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0:00.0	Okay, campers, rise and shine. And don't forget your booties because it's cold out there.
0:07.5	I mean, welcome back to the Daily Poem, a podcast from Goldberry Studios. I'm Sean Johnson, and today is February 2nd, Friday, February 2nd, 2004.
0:20.4	And that opening was an homage to the movie we discussed yesterday.
0:25.9	Maybe the greatest film, surely the greatest film ever made about February 2nd, Groundhog Day,
0:32.0	because today is the day. It's Groundhog Day. And today's poem is in honor of that day. Groundhog Day
0:43.4	actually has roots in a much older Christian festival, known commonly as Candlemus, also observed by some as the meeting of Jesus in the temple or the presentation of Jesus in the temple.
1:05.4	But that older feast and groundhog day are directly connected in ways that you might be surprised to learn about.
1:15.8	For those who are into that kind of thing, I might include a link in the show notes to a podcast by Richard Rowland that talks through the fascinating history of Candlemas and Groundhard Day.
1:31.3	In the meantime, we have a poem today by Robert Herrick, the 17th century Anglican
1:38.7	cleric and poet. Cleric and Herrick rhymes. I don't know if he planned that out or if it was a coincidence,
1:46.7	but it's a happy one. And the poem is called Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve.
1:55.3	Candlemas, as I said, is the observance or the celebration of the biblical event, 40 days following the birth of Jesus,
2:07.6	when the Israelite law require that his parents bring him to be presented and consecrated in the temple.
2:20.7	This is the scene in which the baby Jesus meets Simeon,
2:26.3	the old man who is promised by God that he would not die
2:30.3	until he saw the Messiah.
2:32.2	He holds the baby in his arms and says,
2:35.8	Now let'st thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
2:40.9	a light to lighten the Gentiles. And that reference and image of light has led to the
2:49.8	involvement of many, the significant involvement of many candles in
2:54.0	Candlemas services, thus the name. It's also, less so in Western countries, but in some parts
3:04.1	of the world, it's the tradition to leave one's Christmas decorations up until candleness.
	...

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