“Seraph (and) cherubim…veil their faces to the Presence as with ceaseless voice they cry, ‘Alleluia.’”
Carol: “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” – Fifteenth Century
Tune: PICARDY
Many
of you know that I collect Mickeys, Magi and Angels. I have slowed my
angel-collecting since it has become trendy to do so; remember the words
rebel and southerner are almost synonymous! Because I have several
seraphim and cherubim sitting on shelves around the house, this hymnline
may be more significant to me than it is to others.
Today
we consider one of the holiest hymnlines ever penned (translated). It
is definitely one of those “picture this” phrases. In the Presence, even
angels cover their faces and voice their praises. While an obvious
allusion to Isaiah’s sixth-chapter experience, these words set to this
haunting melody conjure up a warming, hair-on-the-arm-raising reaction
(as opposed to arm-raising!). I never sing or hear this without putting
myself in their place – standing (or flying) before the very form of the
Almighty, now shaped as a human. The melismatic “alleluia” rolls from
the lips of the winged messengers, and I have no recourse but to join
them… and my mortal silence is broken.
Cynthia Clawson's Haunting Singing of This Carol
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