Why do Nations Rage

Chichester Psalms

Jubilant voices descending from heaven
Crash into orchestral chattering,
"Awake! Awake my soul, I will arouse the dawn."

Buoyant bongos cavort and infuse
Spirited dances with throbbing energy,
To give a strong hint of West Side Story.
This is no sopoforic church service.

Man exists in his infinite smallness,
God broods in his heavenly abode,
"Enter! Enter into His gates without misgiving."

The frailty of the alto contrasts The robustness of the warring psalm,
" Why! Why do the nations rage." A grim intrusion
That fails to silence the message of accord
And is destroyed, then swept asunder
By the sweet song of the shepherd psalmist.

With pure theatre, insecure voices mock
Man's atonal attempt to deliver
A message of vision and everlasting hope.
Hope for a world at peace within itself,
Peace wherein all will fear no evil.

"How pleasant it is to dwell in unity".