Brother Sun, Sister Moon (2 page)

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility.

Translated by Bill Barrett from the Umbrian text of the Assisi codex. Used with permission. www.webster.edu/~barrettb/canticle.htm

How do you “reimagine” the words of the most beloved saint in the history of Christendom? If I hadn’t been so taken with the samples I saw of Pamela Dalton’s art, I don’t think I’d have tried. But as I began rereading the text of
The Canticle of the Sun,
with this book in mind, I found my heart, in John Wesley’s words, “strangely warmed.” It was such a wonderful exercise to see myself as close kin to all the rest of the natural world—sun, moon, stars, wind, and weather—even to look death in the face and call her my sister. In the effort to make this Canticle my own song of praise, I understood what Francis meant when, in another of his poems, he declares, “I have come to learn God adores His creation.”
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—Katherine Paterson

Editor’s note: It is written that Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) composed the
Laudes Creaturarum
(“Praise Song of the Creatures”—or as it has often become known,
The Canticle of the Sun
) in the final two years of his life, at a time when he was already almost completely blind, in the village of San Damiano, while under the care of Saint Clare and the sisters of her monastery. Francis chose to write in his local Umbrian dialect, rather than the Latin spoken in the church, so that his words could be understood by all.

Many years ago I saw my first papercuttings. They were such an exciting mystery. How did people do this? I decided to find out. I experimented for a long time, trying different cutting tools, different kinds of paper, and different cutting surfaces. Eventually, I found the combination that worked comfortably for me. The patterns I started with were very simple ones. I tried cutting the paper with one fold, two folds, and three folds, and sometimes no folds at all. Many pieces wound up in the trash can, but I did not give up. Over time, I developed a careful technique, cutting each picture out of a single piece of paper. Then, using a method popular in early nineteenth-century Pennsylvania German communities, I painted the papercuts with watercolors.

I started going to Italy several years ago to study painting; many times I stayed in Assisi where Saint Francis was born and lived. I came to know about his life and his work: He took on the life of a poor man, not even owning a pair of shoes. He dedicated himself to God by taking care of the sick, the hungry, and the needy. Francis loved all people wherever he went. But he also loved the animals, birds, and all the elements of Nature.

Saint Francis’s prayer, The Canticle of the Creatures, reminds us to love, to revere, and to take care of this beautiful world in which we live and all the beings who dwell within it.

—Pamela Dalton