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From my lofty vantage, the world appeared almost small and insignificant:
Before me, the night weakened steadily and began to lose its deeper nocturnal shades;
Even the stars, that had adorned the sky so beautifully, began to soften their light,
And, in seeing their brilliance diminish, I sensed the imminent approach of Aurora.

Cloaked in swathes of regal darkness and crowned with starlight, Night turned his kingly head,
And gazing toward the coming light, he acknowledged that his presence was no longer required,
And bowing in deference to the approaching goddess: she who has always brought the dawn,
Who has always followed after him, throughout the history of the world, took his leave.

In awed silence, I observed as Night mounted his sky chariot: a chariot dark and ornate:
Driven by four impressive steeds, each one, black, powerful and mythical;
Who, without sign of complaint or resistance to their master's will, obeyed every command;
And, knowing of the journey that lay before them, one so familiar and without end:

A journey in which these nocturnal beasts would never tire, they drew the chariot silently on,
And, with unearthly power, they led their stately master away, towards the west,
Where the air still lay cool and dark and where the far horizon still shimmered with stars;
And towards this place, which lay between the evening twilight and the rose-hued dawn,

Night continued to cast his kingly shadow upon a part of the slowly turning world
Where people slept in ignorance and lay slumbering within buildings made of earth;
And in their dreams and dramas, their minds were oblivious to the spectacle before me:
A spectacle that only a few, through the privilege of a vision, would ever perceive.

So enthralled was I by this otherworldly spectacle, this perception of the mythical,
That it was a few moments before I remembered the approaching dawn;
And steering my gaze quickly toward the east, so that I might give it my complete attention,
I waited in eager anticipation for Aurora's arrival and for the first light of the morning.

As the deepest hues of indigo turned gradually to the palest shade of lilac,
So the lower part of the sky brightened and glowed with the pinkness of a perfect rose;
And upon seeing this colour, knowing that its intensity would change as every moment passed,
My sense of expectation grew and, rising to my feet, I readied myself for a greater wonder;

And while the sky became slowly transformed with colour and light
And its beauty unfolded before me like a flower, opening by the most pleasing display,
So my eyes caught their first glimpse of the goddess as her chariot came into view
Which brightened the sky further as it moved upon the tranquil currents of the morning air.

So glad was I, to be able to witness such a moment, in such a place, at such a time,
That a sense of elation and appreciation was felt inside me;
And though I had always hoped I would see the goddess and perceive the light she carried,
The reality of the moment, and my appreciation of it, finally impacted itself upon my emotions.

And where, one moment, I had been standing, with my feet firm upon a mountain peak,
The next, I found myself sitting, overwhelmed, as my eyes watered with glad tears;
And beyond the tears that veiled my vision, so the light in the sky became brighter,
And as I wiped the tears away, so that I might see clearly once again, I saw her come to me.

The sky chariot that carried the goddess approached without a sound;
Even the four steeds that drew her splendid chariot, whose coats shimmered like gold,
Cantered effortlessly and without noise through the morning air;
And within the beautiful light, which radiated in all directions from the goddess,

Were eight female attendants, flying close to the chariot with expressions of joy upon their faces:
And each one wore a long sleeveless dress, coloured by the varied hues of the dawn;
And, on their young heads, which were lovely in the soft dawn light,
Were immaculate crowns, each adorned with pink and peach coloured roses.

Together, they sang in praise of the goddess and the light that illuminated their existence,
And to their sweet harmonies, they helped to spread the fine rays of Aurora's light;
And as they showered the light about them, by means of an ancient and divine power,
So they helped to lighten the sky further and played their part in heralding the approach of day.

I gazed at them in wonder, for I esteemed them very highly in beauty and goodness:
For on the face of each attendant, whose youthful countenances were no doubt eternal,
Was the appearance of kindness; and in the presence of such benevolence
I perceived the visage of Aurora brighten, with laughter, and a joy glorious and pure.

The light of dawn was now all around me: changing from its roseate charm to a golden warmth
Which now glowed beautifully across the entire lower eastern sky;
And finding myself suddenly within a brighter pool of light, in which the goddess now bathed me,
I found her attention upon me, and for a moment only, she looked at me and smiled.

And in that moment - so precious and unforgettable - there passed a communication;
And in my mind, I heard her voice, calling my name with kindness and with pleasure:
Blessing me with holy words and filling my heart with the love of her light,
And I, captivated by this experience, felt as if the light of the world was glowing inside me.

I rose once more to my feet, almost blissful with delight;
And as I watched the goddess and her female attendants pass smoothly over me
And journey beyond the mountain, upon which I happily stood,
The four golden steeds led the sky chariot away and carried its beautiful light toward the west.

But one surprise was left for me; one which I had not anticipated;
And though the vision of Aurora's arrival and passing had been beautiful, but brief,
And I had deemed myself satisfied by the experience, which truly had been a privilege,
One of her attendants lightly descended to the mountain and landed gracefully before me.

Gazing at the attendant's sublime loveliness, I stood in awe of her;
And the attendant, who smiled at me, came forward and took hold of both my hands
And placed the most charming and innocent kiss upon my brow;
And, feeling her soft, affectionate touch, I felt once again that sense of delight.

Truly, the attendant had the most beautiful face: her brown eyes, were pools of great kindness,
Her hair, like the other attendants, was long and exquisite, and bore a crown of flowers
Which adorned her, almost regally, like a princess from some distant age:
An age when days were golden, peaceful and free.

Her long sleeveless dress, reminded me of the dresses worn by those gracious women
Whose refined beauty, especially in the time of the ancient Romans, were immortalized in art:
In colour, the dress was deep rose, and upon it was embroidered the most luxurious pattern
Which seemed to shimmer like silk, almost golden in the dawn light.

And, like the fine golden aura that glowed around the attendant, so her happiness brightened
As she put forth such radiance about her, that the very air seemed to sparkle in response;
And even though the brightness was beautiful to gaze upon,
I could sense that its light carried more than mere illumination alone:

I was certain that her radiance conveyed a part of the very essence of the goddess herself.
And, as if to confirm this assumption, which was entirely a conjecture within my mind,
The attendant spoke to me and enlightened me with the wisdom from the ages,
And in a most pleasing voice, that not even Venus herself could speak any sweeter, she said:

'The light that you see around me, is indeed the light that has its origin from my Lady,
Bestowed upon me the very moment when I first became attendant to the goddess:
A moment when my only motivation became the need to see your world in light;
A role that has given me pleasure for every century that has passed before the gods.

My Lady goes now toward the west. She can never stop, for her journey is endless
And she is duty bound by the natural laws of the world, its sky and the great spheres beyond
To ride her chariot from horizon to horizon each earthly day and paint the sky with colour:
Colours so beautiful they captivate the hearts and minds of all who gaze upon them.

She cannot slow: for her brother, The Sun, always follows her gentle saffron-coloured wake,
And in his golden chariot, he flies after his sister as if she were the marker of the morning path:
For Aurora's renewing of the morning signals the rhythm for the coming day,
As she is the light which leads all other lights as Time progresses on its infinite journey.

But, as for my Lady's sister, The Moon, who arcs across the sky when Night shades the world,
She is greeted occasionally by my Lady, when her cycle brings her into view on early mornings;
But mostly, my Lady has only her attendants for company as she fulfils her ancient duty
And brings beauty to the sky: beauty which poets and romantics are ever in appreciation of.'

Out of politeness, the attendant went quiet for a moment as she sensed my desire to speak,
And as I looked upon her wonderful face, which was so full of happiness and loveliness,
I asked her if she had a name and if she had always been an attendant to the goddess;
And by showing interest in the attendant, whose beauty glowed brighter at my question,

I remained gently held by her soft, friendly hands as she answered my question:
'I am known to my Lady as Iola and I am the youngest of her attendants;
In appearance, I may look young to you, and in mortal terms, if you were to guess my age
I would be judged as one who was no more than twenty of your earth years old.

But I came into existence long before the great ring of stones were erected in your land,
When people evolved slowly at their own measured pace and learned a day at a time;
And in my world, where spirit is more beautiful than you can imagine, I was found by my Lady
And in the presence of her light I knew at once that I had found my bliss and saw my future duty.

My name means 'the violet coloured dawn' and, by my faithful service to my Lady,
So I contribute to the dawn splendour that forms in your eastern sky, each morning;
And so it is that all my Lady's attendants show reverence and delight to what is truly beautiful
And always fulfil their duty when the moment arrives to reveal the light that announces the day.

My Lady bid me stop for you: she said, your love for her was worthy of such a moment,
And although it pleased her to see you awaiting her arrival, filled with hope and anticipation,
She sends her love to thee and wishes you endless peace on earth for every day you live,
And through her love, she asks that this vision will inspire and gladden you.'

Iola released me and removed one of the roses that adorned her floral crown,
And placing it in my hands, she looked into my eyes and smiled, and in the sweetest voice, said:
'Each rose that adorns my crown, is timeless, yet its state has a perfect freshness and vitality
As if it had just been picked from the fragrant gardens of the goddess Flora.

Regard the rose as a token of the love and joy that we feel for people like yourself:
The poets, the dreamers, the artists who long to capture Aurora's eternal beauty in paint;
And although, once your vision comes to its end, you will not physically perceive this rose,
Its spiritual essence will forever linger in the heart place of your soul,

And this rose shall become a sign, to those who can see such things,
And it will show that my Lady's blessing has truly been bestowed upon thee:
That you have indeed been touched by the spiritual, in the most delightful way;
And every dawn, thereafter, which colours the sky in glory, this rose will glow bright,

As Aurora appears to renew the morning sky and to announce the coming of the Sun;
And flying beside her, in my rightful place, I will look for you and send you a silent greeting;
And like a kiss, so tender, yet filled with such immeasurable joy and kindness,
I will touch you, as if the most pleasing breeze has just blown gently against you.

The dawn must always follow the night as the world revolves;
Soon the Sun will come into view as he begins to climb the skies in his golden chariot:
Steadily gaining height so he may cast a greater light across the lands of the peaceful world;
And so I leave you now, to rejoin my Lady, to fly through earthly skies... farewell.'

With complete ease and gracefulness, Iola ascended lightly into the air,
And keeping my gaze upon her, I watched in wonder as she flew from the mountain
And journeyed toward the west, where Aurora and her attendants beautified the sky;
And when Iola became no more than a tiny point of radiance in the vastness of the sky,

I turned my eyes eastward, where the land was much clearer, and saw the sky lighten further:
Turning almost golden orange where the sky was clear, just above the horizon;
And, gazing a little higher, to where dreamlike banks of slender lilac clouds lay serenely at rest,
With their delicate forms highlighted in stunning rose pink at their outermost edges,

So the glow of the sky seemed to reach up to heaven, as if to touch it with its unforgettable beauty;
And knowing that the Sun would soon make his appearance and follow after his sister,
And cast his warmth upon all that lay before him, helping all living things to grow and thrive,
I sensed a subtle change in the way I perceived the land and the sky before me.

And, as when a painting of great beauty is unveiled for the very first time
And is eagerly looked upon by mortal eyes and treasured moment by moment
Until one knows, by means of intuition, it is finally time to take one's gaze away from it
So that others, who may also be waiting to see the very same painting,

May equally have an opportunity to behold the same magnificence and loveliness,
So I realized my vision of the mythological was drawing to its natural conclusion,
And regretting that it should end so soon and that I would not see the Sun in his majestic form,
I sighed and turned my gaze to the western sky and, in silent gratitude, sent a prayer to Aurora.

 

Written by Mark Woollacott
14th March 2010.