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Double Rondel for Pentecost

Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! O fire that warms my soul,
You burn within to turn my love heart-whole,
And burst beyond as fervor unsuppressed.
Celestial flame, my most delightful guest,
Inspire me as a temple you control.

Dispel my darkness, radiant aureole,
Refine my gold and guide me toward my goal;
In evergrowing heat I’ve acquiesced.
Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! O fire that warms my soul,
You burn within to turn my love heart-whole,
And burst beyond as fervor unsuppressed.

Enhance my sunniness, drab grief console;
Igniting fragrant incense is my role.
Emblazon sparkling works to you addressed
With tenderness of luminescent zest;
Your galaxies of glory I extol.

Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! O fire that warms my soul,
You burn within to turn my love heart-whole,
And burst beyond as fervor unsuppressed.
Celestial flame, my most delightful guest,
Inspire me as a temple you control.

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Poet’s Note

Among French forms with repeated lines and a limited number of rhyme sounds, the standard 13-line rondel has rhyme scheme ABba abAB abbaA, where capital letters indicate repeated lines (refrains). There are two refrains, one for each rhyme sound. The recognized double rondel of 16 lines doubles the number of refrains to two for each rhyme sound, and four in all. It has the rhyme scheme ABBA abAB abba ABBA. Example poems are rare.

I’ve encountered only one example of any round form with five refrains: “Au feu! Au feu! Au feu!” by Alain Chartier (c. 1385–1430). Chartier’s form is that used in my “Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!” His subject is the fire of love; in desperation the speaker calls upon hearers to help extinguish it before it consumes him. I alter the subject to the fire of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, to create a poem with the speaker’s mood and the poem’s tone transformed accordingly.

My 21-line double rondel with an extra refrain line might be called (following the form-naming practice of Lewis Turco) a double rondel supreme.

An English poem similar to Chartier’s work is the following song by Thomas Campion (1567–1620). Campion allowed himself a greater number of rhyme sounds. The text is usually printed as a poem of 18 lines (omitting repetitions), but I follow the poet-composer’s music in presenting 20 lines as they would have been sung. Trent and Humber and Thames are names of rivers.

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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Lo, here I burn in such desire
That all the tears that I can strain
Out of mine idle empty brain
Cannot allay my scorching pain.

Come Trent and Humber, and fair Thames,
Dread Ocean, haste with all thy streams,
And if you cannot quench my fire,
O drown both me, O drown both me and my desire,
O drown both me, O drown both me and my desire.

Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
There is no hell to my desire:
See, all the rivers backward fly,
And th’ Ocean doth his waves deny,
For fear my heat should drink them dry.

Come, heav’nly show’rs, then, pouring down,
Come you that once the world did drown,
Some then you spared, but now save all
That else must burn, that else must burn and with me fall,
That else must burn, that else must burn and with me fall.

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Margaret Coats lives in California.  She holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University.  She has retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others.

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32 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    How intensely burns your rondel that singes the soul and sears the heart. I have no idea what musical score to which this might be set, but it should start with bass tones and end in high C!

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks for the intense appreciation, Roy! With the repetitions, that kind of music would resonate low to high at both beginning and end, and maybe in the third stanza without any repetitions as well, since in words it moves up toward the galaxies.

      Reply
  2. Margaret Brinton

    Ms.Coats, the significance of the Holy Spirit is often underestimated. I do thank you for this.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      You are correct! I’m grateful to have had a splendidly active medieval poem as model, inspiring me to take on this topic of spiritual power far exceeding my own.

      Reply
  3. Paul A. Freeman

    The fervency and urgency of the narrator’s words shines through this poem.

    I especially liked the ‘galaxies of glory’, brining the infinity of space and time into the mix, and the final line that brings us more down to earth and the narrator’s humble ‘temple’.

    Thanks for the read, Margaret.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Yes, Paul, that unrepeated third stanza does reach toward boundaries of the universe and the vast fires we occasionally glimpse there, while the repetition of “temple” comes back to earth, as you say, and to each of us with the capacity to be a lowly temple of the divine Spirit. Thanks for outlining those dimensions so clearly!

      Reply
  4. Warren Bonham

    You continue to push the bar ever higher. Someday I’ll attempt a single rondel by which time, I expect you’ll be producing triple ones expertly translated from ancient hieroglyphic texts. A perfect Pentecost poem.

    Reply
    • Paul Freeman

      The word ‘hieroglyphics’ inspired me. I’m sure Margaret won’t mind:

      Egyptology Limerick

      In Egypt, the cat hieroglyphic
      Was noted to be quite prolific.
      It seemed that to felines,
      The Pharaohs made beelines
      And thought them purr-fectly terrific.

      (still a work in progress)

      Reply
      • Margaret Coats

        Thanks, Paul. I’ve long been fascinated by both Egyptology and cats, so this is welcome.

    • Margaret Coats

      Well, Warren, the round forms do tend to gather families of similar forms around them, but when poets push toward the extremes, the impetus seems to peter out. An example is the roundel, invented by Swinburne as a member of the rondeau family, but even though Swinburne did the medieval thing of producing a hundred of them (some very good), he has had few followers that I know of, with even fewer roundels of good quality. I found the greater constraints of repetition in this double rondel supreme to be so demanding that I will not try it again soon, and thus I thank you all the more for finding it a perfect Pentecost poem. Happy Pentecost Tuesday to you!

      Reply
  5. Cynthia L Erlandson

    This is quite inspired, Margaret! You make such beautiful use of words that evoke fire: radiant aureole; gold; sunniness; igniting; incense; emblazon; sparkling; luminescent; galaxies of glory; even fervent (warmth of emotion). I agree with Warren that putting together a double rondel is a feat for a fearless and brilliant writer. A blessed Pentecost to you!

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Cynthia! We’re given “tongues of fire” as an image for the immaterial Spirit descending, so what could be better than many such “speaking” words, to help contemplate the power of the event? A blessed Pentecost Wednesday, as the week-long recollection continues.

      Reply
  6. Maria

    Dear Margaret
    This poem is brilliant, beautifully uplifting and inspiring.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  7. Ramsey

    Pentecost is the birth of the Church at which time the Holy Ghost descends on the Apostles after Christ ascends into heaven ( John 14:23-31). The Church teaches that the Holy Ghost is the third person in the Holy Trinity, coequal to the Father and the Son (Nicene Creed). During Pentecost we the members of the Church ask the Holy Ghost to enter our hearts and our souls (Psalm 103:30).

    Dr. Coats’ poem is a beautiful expression of her love of the Holy Ghost, while staying true to the strict form of the Double Rondel. Thank you for sharing your faith and inspiring us with your timely wisdom Dr. Coats.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Ramsey, for your magnificent effort in providing a brief beautiful background of doctrine and Scripture. You tell where the poem comes from, and it’s good to have it clearly laid out as we go through these special days of devotion.

      Reply
  8. Yael

    I love your inspired Pentecost poem Margaret, thank you! Personally, I plan on dwelling with the devouring fire and the everlasting burnings of which Isaiah speaks in his 33rd chapter, so I find your poem very relatable.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Yes, thank you, Yael, Isaiah speaks of just reasons that certain bundles of thorns be burnt. Yet he concludes that the process will strengthen dwellers in the holy city, who will have their iniquity taken from them. I wish you related inspirations during the remaining days of Pentecost!

      Reply
  9. Michael Koegel

    Good Job Margaret! I think we were all enveloped by a “ radiant aureole” today and hopefully for all eternity.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Michael, for appreciating the poem and expressing a fervent hope for an eternal “radiant aureole.” I too could feel it on Sunday, and the “delightful guest” is said never to leave us unless we leave first!

      Reply
  10. Jonicis Bulalacao

    Thanks for this, Margaret. It truly inspires me to always invite the Holy Ghost within me, our Friend and Gentle Guest. May we all be reminded to always converse with the Soul of our soul, the Holy Ghost, Who divinizes us.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Inspiring reflection, Joni. The music we’ve sung recently, as I can tell you see, teaches much on the subject of this valuable conversation. And of course it contributed much to the writing of this poem. Thank you for the comment!

      Reply
  11. Christian Muller

    I love the use of repetition and fast-moving imagery. An excellent poem to mark Pentacost in the Christian calendar

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks, Christian. Here repetition required fast-moving images because the form allows little opportunity for discourse that would slow it down. Glad you liked it, and have a happy Pentecost Thursday!

      Reply
  12. Christina Lesinski

    God bless you, Mrs. Coats, for writing such an inspired and moving poem, which was much more like a prayer where you are invoking the aid of the Holy Spirit; inviting Him in. This truly brought me to tears and filled my heart with joy. The flame of desire and love of God is clearly present in your words, as well as your humility, vulnerability and surrender to the Holy Spirit. My favorite line: “Refine my gold and guide me toward my goal.” So fluid and mindful. Also impactful is the theme of fire in the poem, of course. The many terms related to explosion and bursting at the seams suggest the immense power but also warmth of the Holy Spirit, and how all we need to do is welcome Him as a “delightful guest” with “fervor unsuppressed” and He will consume us. Thank you for bringing the Holy Spirit to light (ironically) in this poem on Pentecost!

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you very much, Christina! I am overjoyed to know that there is spirit in these lines to bring forth such a response. And I’m happy to see that you and I and others can look at this “Fire!” poem with hope and expectation that the Holy Spirit may consume us. Alain Chartier’s secular love poem had exactly the opposite perspective, namely, fear of being consumed, and therefore a desire to escape the fire of uncontrolled passion. I wasn’t sure whether I did well to emphasize “control” in the line repeated at the end of the first and fourth stanzas, but I’m now glad I did. The happiest effects come about when we can surrender control to God.

      Reply
  13. Laura Deagon

    Margaret, your Pentecost poem created a feeling of excitement as I read it.
    As I read more of your poems, I have taken notice of the feelings that are created.
    As mentioned in the past, I have not had much exposure to poetry, so I am enjoying the discoveries of feelings, learning about new topics and presentation.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Laura! There are few things more exciting than being caught up by God’s own Spirit. I try to “actualize” that here, and there is so much beyond ourselves to imagine that we rarely consider when remembering the historical event. A fervent Pentecost Friday to you!

      Reply
  14. GARY D KRAUSS

    Margaret, What a profoundly spiritual work! So much to unpack here as you walk us through the impact that the Holy Spirit has upon the soul. I especially like the phrase “And burst beyond as fervor unsuppressed.” It calls to my mind Acts 2:1-41 where the first Christian community experienced a never before seen boldness. From then on they and their successors were willing to face martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      You’re right, Gary, that kind of boldness (unknown before) reveals an unquenchable fire of courage obtained from beyond the self. It is, as you say, an impact upon the soul. Thanks so much for your perceptive reflection!

      Reply
  15. Scharlie Meeuws

    I was deeply touched, Margaret, by your intense spiritual poem, especially the pre-ultimate stanza impressed by choice of expression “Enhance my sunniness, drab grief console;
    Igniting fragrant incense is my role.” Your explanation about the poem by Thomas Campion was very interesting to he too.
    Scharlie Meeuws

    Reply
  16. Irene

    Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire! What an apt rendition of Holy Spirit’s burning power. Holy Spirit is happy and smiling down on you for helping us see Who He (Holy Spirit) really is. Thank you Dr. Coats.

    Reply

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