A poem for the Sun

To mark the 2015 solar eclipse, Little Atoms has teamed up with Penned In The Margins to bring you a new poem by Simon Barraclough

Laudato sie, mi Signore, cun tutte le tue creature,
Spetialmente messor lo frate sole
Lo qual jorna et allumini noi per loi.
Et ellu e bellu e radiante cun grande splendore:
De te, Altissimo, porta significatione.

                                        St. Francis of Assisi, from ‘Cantico delle creature’ (c. 1224)

Praise be to you, my Lord, and all your creatures,
especially our lord and brother, the Sun
who brings for us the light of day through you.
And he is beautiful and radiates extravagant brilliance
and bears the image of you, Most High.

My Lord, let us praise you, with all your creatures,
particularly our brother and master, the Sun
who makes day and brings light from you.
Oh, he is beautiful and radiant and splendid
and takes his looks from you, Lord.

Praise, Sir, for you and your creatures,
but mostly for master-brother Sun
who makes our day through you
and simply radiates gorgeousness
and really takes after you.

Respect to you and the whole beastly crew
and a special shout-out to the Sun
who dishes out your daylight. 
He is so fine
and has carried you a long way.

Praise
Sun
Day

P
Rays
U

Simon Barraclough is poet in residence at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. His new collection, Sunspots, is published in hardback by Penned In The Margins on 1 April. You can order it here