Sounding the Seasons: Seventy sonnets for Christian year

by Malcolm Guite

Poetry has always been a central element of Christian spirituality and is increasingly used in worship, in pastoral services and guided meditation. Here, Cambridge poet, priest and singer-songwriter Malcolm Guite transforms 70 lectionary readings into inspiring poems for use in regular worship, seasonal services, meditative reading or on retreat.

Genres: Poetry, Christian, Christianity, Theology, Faith, Devotional, Spirituality

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's my review: I couldn't bear to bring it back to the library, so I had to buy it. These sonnets are deceptively simple, often hearkening back to familiar metaphors about light and wine and birth but always imbuing these symbols with new touches of meaning while upholding their full meaning as revealed in scripture. It is rare to read a poet who stirs the imagination with such fresh understandings of familiar truths. I've never been so moved by any depiction of Christ's crucifixion as I was by Guite's "Stations of the Cross" series. The words are ordinary, the cumulative effect is extraordinary.

[M. Todd Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sonnets celebrating the Christian year go back at least to John Donne's "La Corona". Guite's cycle of meditative, celebratory poems owes much to Donne, to Herbert, and to the examples of other great Christian poets. I recommend this collection to anyone who likes traditional verse on Christian themes, or who aspires to write in sonnet form. It has the potential to teach much about writing poetry, to enhance private devotion, and to enrich public liturgy.

[John Thieme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guite's poems in "Sounding the Seasons" and in "The Singing Bowl" are exquisitely nuanced and subtle moments at the intersection of faith and captivating beauty. They are deeply insightful and his lines seem almost to sing aloud (I enjoy listening to the cadence and kindness in Guite's voice when I come across the audio of his reading these poems and comments on his blog). This is poetry in that holy moment of stillness and mindful quietude, the words resonate throughout the day and (with a nod to Eliot) "echo thus in your mind". The poems stay with you both in their power and their delicacy. Each poem in this book is a invitation to pause, go inward, and feel the spirit.

This is a book to enjoy over and over again--one that illuminates and breathes life into the lectionary and I find solace in these visible signs of a powerful and invisible grace. I read Guite's poems during the course of my devotions, along with Donne, Herbert, Traherne, and Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer.

[Brian Koser]

Now a permanent part of my calendar

[Peter McNamee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good rule of life to read everything that Malcolm Guite writes. This collection of sonnets is exceptional.

[PD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduced to this author through The Rabbit Room. So glad for it. This was a good volume to read through, but it will be one I return to during various points in the Christian liturgical calendar.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lean in to the cadence of the Christian year, and it’ll do you good.

I found these poems a combo of reflective and responsive - an opportunity to pause with the spiritual seasons, and dwell more diligently; but also to personalise and impress their meaning on our modern hearts.

I gobbled these up by April, which felt a bit maverick, but I’d read the Advent ones previously in another anthology. The sequence on the Stations of the Cross was especially moving - a good reminder that we shouldn’t discard this inner pilgrimage too quickly as ‘just a Catholic fad’.

[Eliza Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful poetry 💞 I really enjoyed reading one poem every morning. I will most likely buy his book of poems for Lent next.

[Kyle McFerren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's nice to know there are still Christians who know how to make art. In Sounding the Seasons, Guite, an Anglican priest, has written sonnets for various holidays and occasions throughout the church year, including deeper reflections on the Stations of the Cross for Good Friday, and the O Antiphons for Advent. They reminded me a lot of a modern John Donne or George Herbert, and he says he was greatly influenced by both of them. I read this short collection in a few sittings, but I think it would be especially beneficial as a kind of devotional reading to use throughout the church year. This is definitely a book that needs to be read more than once, so I'm sure I'll revisit it again before too long.

For me, Guite's biggest strength is his ability to highlight the paradox in Jesus being fully divine and fully human, especially in his sonnet series for the Stations of the Cross. Like in his poem on Jesus being given the cross, he reflects on how Jesus, as creator, created the very tree which mankind made into a cross to crucify him: "we took his iron to edge an axe's blade/ we took the axe and laid it to the tree/ we made a cross of all that he has made/ and laid it on the one who made us free." Definitely a worthwhile read for Christians, and down-to-earth enough even for those who don't read much poetry.

[Sherry Elmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

November 2024:

As expected, I greatly enjoyed reading this excellent collection of poems by Malcolm Guite. I rarely read rhymed poetry anymore, and that in itself was a refreshing change. But rhyme or no, Guite is an excellent poet who keenly observes the intersection of the material and spiritual worlds.


2021 Review:

In place of a review of this excellent small book of poetry, I will share one of the poems. I hope it will entice you to get a copy of this work for yourself.

O Sapientia
I cannot think unless I have been thought,
Nor can I speak unless I have been spoken.
I cannot teach except as I am taught,
Or break the bread except as I am broken.
O Mind behind the mind through which I seek,
O Light within the light by which I see,
O Word beneath the words with which I speak,
O founding, unfound Wisdom, finding me,
O sounding Song whose depth is sounding me,
O Memory of time, reminding me,
My Ground of Being, always grounding me,
My Maker’s Bounding Line, defining me,
Come, hidden Wisdom, come with all you bring,
Come to me now, disguised as everything.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful idea to incorporate little bits of literature within the church. He works with opposites and paradoxes to create a rich display of words, definitely exploring the doctrines of Christianity. Malcolm's words seem to flow forth easily, while still retaining a sense of mystery and meaning. He is definitely a gifted poet.

[Benjamin Shurance · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful little tome. I am partial to the sonnet, and many were very nicely done. My favorites were (some of which I purpose to memorize):

"O Sapentia", "O Radix", "O Rex Gentium", "The Annunciation", "Maundy Thursdsay", "Jesus Falls the Second Time", "Pentecost", "St Peter", "St Thomas the Apostle", "The Gathered Glories" (All Saints), "The Feast of Christ the King", "Epilogue: Sanctus"

Other notables:
"On the Edge" (Christmastide), "Transfiguration", "Thanksgiving" (All Saints)

[Christy Whitsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have liked his advent and lent volumes, and have done better reading those since they have specific seasons they align with. Not following a liturgical calendar, I didn’t have a clue when some of these in this Volume were supposed to be read, and thus lost track of the book for a while. I picked it back up w h reading daily and ignoring whether it aligned or not. Having said that, he has some great insights and beautifully expressed ideas in his poetry, and I will continue to read his books.

[Joe DeGraaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoughtful reflection on Scripture and the seasons of Christian liturgy and tradition in the form of poetic verses.any of these are great additions to practices of worship and Christian meditation.

[Robert McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to read more poetry.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning collection of sonnets. Gorgeous poetry, thoughtful imagery, and brilliant wordplay. I was moved to tears on several occasions.

[Mary Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book of poems for the ecclesiastical year. Just what I was looking for. There are also good information in the back for using the poems.

[J. Alfred · Rating 5 out of 5]

"To have gathered from the air a live tradition
Or from a fine old eye the unconquered flame
This is not vanity"
says Ezra Pound. And these sonnets make the literary and church traditions that birthed them come alive a little bit more. It's been a long time since I've had such an enjoyable and profoundly moving reading experience.
Magnificent!
I hope we add some of these readings to our liturgy at church. Go and do thou likewise.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sonnets are not how I typically take my poetry, but these are lovely and beautiful accompaniments to the liturgical year.

[Zachary Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guite is a master...several times I audibly gasped at the last line of a particular sonnet. Moments that are breathtakingly good--and those deserve five stars. However, about 1/3 of the sonnets lacked appeal due to various points of theological disagreement, or moments where a propensity to viewing the gospel through the lens of social constructs bled in. Overall, these are excellent. I'll be rereading often, and plan to get more of Guite's work.

[Jeremy Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magnificent series of sonnets, which follows the traditional church calendar. I read these sonnets as part of my morning meditation, prayer, and Bible readings, and I found them to be enriching and inspiring during these brief moments of contemplation and devotion. Guite's poems are a gift to the contemporary church, helping to bridge tradition, truth, and the concerns of our time.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of sonnets that are tied to various points of the year. I read them all in one sitting. I think they would be better read a few at a time with time spent meditating on them.

The end of the book had an interesting discussion on reading non-Bible passages in a worship service. It discussed the "not in the Bible" and shouldn't be read viewpoint vs. reading spiritual works.

[Adam Biro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savoured this book slowly, and suggest you do the same. Each time I picked it up I reread the previous poem, which invariably brought new layers of meaning to light. Then, I would slowly read the next one - never more!

[Allan Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

These sonnets are excellent - well-written and thoughts provoking.

[Cbarrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, yet immensely rich and deep sonnet meditations following the church calendar. Guite turns memorable phrases to craft words and sounds for the service of the sonnet's theme.

Recommend

[Michael Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this offering through Advent this year (2024) caused my heart to swell and my soul to soar. Several of the Sonnets were prophetic and convicting, such as "The Feast of Christ the King," which I plan to return to many times. Others, for Christmas provided inspiration and hope for the season. Let me offer you two (and encourage you to buy the book to get the rest):

On the Edge
Christmas on the Edge

Christmas sets the centre on the edge;
The edge of town, the outhouse of the inn,
The fringe of empire, far from privilege
And power, on the edge and outer spin
Of turning worlds, a margin of small stars
That edge a galaxy itself light years
From some unguessed at cosmic origin.
Christmas sets the centre at the edge.

And from this day our world is re-aligned
A tiny seed unfolding in the womb
Becomes the source from which we all unfold
And flower into being. We are healed,
The end begins, the tomb becomes a womb,
For now in him all things are re-aligned.

__________

O Emmanuel

O come, O come, and be our God-with-us
O long-sought With-ness for a world without,
O secret seed, O hidden spring of light.
Come to us Wisdom, come unspoken Name
Come Root, and Key, and King, and holy Flame,
O quickened little wick so tightly curled,
Be folded with us into time and place,
Unfold for us the mystery of grace
And make a womb of all this wounded world.
O heart of heaven beating in the earth,
O tiny hope within our hopelessness
Come to be born, to bear us to our birth,
To touch a dying world with new-made hands
And make these rags of time our swaddling bands.

__________

[Amybarker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of beautiful Christian sonnets, that correspond with the liturgical calendar. I’ve read most of them through twice, trying to savor them in their appropriate time of year. Each poem is both convicting and encouraging, and I think there’s more that I could get out of them than I have. But this is what I’ve learned about poetry: you have to take your time and savor the words, examine and study them, maybe even memorize them. I think that’s why I memorized so much poetry when I was younger, because to me, it was the easiest way processing poetry, when I just couldn’t take the time to sit and ponder. There’s a part of me that wants to memorize a lot of these poems, too. Especially “Christ the King”, which was especially convicting. But for now, I put the book on the shelf in my living room, in the hopes that I’ll put it out again someday. And I’m writing this review in the hopes that someone else will read it, and perhaps take more time with each poem than I did.

[Harry Allagree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm officially announcing that I'm addicted to the poetry of Malcolm Guite! This is a lovely, short book of sonnets for the various Christian liturgical seasons of the year. I recommend it especially to my colleagues who are Episcopal clergy. Fraser Watts, a member of the St. Edward King & Martyr in Cambridge, UK where Guite serves as Assistant Chaplain, adds a helpful article, "The sonnets and liturgy", in Appendix B.

It's worth sharing the first lines of his "Prologue: Sounding the seasons":

"Tangled in time, we go by hints and guesses,
Turning the wheel of each returning year.
But in the midst of failures and successes
We sometimes glimpse the love that casts out fear.
Sometimes the heart remembers its own reasons
And beats a Sanctus as we sing our story,
Tracing the threads of grace, sounding the seasons
That lead at last through time to timeless glory..."

[Jonathan Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a leaving present from a church that I was part of for 4 years. I didn’t realise at the time but this simple book of sonnets has been profoundly impactful in this last year. When things have been hard and I find prayer difficult. When I lose my trust in institutions and find it hard to see Christ in the work that I am doing. These sonnets have been where God has most clearly spoken to me. In each season. In each festival. In ordinary and special ways. So thank you Malcolm Guite and thank you St Matthias Church - for this is gift that I’m sure will continue to pour forth into my life year on year.

Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.

[Tamara Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I refer to Malcolm Guite’s sonnets as closely as I do to any other theologian I read and was delighted to introduce his work to our church’s reading group last year. In the collection Sounding the Seasons: Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year, Guite turns 70 lectionary readings into beautiful, poignant spiritual reflections. We read through this book as a companion to all our reading during 2018, reading several aloud each time we gathered. As a bonus, we grew in our understanding and appreciation for the sonnet as a classic poetic form.