Oran's Cry
A NEW VERSION BY HUNTER FLOURNOY, WITH THANKS TO BILL AND DAVID COHEA, FIONA MACLEOD (WILLIAM SHARP), MRS. M. MACLEOD BANK, DR. MACLAGAN AT CLACHAN, KINTYRE, MR. WHITLEY STOKES, AND DR. SKENE)
A NEW VERSION BY HUNTER FLOURNOY, WITH THANKS TO BILL AND DAVID COHEA, FIONA MACLEOD (WILLIAM SHARP), MRS. M. MACLEOD BANK, DR. MACLAGAN AT CLACHAN, KINTYRE, MR. WHITLEY STOKES, AND DR. SKENE)
OLD STORIES SCATTER THE TRUTH
THE WAY WAVES SCATTER SUNLIGHT;
ALWAYS SHIFTING, BEAUTIFUL, AND BRILLIANT.
ACCORDING TO SOME LEGENDS, ORAN WAS A DRUID,
OLD AND DARK AS THE ROCKS OF IONA,
WITH THE FIERCE JOY OF THE SEA AND SKY TOGETHER.
SOME SAY HE WELCOMED SAINT COLUMBA TO THE ISLE,
KNEE-DEEP IN WATER,
HIS CLOTHES PLASTERED CLOSE TO HIS SKIN
LIKE THE PELT OF AN OTTER.
OTHER TALES SAY THAT ORAN CAME TO IONA WITH COLUMBA IN 563 A.D.,
THAT HE WAS COLUMBA'S SON, HIS LOVER, OR HIS FRIEND.
ON ONE THING THE OLD STORIES AGREE:
ORAN LOVED COLUMBA.
COLUMBA AND HIS TWELVE COMPANIONS
SOUGHT TO BUILD A CHAPEL ON THE ISLAND,
ONLY TO FIND THEIR LABOR IN RUINS EACH MORNING.
ONE BY ONE, THE MONKS SAT IN VIGIL
TO GUARD THEIR WORK THROUGH THE NIGHT,
AND ONE BY ONE THEIR BODIES WERE FOUND AT SUNRISE,
BROKEN AMONG THE STONES,
LEAVING THEIR COMPANIONS BEREFT AND CONFUSED.
AT LAST, COLUMBA HIMSELF
HELD VIGIL OVER THE HALF-BUILT WALLS,
WITH ONLY THE HOWLING WIND
AND THE SOUND OF THE OCEAN TO KEEP HIM COMPANY.
THE NIGHT DEEPENED.
HE COULD NO LONGER SEE THE STARS;
A MONSTROUS SILHOUETTE FILLED THE SKY,
HALF WOMAN, HALF FISH,
GENTLE AND TERRIBLE ALL AT ONCE.
COLUMBA ROSE UP TREMBLING
AND ASKED THE AWESOME SPIRIT
WHAT DESTROYED THE CHAPEL EVERY NIGHT;
SHE LAUGHED AND WHISPERED
(WITH A VOICE LIKE THE SOUND OF THE OCEAN
RUSHING ACROSS BEACH STONES)
THAT ONE MUST GIVE THEIR WHOLE LIFE
TO BUILD ANYTHING BEAUTIFUL AND TRUE
-- THE COST IS BEING MADE NEW--
AND EVEN THEN, THE OUTCOME
IS A MYSTERY.
COLUMBA TOLD HIS COMPANIONS.
THE LEGENDS DISAGREE ON WHAT HAPPENED NEXT.
SOME SAY THAT COLUMBA CHOSE ORAN FOR SACRIFICE,
WHILE OTHERS SAY THAT LOTS WERE DRAWN,
BUT THE HEART KNOWS ORAN LOVED SO WELL
THE SACRED LAND, COLUMBA AND HIS BROTHERS,
AND THE MYSTERY THAT CALLED THEM ALL TOGETHER,
HE GLADLY AGREED TO BE BURIED ALIVE
BENEATH THE CHAPEL WALLS,
BECOMING THE DEEP ROOTS
OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL AND TRUE.
THE OUTCOME WAS THE SAME:
ORAN LAY DOWN IN THE EARTH,
SEVEN TIMES DEEPER THAN A MAN STANDS TALL,
BURIED ALIVE BY HIS FRIENDS.
THE CHAPEL, AT LAST, STOOD STRONG.
DID COLUMBA YEARN FOR HIS LOST COMPANION?
WAS HE HAUNTED BY GUILT?
WAS HE SIMPLY CURIOUS TO SEE
WHAT HIS FRIEND HAD BECOME?
WE SIMPLY DON’T KNOW.
BUT HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED:
ON THE THIRD NIGHT AFTER ORAN’S BURIAL,
COLUMBA HAD A VISION OF ORAN’S FACE
PRESSING THROUGH THE STONY WALLS
INTO LIFE AGAIN.
COLUMBA COMMANDED HIS COMPANIONS
TO OPEN THE GRAVE.
AS THEY BRUSHED THE LAST OF THE SOIL
FROM ORAN’S FACE,
ORAN’S EYES FLEW OPEN,
GLITTERING LIKE THE OCEAN DEPTHS
AS HE GAZED INTO COLUMBA’S EYES.
HE CRIED ALOUD,
“THERE IS NO DEATH,
NO HELL AS YOU SUPPOSE,
NO HEAVEN THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT,
NO GOD, NO JUDGEMENT , AND NO HEREAFTER.
THE WAY YOU THINK IT IS
MAY NOT BE THE WAY IT IS AT ALL!”
SOME LEGENDS SAY THAT COLUMBA WAS HORRIFIED
BY ORAN’S BLASPHEMY;
OTHER THAT HE WAS MOVED BY HOLY ZEAL
TO KEEP ORAN FROM EXPOSING HEAVEN
TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT COMPREHEND;
AND STILL OTHERS SAY THAT HE WANTED ONLY
TO RETURN HIS FRIEND TO PARADISE.
THERE IS NO CONFUSION, HOWEVER, ON WHAT HE DID NEXT,
FOR HIS WORDS AND ACTIONS
HAVE BURNED THROUGH THE VEILS OF TIME AND TIDE
WITH ABSOLUTE CLARITY:
COLUMBA CRIED OUT,
"UIR! UIR! AIR BEUL ODHRAIN"
OR. "EARTH, EARTH ON ORAN'S MOUTH!",
AND BURIED HIM ALIVE ONCE MORE,
HIS BONES BENEATH THE ABBEY
AND THE GRAVEYARD NAMED FOR HIM.
THANKFULLY, THE TRUTH CANNOT BE BURIED LONG;
LIKE A SEED, IT WILL WAIT
UNTIL LIFE CALLS IT FORTH FROM ITS SHELL,
SENDING OUT ROOTS AND SHOOTS
AND RISING FROM THE DARK EARTH INTO LIGHT.
ORAN'S DEATH GAVE BIRTH TO A THOUSAND STORIES:
THE OLD PEOPLE SAY THAT THE STONE OF DESTINY
WAS CUT FROM THIS ISLE AND HIDDEN THERE
UNTIL A TRUE KING RISES ONCE AGAIN.
. IT'S SAID ONE CAN ONLY REACH THE ANGELS OF IONA WITH ORAN’S BLESSING.
AND MANY HAVE SOUGHT THE GATE TO HEAVEN THERE:
CHIEFTANS, KINGS, AND PRINCES, MYSTICS, PRIESTS, AND PROPHETS
HAVE BEEN BURIED BESIDE THE CHAPEL FOR A THOUSAND YEARS,
HOPING TO RISE AGAIN, LIKE ORAN, BEAUTIFUL AND TRUE.
THOUGH COLUMBA STOPPED HIS MOUTH WITH EARTH,
ORAN’S SILENT LAUGHTER RINGS THE LOUDER
IN THE SOUND OF THE OCEAN
RUSHING ACROSS BEACH STONES:
THERE IS NO DEATH, NO HELL AS WE SUPPOSE,
NO HEAVEN THAT PEOPLE IMAGINE,
NO GOD, NO JUDGEMENT, NO HEREAFTER.
THE WAY WE THINK IT IS
MAY NOT BE THE WAY IT IS AT ALL!
THERE IS ONLY LOVE'S HOLY MYSTERY,
OUR SOURCE, OUR HEART, OUR DESTINY,
AND IT IS ONLY THIS THAT CALLS US TO SURRENDER,
MOVES US TO CHERISH CREATION, GIVE OUR LIVES AS GIFTS.
IT IS THIS MYSTERY THAT MAKES US WHOLE.
