A Promise

I can never see a rainbow without thinking of one of my favourite pieces of music, Britten's Noyes Fludde,  and the Noah Play from the Chester Cycle of Miracle Plays on which it is based. 

I acted in it at University, playing Noah, and the performance took place in Old St Pauls in Edinburgh.  

At the very end God makes a promise that the world shall never again be destroyed by water and as a testament places a rainbow in the sky, saying 


My bowe betwene you and mea 
 in the fyrmamente shalbe, 
by verey tokeninge that you may see 
 that such vengeance shall cease. 

The man ne woman shall never more 
be wasted by water as hath before; 
but for synne that greveth me sore, 
therfore this vengeance was.


Where clowdes in the welkyn bynne,
that ylke bowe shalbe seene,
 n tokeninge that my wrath and teene
shall never thus wroken bee.

The stringe is torned towardes you
 and towardes me is bente the bowe,
 that such wedder shall never showe;
 and this behett I thee.


This evening , driving back from a very busy day's campaigning in Achnamara, Tayvallich and Cairnbaan I saw this  wonderfully intense rainbow at the foot of the Rest & Be Thankful and once  again those words came to mind.