Autumn arriving at St Mary's Speldhurst.

LARGE

Walking through the churchyard, I couldn't resist the light and shadows falling across these ancient and more modern graves.

Nor could I resist coming to mind, the wonderful poem "Der Engel", written by Mathilde Wesendonck and set sublimely to music by (not one of my favourites to be honest) composer, Richard Wagner.

The last four verses are:-

Ja, es steig auch mir ein Engel nieder,
Und auf leuchtendem Gefieder
Führt er, ferne jedem Schmerz,
Meinen Geist nun himmelswärts!

Once an angel flew down to me;
He, on wings that shimmer, soft,
Leads far away from suffering,
My spirit towards heaven!