Het koninkrijk van de zomer

Nee, dit bericht gaat niet over het weer buiten. Hoewel dat de laatste dagen zeker erg zomers is. Het is zelfs warm! Maar met die kwaliteit van de late zomer: de gouden nevels, de kleurende bladeren en het gevoel dat het zo voorbij kan zijn.
Maar dit bericht gaat over een andere zomer. Ik heb deze week het boek Taliesin van Stephen Lawhead weer gelezen. Ten eerste omdat ik las dat Hood uitkwam, maar ook omdat mijn vriend Hans in de serie aan het lezen was, en mij vergeleek met een bard. Ik had Taliesin vijf jaar geleden voor het eerst gelezen, en ik kende het einde al, maar toch was het fris en meeslepend, vooral door Lawheads' beschrijvingen die alle vijf de zintuigen aanspreken, en soms het zesde... Taliesin is het eerste boek van de Pendragon-cyclus, een serie boeken over koning Arthur, maar die komt pas voor in het derde boek (met als titel: Arthur, ja, ja). In dit boek beschrijft Lawhead de voorgeschiedenis en hij verweeft daarbij drie verschillende legenden: ten eerste de legende van Atlantis, het mythische eilandrijk dat ver voor de jaartelling in zee verdween, ten tweede de keltische legenden over de bard Taliesin en ten derde de legende over Jozef van Arimatea, die met de graal naar Engeland zou zijn gekomen. Lawhead plaatst deze legenden in een overtuigende setting aan het eind van de Romeinse heerschappij over Engeland, een tijd dat het christendom begon te groeien. En in dat proces blijkt de Ware God te staan tegenover machten als de gehoornde god en Mithras (kennelijk ook al bekend in Atlantis)... Ik heb waardering voor de manier waarop Lawhead de druiden neerzet, als zoekend naar de waarheid achter hun goden, maar tegelijk gevaarlijk experimenterend met de andere wereld.
En als altijd roepen zijn beschrijvingen verlangen op naar andere plaatsen en andere manieren van leven. De stierendans van Charis (de prinses uit Atlantis) is zo beschreven dat je het zand van de arena voelt tussen je tenen, maar tegelijk klopt de opwinding van het avontuur in je aderen. En ik zou willen horen tot het keltische volk van Elphin, de Cymry, die een eenvoudig leven leiden, maar met zelfrespect, liefde voor elkaar en zonder schaamte om hun emoties te uiten.
Maar waar ik vooral naar verlang is 'The kingdom of summer', het koninkrijk van de zomer. Dat is het beeld dat de bard Taliesin ziet in een visioen, en waar hij daarna altijd van zingt.
Hier is een stukje uit het boek:

"The colour of summer," repeated Blaise. "What is it?"
Taliesin thought for a moment. "It is... mmmm... Gold!" he declared triumphantly.
"You mean green, do you not, Taliesin? I think autumn should be gold."
"No, replied Taliesin. "Autumn is grey."
"Grey?" Blaise shook his head in bewilderment. "The things you say, Taliesin. What do you think, Hafgan?"
The druid did not answer. "What colour is spring, Taliesin?"
"White"
"And winter? What colour?"
"Winter is black."
Blaise laughed. "Summer is the only season of colour in your world, Taliesin. do you realize that?"
"Of course," he answered without hesitation, swinging the willow wand easily. "That is why I am going to be King of the Summer, and my realm will be known as the Kingdom of Summer. While I am king there will be no winter, no autumn, and no spring."
"Only summer?" said Blaise suddenly serious. He had caught the wistful note in the boys voice and had stopped laughing.
"Only summer. There will be no darkness and no dying, and the land will flow with all good things." Taliesin became quiet then and said no more.

En hier is een verdere beschrijving van een stukje verderop:

Taliesin's smile was quick, but it was also sad. "The world is ours for the making," he said lightly, but he turned back to the mountains and gazed for a long time without speaking.
When he did speak again, his voice sounded far away. "I have seen a land shining with goodness where each man protects his brother's dignity as readily as his own, where war and want have ceased an all races live under the same law of love and honour.
I have seen a land bright with truth, where a man's word is his pledge, and falsehood is banished, where children sleep safe in their mothers' arms and never know fear or pain. I have seen a land where kings extend their hands in justice rather than reach for the sword, where mercy, kindness and compassion flow like deep water over the land, and men revere virtue, revere truth, revere beauty, above comfort, pleasure, or selfish gain. A land where peace reigns in the heart of men, where faith blazes like a beacon from every hill, and love like a fire from every hearth, where the True God is worshipped and his ways acclaimed by all
"I have seen this land, charis," he said, his hand striking his chest. "I have seen it and my heart yearns for it. It is our world as it was meant to be, and will be. The Kingdom of Summer is but a reflection of it."

Ja, dat is het! Dit is waar ik naar verlang. Dat is ook wat ik wil overdragen (daarom dat Hans me een bard noemde). En het koninkrijk van de zomer zál komen. Het rijk waar de ene ware Koning regeert, de koning van wie Arthur en zijn 'kingdom of summer' maar een weerkaatsing waren. Het koninkrijk der hemelen...

[No, this message is not about the weather outside, although it really is nice and warm the past few days. But with that quality of late summer: the golden mist, the darkening leaves and the feeling it will be over soon.
But this message is about another summer. This week I read again the book Taliesin by Stephen Lawhead. Firstly because I read that Hood had appeared, but also because my friend Hans was reading this series and he compared me with a bard. I read Taliesin for the first time five years ago, so I already knew the end, but still it remained fresh and compelling, largely because of Lawheads' descriptions that use all five senses, and sometimes the sixth. Taliesin is the first novel in the Pendragon-series, a cycle of book about King arthur, but he only appears in the third part (with the titel Arthur, ofcourse). In this book Lawhead describes what came before and he mixes three different legends: firstly the legend about Atlantis, the mythical islandkingdom that disappeared into the ocean thousands of years ago, secondly the keltic legends about the bard Taliesin, and thirdly the legend about Joseph of Arimathea, who came to England carrying the Holy Grail. Lawhead places these legends in a convincing setting at the end of Roman rule about England, a time when christianity began to grow. And in that process the True God stands opposed to powers like the horned god and Mithras (seemingly also known in Atlantis)... I appreciate the way Lawhead describes the druids, as seeking for the truth behind their gods, but at the same time dangerously experimenting with the other world.
And, as always, his description bring forth desire for other places and other ways of life. The bulldance of Charis (the princess of Atlantis) is described in a way that makes you feel the sand of the arena between your toes, but at the same time the exitement of adventure flows through your veins... And I want to belong to the keltic people of Elphin, the Cymry, who lead a simple live, but with honour, selfrespect, love and able to share their emotions without shame.
But what I desire the most is the kingdom of summer. It's the image the bard Taliesin sees in a vision, one he always sings about. Here is a part of the novel:

"The colour of summer," repeated Blaise. "What is it?"
Taliesin thought for a moment. "It is... mmmm... Gold!" he declared triumphantly.
"You mean green, do you not, Taliesin? I think autumn should be gold."
"No, replied Taliesin. "Autumn is grey."
"Grey?" Blaise shook his head in bewilderment. "The things you say, Taliesin. What do you think, Hafgan?"
The druid did not answer. "What colour is spring, Taliesin?"
"White"
"And winter? What colour?"
"Winter is black."
Blaise laughed. "Summer is the only season of colour in your world, Taliesin. do you realize that?"
"Of course," he answered without hesitation, swinging the willow wand easily. "That is why I am going to be King of the Summer, and my realm will be known as the Kingdom of Summer. While I am king there will be no winter, no autumn, and no spring."
"Only summer?" said Blaise suddenly serious. He had caught the wistful note in the boys voice and had stopped laughing.
"Only summer. There will be no darkness and no dying, and the land will flow with all good things." Taliesin became quiet then and said no more.

And here is another description:

Taliesin's smile was quick, but it was also sad. "The world is ours for the making," he said lightly, but he turned back to the mountains and gazed for a long time without speaking.
When he did speak again, his voice sounded far away. "I have seen a land shining with goodness where each man protects his brother's dignity as readily as his own, where war and want have ceased an all races live under the same law of love and honour.
I have seen a land bright with truth, where a man's word is his pledge, and falsehood is banished, where children sleep safe in their mothers' arms and never know fear or pain. I have seen a land where kings extend their hands in justice rather than reach for the sword, where mercy, kindness and compassion flow like deep water over the land, and men revere virtue, revere truth, revere beauty, above comfort, pleasure, or selfish gain. A land where peace reigns in the heart of men, where faith blazes like a beacon from every hill, and love like a fire from every hearth, where the True God is worshipped and his ways acclaimed by all
"I have seen this land, charis," he said, his hand striking his chest. "I have seen it and my heart yearns for it. It is our world as it was meant to be, and will be. The Kingdom of Summer is but a reflection of it."

Tes, that's what I desire. That's what I want to bring across (maybe that's why Hans called me a bard). And the kingdom of summer will come. The kingdom where the one True King reigsn, the king that Arthur and his 'kingdom of summer' were only a pale reflection of. The kingdom of heaven.]