Chant's Encounter with the Divine

Where sky and mountain meet in far Tibet,
The sacred tones of chant hang in the air;
The singing seems to have no source, and yet
Ethereal music's heard from everywhere.

Within the West's great gothic hallowed halls,
The simple melody the monks intone
Resounds and echoes, haunts us, and enthralls,
For through such meditations, peace is known.

Oh may we form one sacred instrument
To manifest these mysteries of old,
And in the stillness, listen with intent
To hear that which we seldom can behold.

Like monks in some great East- or Western shrine,
So can we, in music, sense the divine.

Copyright 1996 by Frederick W. Chapman, all rights reserved.