Mary Magdalen, Saint of Lebanon

Magdalene before the Crucified - 61 x 46 cm - 2006

North and South and East and West, the Apostles took the road,
Baptizing, preaching, healing, wherever they took abode.
And Mary, too, she traveled far and reached fair France’s shore;
She spread the Word and boldly spoke and won both rich and poor.
For thirty years she labored there in work and meditation,
With angel aid from Paradise she taught God’s revelation.
She drew strength from Heaven’s grace, a nourishment unending,
And everywhere she offered prayer to the Trinity ascending.
Luminous and crystal pure, a poem free and melody,
You charm my soul, O Magdalen, like music come to me.
A poem, I say, that by its charm gives praise to Him
Who reigns eternal from above enthroned by seraphim.
You are the palette that I press full strong against my breast,
You are the colors I am looking for in my artistic quest.
Lady of the purest forms, of greatest beauty and delight,
A prayer, a burning flame and dream of summer night.
Mary, in your eyes I see depths that have no borne
And in your hair there is the gold that comes up with the dawn.
The moon, the planets and the stars all held their breath in awe,
Jealous of the earth below where they such beauty saw.
Magdalen I love you, of all women the ideal
For the beauty and the spirit that you alone reveal.
I find you everywhere, in every corner of my being,
In the dewdrops of the morning your mirror I am seeing.
In the caress of the zephyrs, in the far horizon wide,
In the waters of the Jordan, your charm I have espied.
In my dreams I see you, Magdalen, ravishing yet sweet,
Robed in folds of light, from your crown down to your feet.
I love you Magdalen, as I have loved no other,
With mystic love, yet human love as for brother or for mother.
On my knees I do implore you and offer you my heart,
So speak for me before the Lord when from earth I shall depart.

Joseph Matar - 2007 - Tous droits réservés
Translation: Kenneth Mortimer

Magdalene at prayer - 40 x 33 cm - 2006