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Lay for the Day 8th
November
The
feast of the Four Crowned Martyrs, patron saints of stonemasons. These
martyrs of the early fourth century were Persian stonemasons who worked
for the emperor Diocletian. Their names were Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronian
and Castorius. A fifth stonemason, Simplicius, who was martyred with them,
converted to Christianity because he thought their skill in art was due
to their religion. They refused to make an image of the god Aesculapius,
or to sacrifice to the gods.When they were imprisoned, the officer who
conducted the inquiry into their case, Lampadius, died suddenly, and the
five companions were executed by drowning at the instigation of Lampadiuss
relatives.
Stones
The saints
lose face in the west,
firm-mouthed martyr and clear-eyed king
as though once more faint-fleshed,
in the sour rains sting
dissolving,
decline to rest.
Their obdurate
bodies seemed
breathing, their moments gestures still,
in abeyance from time,
like the codicil
to Gods will,
an after-doom.
Crisp acanthus,
coiling lock,
flared fold and fluting, which toil
of skill nursed from the block,
and blue fumes of oil
blur and soil,
turn back to rock.
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