JOHN HARRIS

"Listening to William Byrd (d. 1623)"

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The Government hated

all secret rites and ceremonies,

for they hinted at treason.

And so, in Catholic households,

there would be an innermost room,

behind a hidden door,

where the family knelt for Mass,

hoping they wouldn’t be burned alive

by agents and spies of the King.

Victimae paschali

the countertenors would sing,

their strange, angelic voices weaving through

the settings of William Byrd.

I too

found the inner chamber.

With my high, forbidden voice,

How could I not?

When your ears are opened

you hear the secret music.

And soon you are singing.