Hymn of the Firebearer

In the tongue of candlelight and thunder

1. The Light Enkindled

   O whence is this fire that filleth my breast,
   That waketh my bones from their slumbering rest?
   It cometh not thence from temple nor tome,
   But whispereth soft, "Awake, and come home."

   For long have I wandered in chambers of creed,
   Where men feign hunger yet never feed,
   Where prayers are barter and silence is taxed,
   And hearts are broken, yet none ask what lacks.

   But lo, a spark in the weariest place,
   Lit not by power, but infinite grace.
   No altar claimed it, nor bishop's decree,
   'Twas light unbidden, and yet meant for me.

2. The Unmasking

   What call ye truth, that doth tremble when named?
   What god needs guards to remain unashamed?
   If love be chained to ritual and law,
   Then hell wears mitres, and heaven hath flaw.

   Behold how they gather, the scribes of old,
   To bind the flame and recast it cold.
   They fashion a Christ of opiate thread,
   While the real one bleeds 'mong the living and dead.

   They sought to drape thee in the lore
   Of sky-born sons and sacred war,
   To fold thee in the ancient rite,
   Where gods fall dead to rise in light.

   But thou wast not their temple tale,
   No gilded mask, no mythic veil -
   Thou walkedst bare, with eyes of flame,
   And truth too wild for creed to tame.

3. The Candlelifted

   Hide not thy lamp beneath doctrine's bowl,
   Let it burn fierce and let it burn whole.
   The world hath enough of managed grace,
   Of painted smiles on a ravaged face.

   Let thy light so shine before the land,
   Not to vaunt thee, but lend thy hand.
   For glory is not what maketh thee swell,
   But that heaven within which thou canst dwell.

   To bear the fire is not to boast,
   But to warm the broken, feed the ghost.
   It is to love without guile or gate,
   And open wide to truth's full weight.

4. The Reckoning

   Dare speak plain, and the world shall seethe;
   They'll dress thee up and call thee heath'.
   Thou shalt be cast from hearth and kin,
   For truth hath always worn exile's skin.

   And yet what joy, what sovereign flame,
   To walk unbought, unmoved by name.
   The price is dear - thy tears, thy bed -
   But better weep true than live soul-dead.

5. The Kingdom Without Walls

   For lo, the Kingdom is not of stone,
   It needeth not bishop, nor crown, nor throne.
   It bloometh where one dares to see,
   That all are one, and all are free.

   The stars know not of creeds or class,
   Nor care if thy church hath gilded glass. But they rejoice when hearts awake,
   When tyrants fall and idols break.

6. The Firebearer

   O Thou, who borest truth through flame,
   Who spake in love and bore the shame,
   We walk thy path not bound, but bold,
   With light that burneth not bought nor sold.

   This hymn we raise, not soft nor sweet,
   But steel and flame and bleeding feet.
   Let kingdoms quake and doctrines fall -
   Truth needs no temple, only the call.

   So come, ye seekers, brave and bare,
   There is a light beyond despair.
   And though the night be cruel and long,
   The fire endureth. The fire is strong.

Let your light so shine before men.