~Rainsong~
Summer 2000

By Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein

The earth is fallow, hard and dry
Hammered flat 'neath a merciless sky
No rain has fallen since the spring
And scant the life in any green thing
No pity walks abroad at noon
So we stand forth beneath the moon
And raise our voices in refrain
To heal this drought to bring us rain

Mount, ye waters, to the skies! Bid the sudden storm arise!
Bid the pitchy cloud's advance! Bid the forked lightning's glance!
Bid the angry thunder's growl, and bit the wild wind fiercely howl!
Bid the tempest come amain! Thunder, Lightning, Wind and Rain!

No water runs above the ground
The birds and beasts in ashes drown
Our deepest well's most precious fruit
We sacrifice to this pursuit
That water may with heaven plead
An emissary to our need
And breaking summer's dusty chain,
Beseech the sky to bring us rain.

Mount, ye waters, to the skies! Bid the sudden storm arise!
Bid the pitchy cloud's advance! Bid the forked lightning's glance!
Bid the angry thunder's growl, and bid the wild wind fiercely howl!
Bid the tempest come amain! Thunder, Lightning, Wind, and Rain!

We offer dust of barren fields,
Too dry beneath the plow to yield
We bring you crops we have cut down
When vernal green baked into brown
We bring you beasts that have no graze
Beneath Apollo's fearsome gaze
We bring you ruin, prayers and pain
Receive them all, and bring us rain

Mount, ye waters, to the skies! Bid the sudden storm arise!
Bid the pitchy cloud's advance! Bid the forked lightning's glance!
Bid the angry thunder's growl, and bid the wild wind fiercely howl!
Bid the tempest come amain! Thunder, Lightning, Wind, and Rain!

*****

This is a spell to call rain. And yes, it works. BOY does it ever work. Every time I've used it, the following storm has lasted no less than three days, and on one notable occasion, resulted in a tornado. Clearly, you can see that I don't use it often. Before I am accused of carelessness in posting this here however, I must own that there is a trick to the spell -- it must be sung, and I haven't taught anyone the tune. See? I take weather magic very seriously indeed.