On the Eve of Matariki — with a Quote from Sarah Williams
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The sun rises on a new year
Tomorrow is Matariki, which marks the traditional Maori new year, te Mātahi o te Tau, here in New Zealand. The festival takes its name, Matariki, from when the Matariki star cluster (also known as the Pleiades) reappears in the winter sky.
Matariki is a season of renewal, in which those who have passed on in the past year are remembered and ongoing life celebrated — but the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, goes into it more fully (and says it so much better 😀 ) here.
I recently rediscovered this quote from a poem by English poet Sarah Williams (1837 – 1868), The Old Astronomer To His Pupil. It feels very apt for Matariki:
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.“
You can read the full poem, here.
And more on Sarah Williams, here.