William Shakespeare’s MEASURE FOR MEASURE
December 12
“Heaven doth with us as we with torches do,
Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues
Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike
As if we had them not. Spirits are not finely touch'd
But to fine issues, nor Nature never lends.”
Duke Vincentio William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure Act 1, Scene 1
Light! Torches! Candles! Stars in the sky! Tomorrow is St. Lucia’s (or Lucy’s) Day. In Sweden and other countries, people celebrate by eating gingerbread cookies and S-shaped saffron buns (“Lussekatt”) along with coffee or little cups of “glögg” (mulled wine). It is a day of brightness and of feasting.
The origin of Saint Lucy’s day winds its way back to the fourth century, with an early feast day commemorating the martyrdom of the young Lucia of Syracuse. Legends say she took food to Christians hiding in Roman catacombs, lighting her way with a candlelit wreath on her head. The December 13 date in the historic Julian calendar was the shortest day of the year. Swedish folklore described the accompanying long night as dangerous and full of dark forces: a time needing a symbol of light. So Lucia became the saint of that representation.
In homes, the day is commemorated by having a daughter (traditionally the eldest) dress in white with a wreath of candles on her head. She serves drinks and baked goods to the other family members early in the day. This year’s St. Lucy's Day is especially important to my family since last Boxing Day, December 26, my granddaughter Lucia Rose was born! She is a bit young to serve us or wear a crown of greenery and lights this year, but Emmeline Violet, our oldest granddaughter had the honor several years ago of impersonating this interesting saint.
This year, the Winter Solstice (marking the shortest day and longest night of the year) occurs on Thursday, Dec 21 at 9:27 in the evening — a fixed moment in time, almost over as soon as it has begun. Traditionally, Yule or Christmastide is the Twelve Day festival near the solstice involving our beloved Christmas traditions: the tree, the Yule log, and the wreath. It is a dark season of the year, calling for tree lights, lit fireplaces, candles, and bright decorations.
In the Shakespeare passage, the Duke offers Lord Angelo a position of leadership in Vienna. Humbly, Angelo refuses, telling the Duke he needs a smaller job first. The Duke rebuffs him using the metaphor of a torch. The Divine, the Duke says, uses us the way we employ a nightly lantern: not so it shines for itself, but so that it will shed light into the dark. Likewise, (as Jesus once said) do not hide talents under a bushel basket. Really, our good attributes are not our possession, and if we hoard them, we squander them. When we decline to share our skills with others, we might as well have no talents at all.
Our brilliance, then, sheds light into the world of all the people with whom we share it! Sometimes people thank us for bestowing such gifts upon them. But sometimes, we fail to realize until later that a certain person has impacted our life. As Shakespeare’s torch imagery in this play, an interesting phenomena happened to me one day. I was gazing out my back window which looks out across a series of hills.
At this time of year, the leaves are off the trees and I can see a much greater distance with more clarity than at other seasons. This particular day, I noticed a long line of cars winding down one hill on a road that feeds into a bigger thoroughfare. Now, these people were all going to work, or dropping kids at school, or rushing to a doctor’s appointment, or running errands. Mundane, everyday, tedious routines. They were simply driving to whatever destination, and, no doubt, were not attempting to shed a beacon of hope to a weary world.
But, the angle of the sun hit windshields and metal on the vehicles creating a multitude of glittering dots appearing just like daytime stars moving in a slow procession. The vision gave me a start in the beauty of its humdrum, mechanical twisting down the hill. And the notion entered my mind: they have no idea that they are participating in an alliance that is giving someone great illumination about life, and great joy, and great love, and great peace. Never think you don’t have influence on other people and the world around you — even when you are driving your car!