Sun!

Long weeks of spring rain made the plants lush and strong and joyous, but it faltered today, we bathed in sun. Herewith some words and pictures.

The rain is still there everywhere in the ground and air of course, the sun-driven green citizens of the planet hard at work on it to make life sweet for the rest of us saprophytes.

And when the sun rises up, then the earth, made by Ahura, becomes clean; the running waters become clean, the waters of the wells become clean, the waters of the sea become clean, the standing waters become clean; all the holy creatures, the creatures of the Good Spirit, become clean.

Zoroastrian Khorda Avesta, #6. Khwarshed Yasht (tr. James Darmesteter)

Many have borrowed the Sun's name not only for poetry and (as above) sacred texts, but also for music, there are many many different hymns to the sun out there:

And of course for prayer, here's some translated from the Latin of St. Francis of Assisi:

All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.

Up close our local star is perhaps less friendly, there was a story a few weeks ago where some group of scientists thought they'd measured a very slight upward trend in the Sun's aggregate radiation output, I was very glad to hear another group of scientists being quoted as pooh-poohing the idea.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead has also a nice hymn to the Sun:

Between the turquoise sycamores that rise, young forever,
Thine image flashing on the bright celestial river.

There's a later Egyptian Sun hymn from the famous Akhenaten, but it's kind of lame. Whatever... today with the sun out, being happy was easy. Sometimes it doesn't take much.

Let's give the last word to George:

Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun ...