Some pilgrims sing, but I like to recite verse in my head as I walk, and there's one poem by Christina Rossetti (1830-94) which seems written for the Camino, though it is allegorical and I don't think she ever trod the way. Nevertheless "Uphill" is very appropriate for those of us who are pilgrims and have worried where we are going to rest and sleep tonight. Are there other poems, in English or other languages, which readers can recommend?
Uphill
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
Hello, I know the poem well, and it's one of my favourites.
In case you're interested, I'll print below one that I wrote following my pilgrimage to Santiago on my horse from Canterbury Cathedral in 2002, which appears in the book I subsequently wrote:
Faded tracks in long woods,
Muddy intersections
Scrambled, nothing clear
Except a small pebble added to a pile of stones:
There was a pilgrim here.
Those were kaleidoscope days
Painted in oils,
Washed to pale watercolour,
Sun and rain in overlap,
Land and people spilling
Off the IGN map.
Time was just for plotting practicalities
As every earthy day shut down:
No slumping on the sofa,
No slow unwind;
And it's only retrospectively
A journey in the mind.
I'd like to add that a pilgrimage with a horse is, of necessity, full of practicalities(!) but it's true to say that not only were there 'beds for all who come' but also fields, yards, campsites, stables and even on one occasion the shady space under the local bullring where the horses could stay. The hospitality was amazing.
A favourite pilgrim hymn of mine is 'He who would valiant be', words by John Bunyan, which I expect you know.
Buen camino!
Mefo Phillips