The Day of Saints - Day 19, Neot

18th Century Wall Plaque - 'Remember the Poor'

St Neot's Parish Church is very grand. It is old, built of silvery granite, and contains one of only two full sets of medieval church stained glass in the country. However, amidst all the grandeur I wanted to tell a simpler tail of Neot, one which his window there depicts, and imagine it all into the shapes of the fish involved. It also provided light relief from the hours spent toiling over the ballad I wrote for Keyna, yesterday. The levity extends to slipping in some fishy puns too. See if you can spot them (there are five). I am still hoping to get permission to post a few pictures of the Neot window in the church, but for now, here's are verses.

FOR NEOT

A Plateful of Poems

St

Neot's

life in glass

is set within the

Church that bears his

name, but stems not from

that perch his fame but how

to him an angel came to offer

the most wondrous dish, one

full triumvirate of fish that would

sustain him endlessly providing

only one he caught for tea and

never more than this sought he

by hand or hook or drag net

baited

weight, or

line with magnet

else risk lose the gift of plate

and then therein to face the rod,

forfeit for good the piece of cod.

St

Neot

in the Cornish

hills would minister

and teach the people well

to pray, and as he taught them

varied ills would slowly mend and

he would send his aid to fish that he

might have his one a day according to

the word angelic spoken and his wish to

live distinctly as a Godly monk and so it was

until the hour that poor Neot illness fought and

after prayers took to his cell, unwell to get him more

or less aright and his bad aid by bass instinct went out

to fish one more than had been quoted, cooking them

upon the fire, and serving them all fat and bloated to

the saint who, near expired, saw bleak the prospect with

faint head sunk further more he bowed to pray and ask

that day forgiveness for the broken vow,

but answered soon he was

for how the fish

revived

and swam again,

within their tank just in the way

they had before their early journey to the dish.

St

Neot

stood but four

feet tall and yet

so high his reputation

reached, in serving up

for all the poor a good

and wholesome meal in

word and holy deed

thereby to teach the

soles around to see

their plaice

within

God's love on

Bodmin's dreary Moor

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St Neot's Parish Church, St Neot