This article comes from the October 2018 issue of our parish magazine.
As I have written previously, 2018 is a year of deep remembrance, being the centenary of the ending of the First World War. Like many other choirs and choral societies, the Manchester Chorale started its preparation in good time, in fact, way back in March.
As it happened, the first anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing fell on a Tuesday, the day on which the Chorale meets to rehearse each week. May of us would like to have been in St Anne’s Square that evening taking part in the commemorations, but we were committed to our rehearsals. Instead we began with this song, then held a minute silence.
A flower remembered can never wither:
Forever blooming as bright as day,
Its fragrance lingering like music softly playing,
A gentle voice that’s saying,
‘I’ll never fade away’.
I hear the echoes of many voices;
Sometimes they’re distant,
Sometimes so clear,
Thought all the sounds of life they seem to whisper,
‘Will you remember?’
The birds fly homeward across my valley
Toward the mountains all white with snow;
The birds are gone now, the mountain snows have melted,
But still I see their beauty,
These scenes of long ago.
The birds still fly in other valleys;
The mountain snows have turned to stream;
All things must pass,
But memories are lasting:
We will remember.
You can listen to a gorgeous recording of “A Flower Remembered” here.
Carol P
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 