“On the Burning of Notre Dame”

From arches old, the fire enfolds the spire.
The holy relics, art, and host were saved.
The stellar ceiling now reveals the graven
Sky. The circling stars shine through the fire.
Parisians gather to pray and vent their ire,
Grieving loss of culture, loss of faith.
The beads all clinking as they pray Ave
Maria. Lady, from the ash and mire
Renew the Church, renew our faith, but first
Teach us to weep when things are gone and remind
Us life is fleeting fast, and we to ash
Will soon return. But while we live we thirst
For justice, truth, and beauty. Fires of mind
Give way to prayer, and from the wreckage, the Cross.

—David Russell Mosley

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

We hope you will join us in The Imaginative Conservative community. The Imaginative Conservative is an online journal for those who seek the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. We address culture, liberal learning, politics, political economy, literature, the arts and the American Republic in the tradition of Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, Edmund Burke, Irving Babbitt, Wilhelm Roepke, Robert Nisbet, Richard Weaver, M.E. Bradford, Eric Voegelin, Christopher Dawson, Paul Elmer More, and other leaders of Imaginative Conservatism. Some conservatives may look at the state of Western culture and the American Republic and see a huge dark cloud which seems ready to unleash a storm that may well wash away what we most treasure of our inherited ways. Others focus on the silver lining which may be found in the next generation of traditional conservatives who have been inspired by Dr. Kirk and his like. We hope that The Imaginative Conservative answers T.S. Eliot’s call to “redeem the time, redeem the dream.” The Imaginative Conservative offers to our families, our communities, and the Republic, a conservatism of hope, grace, charity, gratitude, and prayer.

The featured image is a photograph of the fire in Notre Dame, taken by Nivenn Lanos and courtesy of Unsplash. The photo has been slightly modified for color.