Deep Peace (from the Invocation of Peace)

Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.

The lines are from Invocation of Peace in From the Hills of Dream, published under the name Fiona Macleod; the 1907 Heinemann edition is the one printed here. Fiona Macleod was the pen name of the Scottish writer William Sharp, used from 1893 and kept almost secret during his lifetime.

Seven lines, each wishing deep peace on the listener from something in nature: the running wave, the flowing air, the quiet earth, the sleeping stones. The last three name the Yellow Shepherd, the Wandering Shepherdess and the Flock of Stars, which are the sun, the moon and the stars. There is no argument and no theology in what is printed here, only a stilling repetition, so that by the end the words feel like a hand on the shoulder.

Barely religious, deeply calming. The real Gaelic-revival poem, not the choral version. Read at weddings and funerals alike. Themes: Celtic · peace · the running wave · quiet close · very short · nature.

Families who want something spiritual but not religious, lovers of the sea and the outdoors, and anyone with Scottish or Celtic roots. It works at a wedding as a blessing on the couple and at a funeral as a farewell or a word to the mourners. It suits quiet, reflective ceremonies, small gatherings and outdoor services. Families who know a longer choral version may expect different lines; the text here stops before the poem turns explicitly Christian.

At the close of the ceremony, or just before a time of silence. At a funeral it can be the last words at the graveside or the crematorium. At a wedding it can follow the vows or come just before the pronouncement. The officiant usually reads it.

The text on this page is 57 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 25 seconds of reading.

• The repetition is the point. Keep each “Deep peace of…” at the same pitch and pace, like waves.
• Read “Yellow Shepherd” and “Wandering Shepherdess” without explanation; if you want the room to know they mean the sun and moon, say so in one line beforehand.
• Slow the last line slightly and drop your voice. It should feel like a close, not a stop.
• About thirty seconds. Silence after it works well.

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