Stars’ Roundelay

Stars’ Roundelay – A lyrical poetry collection by Isabel Wyatt

A contemplative collection of poems by Isabel Wyatt, beloved Waldorf educator and author. First published in 1947 and reissued by Lanthorn Press, this volume gathers poems that move through the rhythms of the year, the language of the stars, and the inner life of the human being.

The poems are arranged thematically, reflecting seasonal festivals, planetary and cosmic imagery, human growth, suffering, and renewal. Alongside Wyatt’s original poems are poetic fragments and translations from writers such as Goethe, Christian Morgenstern, and Richard Dehmel, chosen for their spiritual resonance.

Written in clear, musical language, Stars’ Roundelay is especially valued by Waldorf teachers, parents, and readers seeking poetry that bridges nature, imagination, and spiritual reflection. It is well suited for quiet reading, festival preparation, and meditative study.

Table of Contents

Seasons and Archangels:
Seasons and Archangels; St John’s Eve; August Cornfield; Michaelmas Child; November Orchard; The HolyThorn; Holy Night; Easter Eve; Jubilate; Blessing on the Year

Macrocosm and Microcosm:
Mary Musing; Grace Before Meat; Birth from the Stars; The First Corn; Carol of the Four Creatures; Thoughts Before Sleeping; Thoughts Before Eating; The Dews of Golgotha; The Carol of Pear and Thorn; Stable Slumber-Song; A Prayer to the Planets; Blue and Rose; Man the Mediator; The Breathed-on Clod; The Lung

The Spirit of Man:
For Man’s Being; The Questing Heart; The Three Weavers, True Fairytale; The Door of Pain; Growth; Offertory; The Two Adversaries; The Paradise-Plant; The Opening Hand; To a Loved One Nearing Death; Snow in Summer; The Fly in the Gardens; Fisher Song

War and Peace:
Hecetor in Hades; The Cave; Bells in Wartime; The Shing Coat; Salvage; The Hanging Gateway; Victory Day; War Memorial; Forty-ninth Birthday

Translated Fragments (other poets):
Ego-Freedom (Richard Debmel); Lead Me, Ere I Lead Thee (Karl Thylmann); The Departed Child to His Mother (Friedrich Hebbel); Isis-Mary (Rudolf Meyer); Orphic Utterance (Goethe); To a Rose (Albert Steffen); Winter Morning’s Sun (Christian Morgenstern)

About the Author

Isabel Wyatt (1901–1992) was an English author, poet, and educator closely associated with Waldorf education. She taught for many years and later served as co-director of studies at Hawkwood College in Gloucestershire, England.

Wyatt wrote numerous books for children and adults, including The Seven-Year-Old Wonder Book, King Beetle-Tamer, and Thorkill of Iceland. Her poetry and stories are known for their clarity, warmth, and deep attunement to nature, imagination, and the rhythms of human life.