Abenhall by Revd David New is a poem inspired by the work of Thomas Denny.

Ruby-red is Denny’s rock in Abenhall,
Tinged with orange, flashed with white,
Gleaming deep beneath the heath.

Passages of sapphire-blue
Penetrate the mine,
Worked by kneeling men,
Awed by the fearsome fiery flame.

Here are precious gems to adorn a crown,
Iron ore to bridge the Firth of Forth,
Bauxite for air-flight, flint for arrow,
U 2-3-5 for perilous power.

Light from above
Transforms the magma.
Fault and fold
Trap and compact the sun-given power,
Ready for those who seek and search
With diligent heart.

There is a light that shines
In every human heart
To give us speech and teach us how
To cook and build and trade,
To govern and to judge.

There is a ladder of angelic light,
Bringing heaven into earth;
A desert bush, on fire but unconsumed,
Holy ground from which to launch
A mission of compassion
To short-strawed, mud-brick slaves.

There is a pillar of fire by night
To guide us through the dark;
And Isaiah’s inner light
Illuminating gloomy days
In distant Babylon,
Crystallising out
In sacred songs of praise.

Word, Spirit, Wisdom, Love
Enlighten our hearts.
Show us how to be good stewards
Of nature’s precious treasures.