The Names of the Days
By John Herlihy

The names of the days have celestial source,
Finding their roots in the planets, of course,
Dressed as deities so the day wears divine attire,
Named for posterity during the Holy Roman Empire,

Days named after planets in Helenistic astrology;
They in turn recalled the gods of ancient mythology.
Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn;
Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Venus, our sun moon’s lantern.

Dies Solis as the first day of the week, Holy Sunday,
Dies Lunae as second day of the week, Lunar Monday,
Dies Martis as third day of the week, war-like Tuesday,
Dies Mercuri ,fourth day of the week, poetic Wednesday,

Dies iovis as fifth day of the week, proverbial Thursday,
Dies Veneris as sixth day of the week, beloved Friday,
Dies Saturni as final day of the week, peaceful Saturday,
The seven days of the week are characterized in this way.

Saturday, the Sabbath, named the day of worship and rest;
Sunday, the first day of creation, God put Himself to the test.
In Christianity, Sunday recalls the day of Christ’s resurrection;
Mid-week recalls war-like Mars and any sense of insurrection.

In history, not all ancient cultures followed the same routine;
This only goes to prove life is not always what it may seem.
Arab culture preferred not to name the days after the gods,
Not wanting to be daily reminded of images they were at odds.

The first day of the week is called by the Arabic word Ahad,
One of the 99 Names of God to signify the number one, wahad.
Monday two, Tuesday three, Wednesday four, Thursday five,
Friday the Gathering, with Saturday to mark seven that thrive.

We have come to recognize a pattern in the procession of days,
The perennial forward movement of time to reflect God’s ways.
We witness the days but never witness the coming of the hour;
Time will slip back into the folds of eternity under God’s power.