Collected Poems by Anthony Burgess (best e ink reader for manga txt) 📕

goat the roebuck ‘If you were asked

What kind of animal?’ Animals that have the

Hoof parted in two ‘Like the pig?’

No no no ‘Why not like the pig?’

Because the pig does not chew the cud

‘So the animal has to chew the cud. So we may

Eat the camel, the rabbit, the hare?’ No no

No no no ‘Why not?’ Because they do not

Divide the hoof in two ‘So we can

Eat beasts that divide the hoof and chew the cud,

But not beasts that just do one and no both.

Yes, my son?’ Why? ‘Well, let me put it

This way…’ Eleazar taught older boys,

Saying: ‘Well, let me put it this way.

Without the past the present can mean nothing.

Without the past a man is a sort of ghost

Trembling on the brink of a future

He cannot understand. So we remember

The past in ceremonies, force ourselves to remember.

In our promised land we shall remember

Our long exile, tribulations, thus

Becoming aware of our qualities as a nation,

A fighting nation, a law-abiding nation,

A proud nation.’ Rabbi – ‘Yes, my son?’

Why isn’t Moses going with us? ‘Well now,

Let me put it this way…’ Moses was saying,

Addressing the priests and elders: ‘Because of my doubt

Of God’s promise, because I cried out on my trust

And sought to reject it, I may not enter. You

Shall cross the Jordan, Joshua leading you,

But I – full of years, at the end of my journey –

Must await my end here. But I have taught you

The song I have written. Teach it. Remember it.

Remember me.’ So they taught it, and one day,

The whole of the people sang it, the song of Moses:

‘Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak.

And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

My doctrine shall drop as the rain,

My speech shall distil as the dew,

As the small rain upon the tender herb,

And as the showers upon the grass.

The Lord is the Rock, his work is perfect.

Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people:

For he will avenge the blood of his servants,

And will be merciful unto his land,

And to his people.’ And they danced to the flute, the harp,

The shawm, the trumpet, to the air of his song:

And Moses said: ‘Beloved, keep the commandments.

Love justice and mercy. Love the Lord our God,

For his ways are the ways of justice and mercy.’

And he saw that the time was coming for his people

To pass over the river and take up their inheritance.

So he bade the whole of the Israelite nation kneel,

And they knelt, and then he blessed them, saying:

‘Happy art thou, O Israel. Who is like unto thee,

O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help

And the sword of thy excellency. There is none like unto your God,

Who rides upon the heavens. The eternal God

Is your refuge, and underneath

Are the everlasting arms.’ Then the Israelite Army

Saluted his greatness with shouts and with the clamour

Of drums and silver trumpets. So he moved

To the mountain, and Caleb and Joshua tried to help him

In his climb to the summit, but he waved their help aside.

He climbed and they watched him, thinking: Strong as an ox,

With the eyes of an eagle, but it was not true,

Not true any longer. The Israelites, shielding their sight

Against the sun, watched him long and long

Till he reached the top of the mountain. There he rested.

And after a time of rest he heard a voice,

His own voice, young again, saying to him:

‘Now, Moses, I will show you their inheritance.’

He said: ‘But not mine’, with his old boldness,

The boldness of a prince. ‘You are a hard

And unforgiving God.’ The voice said: ‘Unforgiving?

If you but knew, if you only knew. But I

Have sworn and made my covenant with man.

I shall not again destroy him for his sins.

Yet I shall torment him with dissatisfaction,

For only in me shall he be satisfied.

Look now – all the land of Gilead, unto Dan.’

And Moses stood to look, seeing the river,

And all the lands beyond the river, fair,

Rich and fair. ‘Look. And all Naphtali

And the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,

And the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea.

And the plain of the valley of Jericho, city of palm-trees,

Unto Zoar. This is the land which I swore

Unto Abraham, and Isaac, and unto Jacob,

Saying: I will give it unto thy seed.

Moses, I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes,

But thou shalt not go thither.’ Moses did not

Weep, but he said again, with a princely boldness:

‘You are a hard and unforgiving God.’ –

‘Go down now. Return to the valley of Moab,’

Said the voice. And Moses said: ‘To die.”

And the voice said: ‘What else?’ So he went down

And waited, willing death, which was not long,

For when a man’s work is done there is only death.

The women closing his eyes, wailing, but Joshua

Was dry-eyed. Eleazar made an obeisance

To the leader of the Israelites, and said

‘You must give the instructions as to his burial.’

And Joshua said: ‘Here in this valley of Moab,

This side of Jordan.’ And then Eleazar said:

‘You must now give instructions as to the gravestone

And what shall be written thereon.’ But Joshua said:

‘It is better that no man know where he is buried.

It is better that he be thought of as –

Not lying in one place. For he must not have

Idolators at his shrine. He is with us

In the water we drink, the food we eat. We breathe him.’

Eleazar said: ‘Will you make up the words

That shall be spoken to the people?’ But Joshua:

‘I have already made them.’ And so he spoke to the people:

‘There will never arise again in Israel

A prophet like unto Moses, whom the Lord

Knew face to face. In all the signs and wonders,

Which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt

And in all that mighty hand, and the great terror

Which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel.’

The muffled drums beat, and the body of Moses

Was borne away on a litter. Most of the people

Wished to follow, but Joshua forbade them.

The body of Moses was carried none knows whither

And rests now none knows where. And Joshua

The son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom.

For