Collected Poems Anthony Burgess (best pdf reader for ebooks txt) 📖

a diamond

And the flame the flame of a bush burning, its leaves

Burning but not consumed, and sound from the flame

As of the noise of some element striving with little skill

To become a voice, then finding more skill and becoming the

Voice of his sister Miriam. ‘Miriam!’ And, in Miriam’s voice:

‘Come no closer. Put off your shoes from your feet.

For the place whereon you are standing is holy ground.’

He was slow to obey. ‘Miriam? How is it possible?

Miriam?’ And the voice: ‘I speak through the voices

Of those who are near and yet far. The voice of your father.’

And the voice was of his father. ‘Put off your shoes.

For this is holy ground.’ And Moses, not without trembling,

His fingers clumsy, clumsily obeyed. ‘I speak also

With your own voice, but a voice no longer

Slow and unassured.’ And so it was, his own voice,

Saying: ‘I am the God of your father,

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,

The God of Jacob. And also the God of Moses.

Listen. I have surely seen the affliction

Of my people in Egypt, and have heard their cry

By reason of their taskmasters. For I know their sorrows.

And I am come to deliver them out of the hands

Of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land

Unto a good land and a large, a land that

Flows with milk and with honey. Now therefore behold:

The cry of the children of Israel is come unto me.

Therefore I will send unto Pharaoh

You, Moses, charged with the task of

Bringing forth my people, the children of Israel,

Out of the land of Egypt.’ But Moses, hesitant,

Stumbling, in his own voice, what there was of his voice,

Said: ‘Who am I. That I should. Go to Pharaoh.

And should should. Bring the children. Of Israel.

Out of.’ But the voice said: ‘I will be with you,

I. And when you have brought them out of Egypt,

You shall serve God upon this mountain.’ God.

‘It is God who sends you. God. The God of your fathers.’

But Moses: ‘And if I say. The God of your fathers

Has sent me to you. And they say. What is his name?

What shall I. Say to them?’ And the voice replied:

‘You shall say to the children of Israel that he is called,

For what he is called he is: I am that I am.

And say too: the Lord God of your fathers,

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,

The God of Jacob has sent me unto you. And I am sure

That the king of Egypt will not let you go,

No, not by a mighty hand. But I will stretch out

My hand, my, and smite Egypt with all my wonders.’

Moses said: ‘But they will. Not believe me. They will

Say: the Lord has. Not appeared unto you.’

But the voice: ‘What is that in your hand?’ And Moses:

‘My shepherd’s staff.’ – ‘Cast it to the ground.’

And Moses, bewildered, did so, and the staff,

Touching the ground, writhed, hissed, a snake.

A snake. He started back, afraid. And the voice said:

‘Put out your hand. Take it by the tail.’

And Moses did so, still afraid, and what he took

Was his own shepherd’s staff, no snake. Then the voice said:

‘Through this power they will believe. And through this, too:

Put your hand into your bosom.’ Moses slowly did so,

Doubtful still. ‘Now remove it.’ Did so, and his hand

Was white as leprosy. ‘Return it your bosom,

Then remove it.’ Did so, and the hand was of its

Former colour. ‘If’, said the voice, ‘they will not

Believe one sign, then let them believe the other.’

Moses, now near weeping, said: ‘O Lord. I am not

Eloquent. Not before. Not now. I am

Slow of speech. I am of a. Slow tongue.’

The voice was thunder, crying in fire and thunder:

‘Who has made man’s mouth?

Who makes the dumb or deaf of the seeing or the blind?

Am I not the Lord? For a time, for a time,

Your brother Aaron shall speak for you, and you

Shall put the staff in his hand. But with you, with you

Shall be the power of the Lord.’ And the bush burned

But was silent. Burned still, the leaves and branches

Still unconsumed. He believed, he had to believe,

Believed, had to believe, descending to his sheep,

To the evening fire, the meat roasting, to Jethro saying:

‘You believe what you saw what you saw, heard what you heard?’

Believed, had to believe. ‘And thus a heavy burden

Is placed upon you. So.’ Seeing it all. ‘It is true.

The one. The great simplicity. The is what he is.

Well, at least I can die in the truth, knowing it the truth.

But for you a heavy burden.’ Moses, sighing:

‘My shoulders are too narrow. My voice is not the. Voice.

Of a deliverer. Easier to believe. It was a dream.

It was a whiff of magic. Delivered out of Egypt.’

His head fell to his bosom in a sudden sleep.

Zipporah started but Jethro shook his head, saying:

‘He does not wish the belief. The belief is a burden

His very flesh rejects. But we must believe, even though

It means we must lose him for a while and, in a sense,

For ever. He was not, as I always knew,

Meant to be this kind of shepherd.’ But Zipporah wept.

‘It must be with our blessing’, Jethro said. ‘We must all

Not merely bow but bless, we must will our loss,

For think what we stand to gain.’ And he repeated: ‘True.

The one. The great simplicity.’ But Zipporah wept.

And when Moses woke, bewildered, he sought his tent

Shivering, as though belief were an ague. Sleep now

Would not come, but a storm came, and he went to the tent-flap

To secure it against the rain. In lightning he saw Horeb

And cried in agony to it: ‘Who am I?

I am. No judge in Israel. Let the task be given.

To one of the wise. One of the strong. Do not

Place the burden on me. I refuse the burden.’

Wife and son, awake, heard, then they saw in terror

The naked body of the husband, father, hurled,

In another flash, as though taken and thrown

And lie writhing, groaning, then still. The wife cried

Aloud to Horeb: ‘Whoever you are, what do you want of him?

Is it his life? For you shall not have his life.’

Lightning showed