Benediction
God banish from your house
The fly, the roach, the mouse
That riots in the walls
Until the plaster falls;
Admonish from your door
The hypocrite and liar;
No shy, soft, tigrish fear
Permit upon your stair,
Nor agents of your doubt.
God drive them whistling out.
Let nothing touched with evil,
Let nothing that can shrivel
Heart's tenderest frond, intrude
Upon your still, deep blood.
Against the drip of night
God keep all windows tight,
Protect your mirrors from
Surprise, delirium,
Admit no trailing wind
Into your shuttered mind
To plume the lake of sleep
With dreams. If you must weep
God give you tears, but leave
You secrecy to grieve,
And islands for your pride,
And love to nest in your side.
_______
Don't you just love the rhymes here--and the wind that plumes the lake?
Reading his poetry in conjunction with The Essential Blake, which Kunitz introduces, has been very helpful for me. (I have a Blake seminar for my MFA residency, which starts in 9 days--I'm not ready. The poems are ready, the readings done, but I'm not seeing my way forward).
Blake: Prophetic, seeing, printmaking, role of the Father (God)
Kunitz: Role of poet, seeing, plaiting the "wild braid", also role of the father
_______
I can never decide on a favorite: "Halley's Comet," the "Hornworm" poems (pendants as in Tennyson), "The Portrait," "Touch Me," and of course "The Snakes of September." (That's probably it--this year my students wanted to talk about Snakes on a Plane).
And, oh, yes, "Passing Through," which brings me back to the link.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting the Kunitz. He's perfect to start the year. His music is wonderful.
I'm partial to "Three Floors" or "End of Summer" or "The Artist".
Several years ago Garrison Keillor read "Benediction" on his radio show. But he added two lines which yu don't have here. After "And love, top nest in your side" comes:
"God grant that, to the bone, your self may be your own.
God grant that I may be my sweet, sweet company."
I saw a book of Kunitz's poetry that did not include these last lines. Can you shed any light here?
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