This poem is taken from PN Review 16, Volume 7 Number 2, November - December 1980.
An Egyptian Poem of the 12th Dynasty
Death is in my eyes today
As when a sick man becomes whole,
As when one walketh abroad after sickness.
Death is in my eyes today
Like the scent of myrrh;
As when one sitteth under the boat's sail on a windy day.
Death is in my eyes today
Like the smell of water-lilies;
As when one sitteth on the bank of drunkenness.
Death is in my eyes today
Like a well-trodden road,
As when one returneth from the war into his home.
Death is in my eyes today
Like the unveiling of heaven
As when one attaineth to that which he knew not.
Death is in my eyes today
...
As when a sick man becomes whole,
As when one walketh abroad after sickness.
Death is in my eyes today
Like the scent of myrrh;
As when one sitteth under the boat's sail on a windy day.
Death is in my eyes today
Like the smell of water-lilies;
As when one sitteth on the bank of drunkenness.
Death is in my eyes today
Like a well-trodden road,
As when one returneth from the war into his home.
Death is in my eyes today
Like the unveiling of heaven
As when one attaineth to that which he knew not.
Death is in my eyes today
...
The page you have requested is restricted to subscribers only. Please enter your username and password and click on 'Continue'.
If you have forgotten your username and password, please enter the email address you used when you joined. Your login details will then be emailed to the address specified.
If you are not a subscriber and would like to enjoy the 288 issues containing over 11,600 poems, articles, reports, interviews and reviews, why not subscribe to the website today?
If you have forgotten your username and password, please enter the email address you used when you joined. Your login details will then be emailed to the address specified.
If you are not a subscriber and would like to enjoy the 288 issues containing over 11,600 poems, articles, reports, interviews and reviews, why not subscribe to the website today?
