Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

The Death of Moses
Friday, February 2, 2007

Encountered today, "The Death of Moses," by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Not one who wanted glory and only fallen
angels; took weapons, deadly approached
the commanded man. But already
He clanked back again, upward,
roared out into the heavens: I cannot!

For calmly through his thickety eyebrows
Moses had seen Him and written on:
words of blessing and the infinite name.
And his eye was pure down to the bedrock of powers.

So the Lord, half the heavens swept up in the motion,
plunged and Himself made a couch of the mountain;
laid the old man down. From the house set in order
He called the soul; it was up and telling
many a tale of things shared, of measureless friendship.

But at last it had had enough. That it was enough
the made-perfect admitted. Then the ancient
God to the ancient man slowly inclined
His ancient face. In a kiss took him
into His age, the older. And with hands of creation
He closed the mountain. So that only the one,
one recreated, should lie under terrestrial mountains,
unknowable to mankind.

Labels: The Bible

Posted by B Feiler at 8:25 AM
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