E'er since the time the Judge on high
Conferred upon me a prophet's vision,
I read in ev'ry passing eye
Whole tomes of malice and derision
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The time is the Judge on high abode. Conferred upon you a prophet's vision is poetically excellent. This poem is very well crafted and this carries power of light and power of knowledge with beautiful expression. There are so many things awaiting you once your apprenticeship is over. Time is associated with eternity. We need to trust. An outstanding poem is shared here.10
As always, Marie, you give me the mystical dimensions of poetry in general and mine in particular. Your distinction between immortality and eternity is very important, and I think implicit in this poem, and you bringing into clearer focus. I like your identification of the angel (whose instruction makes them truly prophets) with Jesus. I had not considered this character's identity but Jesus, perhaps incognito, fulfills this role of pushing these men, summoned to be prophets but not yet ready, across a final threshold. This parallels how Jesus summoned flawed human beings and turned them into apostles fired by his example.// I too like the last half dozen lines. I had no idea how to describe the Eternal, but I just started writing and the words flowed out of me. // You know how Rilke used angels as a trope for existent beings (they are real!) who are not divine in the Greek or Christian senses, but they occupy a niche way above us humans in their knowledge and power, AND in their absence of desires which enfold humans into time and trap them there. I am not as Pessimistic about Desire: Wagner raises it to the spiritual level in TRISTAN UND ISOLDE which I revere. The surrealist poet Rene Char identified himself as simply A MAN OF DESIRE. Desire is like an unfinished bridge: when we reach the end of it, we either turn around and go back, or take a huge leap and hope we start to fly across the abyss and land in some kind of (perhaps) temporary paradise until we are ready for the FULLNESS OF REALITY. When we leap, then we may need more help from our Angels.