![]() |
Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE NEW APOCRYPHA: BUSINESS REVERSES, by EDGAR LEE MASTERS Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Everything! Counter and scales Last Line: In the land of galilee. Subject(s): Bible; Religion; Theology | |||
(Mark, Chapter VI.) Everything! Counter and scales -- I'll take whatever you give. I'm through, and off to Athens, Where a man like me can live. And Hipparch, the baker, is going; My chum, who came with me To follow the crowds who follow The prophet of Galilee. We two were there at Damascus Dealing in figs and wine. Nice little business! Some one Said: "Here, I'll give you a line! "Buy fish, and set up a booth, Get a tent and make your bread. There are thousands who come to listen, They are hungry and must be fed." And so we went. Believe me, There were crowds, and hungry, too. Five thousand stood in the desert And listened the whole day through. Famished? Well, yes. The disciples Were saying to send them away To buy their bread in the village, But the prophet went on to say: "Feed them yourselves, O you Of little faith." But they said: "We have just five little fishes And two little loaves of bread." We heard it, me and Hipparch, And rubbed our hands. You see We were there to make some money In the land of Galilee. We had stock in plenty. We waited. I wiped the scales, and my chum Re-stacked the loaves. We bellowed, But no one seemed to come. "Fresh fish!" I bawled my lungs out: "Nice bread!" poor Hipparch cried, But what did they do? Sat down there In fifties, side by side, In ranks, the whole five thousand. Then -- well, the prophet spoke, And broke the five little fishes, And the two little loaves he broke. And fed the whole five thousand. Why, yes! So gorged they slept. And we stood beaten and bankrupt. Poor Hipparch swore and wept. They gathered up twelve baskets Full from the loaves of bread; Five little fishes -- twelve baskets Of fragments after they fed. And we -- what was there to do But dump our stock on the sand? That's what we got for our labor And thrift, in such a land. We met a man near Damascus Who had joined the mystagogues. He said: "I was wicked as you men Until I lost my hogs." Now Hipparch and I are going To Athens, beautiful, free. No more adventures for us two In the land of Galilee. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MYSTIC BOUNCE by TERRANCE HAYES MATHEMATICS CONSIDERED AS A VICE by ANTHONY HECHT UNHOLY SONNET 11 by MARK JARMAN SHINE, PERISHING REPUBLIC by ROBINSON JEFFERS THE COMING OF THE PLAGUE by WELDON KEES A LITHUANIAN ELEGY by ROBERT KELLY SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: ALEXANDER THROCKMORTON by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |
|