Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A ZEMERLY FOR RABBI NACHMAN: 5. THE TELLING OF STORIES, by DAVID RYTMAN SLAVITT


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A ZEMERLY FOR RABBI NACHMAN: 5. THE TELLING OF STORIES, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Science? It comes from the forehead of the snake
Last Line: But within its extravagant realm, in its heights and depths.
Alternate Author Name(s): Sutton, Henry Benjamin; Slavitt, David R.
Subject(s): Evil; Good; Religion; Science; Theology; Scientists


Science? It comes from the forehead of the snake.
And Reason? The Rebbe called it an imperfection:
For a man to be whole, he must learn to let go, be simple,
and in his descent ascent to faith and joy.

These are subversive ideas that evil men
seize upon and misuse. Therefore, he contrived
a way to reveal his teachings while keeping them hidden --
in stories. Here he could fashion a garbing of wisdom
to trick the unwary. And good for men, too.
To waken the sleeping spirit, one must go slowly.
Think how it is when a blind man is healed: they give him
a blindfold; they have to protect him from too much light
that could ruin his sight.
In this he had changed his mind.
A younger man, he had fought against fantasy's dangers,
its snares and delusions distractions from truth and faith,
but this, too, is a power that comes from God.

The struggle is not against the imagination
but within its extravagant realm, in its heights and depths.





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