Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE TESTAMENTS OF THE 12 PATRIARCHS: JOSEPH & THE BULL, by ANONYMOUS First Line: Words of our father jacob (said) Last Line: Started to strike his brothers Subject(s): Mysticism - Judaism | ||||||||
& Joseph dreamed & told it to his brothers (said) see I have dreamed a dream: & see the sun & moon & the 11 stars bow down to me: & told it to his father & his brothers: & his father turned on him & said: what is this dream you dreamed? shall I & shall your mother & your brothers come to you & bow down to the earth? (Genesis 37.9 -- .10.) words of our father Jacob (said) my sons run everywhere grab what your hands can hold thrust in my sight we thought said what can we make our own? we only see the sun the moon the stars he said whatever your hands can hold Levi first grabbed a stick he raised it up jumped on the sun & rode it which Judah saw he saw him raised a stick himself then rode the moon the nine tribes followed each one rode his star his planet in the sky left only Joseph on the earth our father Jacob said my son why did you not do what your brothers did he thought said I am a man born to a woman not sky's child my end will be returning standing back on earth & speaking looked he saw a great bull near him wings were like a stork's his horns the reem's horns Jacob said you mount him Joseph son you ride upon his back which Joseph did he mounted on the bull when Jacob left him Joseph then rode four hours gloried in the bull the bull flew up with him his hand reached for a stick started to strike his brothers Used with the permission of Copper Canyon Press, P.O. Box 271, Port Townsend, WA 98368-0271, www.cc.press.org | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...PATRIARCHAL POETRY, SELECTION by GERTRUDE STEIN THE IYYOB TRANSLATION FROM 'A-15' by LOUIS ZUKOFSKY A DEATH FUGUE by PAUL ANTSCHEL I HAVE A GARMENT by ABRAHAM IBN EZRA THE BOOK OF THE LETTER, SELECTION by ABRAHAM ABULAFIA A VISION OF THE VOICE OF YAHVEH by AMOS A POEM FOR THE SEFIROT AS WHEEL OF LIGHT by NAFTALI BACHARACH TIS A LITTLE JOURNEY by ANONYMOUS |
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