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NOTES
ON
THE BATTLE
OF
LEPANTO
Through
the clouds and the smoke
come
the Bucintoros
floating
on pillars of marble
floating
on azures
on
gold
carried
by the gauzy raiment
of
cherubs and seraphim
charged
with the magnetic pull of angels
the
animal force of winged lions
They
fight in the stomach of the world
they
struggle in the minds of creators
they
return to impossible palaces
decorated
by the hands of demigods
they
dance en masse
in
the antechambers of Paradise
they
call to the saints
and
the saints approach
they
mingle in a nebulous firmament
bodies
entwined
eyes
illuminated with a Dostoevskian ecstasy
they
reach with towers and bridges
into
the skies
across
the waters
they
reach into the vast
golden
interiors of eternal space
with
the fervor of pilgrims
peopling
their dreams
with
a zoo of holy creatures
they
dance with masks
and
bow to nothing
save
the fallen stars of Earth
they
calculate the laws and forces
of
the universe
and
turn them into visions
rich
with harmony
they
worship with their minds and bodies
with
the heart’s keen sense
of
God’s desire.
In
every particle of faith applied
in
every color
every
feel of shape
every
kind of light
that
fills the eyes
they
bask and meditate
nothing
human is beneath them
in
the darkness they torment each other
without
mercy they fight
and
the saints do not frown
when
they pray
they
lie down on beds of jewel-encrusted crosses
they
shut their eyes
and
survey their kingdoms
they
moan in their sleep
and
give commands
to
their senses
the
bells ring once again
and
they awake
to
the everlasting thought
that
truth is beauty.
Venice,
Oct, 22, 1994
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