OF BTI]'|6 TROUI l|UI,I

1968

OF BEING

N U M ER OU S

1 'fhcre :rrc thing\ sec thenr We livc lllr()ng'ltrtcl tc'r Is tr>knorv oursclvcs'. ()cctrrrencc,a part ()f :rn inflrritc scries. The srrcl rrrrrvcls; Of thi s urrs tol cl A t.rle of our u"ickeclrtess. It is not t:>ur wickeclrrcss. 'Yott renrenrberth:rt oltl torvu \\,c wcr)t to, lrrttl \\1es:lt irr thc ruirccl rr'inclou'. rrnclu'e tlictl trr irn:rgirreth:rt ue bclorrrlcclto those tintes-lt is c'le.rcl end it is not clcrrcl..rncl v()u crlnr)()t irnlr-Iinecither its litc or its c'lerrth; tlre c.rrth sl.rcrks rrncltlrc srrLrrnrutcler the Sprirrg coll)estrrrcl s;rc;rks, ortly obscurcsit-'

2 of the cxist enccof t hir r qs, S o sp< > ke Arr nnrrrlrirrrr-lelrble p:rrttlrcorr Absolute,brrt they srry Aric1. A ci ty of tl tc t' orPt r L. t t iot ls

()F rtE l N G N U ME R OU s

163

Glassed In drear.ns And inragesAnd the pure joy Of the nrineral fact Tho it is ir.npenetrable As the world, if it is n.ratter, Is intpenetrable.

New to ase as the younll To youth

And to their clwelling For which tl.retarred rooli Ancl tl.re stoops and doorsA world of stoopsAre petty alibi arrd satiricalrvit Will not serve.

3
The gre:rt stone The enrotions are engaged Entering the ciry As entering any ciry. ' 1 U 75' We are not coeval With a localiry But rve inragine others :rre, We encounter thern.Actually A populace flows Thru the city. This is a language, therefore,of New York 6 4 F o r tl rc pc ople of t h, r r f l o w Are new, the old 'We Which has nothing to g.rin,which awaitsnothing, Which loves itself Frozen in the rroonlisht In the frozen air over the footprth, conscioLrsness Above the river ln the pylon of the briclge

are pressed, pressecl on each other,

We rvill be told at once C)f anything that hrppens

GEORGE

OP P E N

/ NEW

COLLECTED

POEM S

()F B E IN G N U ME R oU s

165

And the discovery of fact bursts In a paroxrysnt of enrotion Now as always.Crusoe 'We say was 'Rescued' . So we have chosen.

Among days Having only the force Of days Most simple Most difhcult

Obsesed, bewildered By the shipwreck ,

'Whethea as the inreDsity ofseeing increrses, onelr disrance fronThenr, th people,docs not :rho increase' I know,ofcourse r know, I can enter no other phce Yet I am one ofthose who fro nothing bur nr^ni way or thought md one ofhis dialects and whar hashappencd Have made poetry

we havechosenthe meaning L'r oe'ng nunrenous.

I Anot Jdti The love of fate

To dream ofthat beach For the sakeofan instantin the ryes, The absolutesnguhr The unearrhlybonds Of rhe singular

Perhrps blasphemous. Slowly over islands, destinies Moving steadily pass And change In the rhin sky Over islands

Which is the brighr lighr ofshipwreck

10 Or in that light, New artsl l)ithynDrbi.. rudienlccas- tisrsl But I will listento a nun,I will listen to :r nuD. and wheD I

r67

spe:rkI will sperk, tho he will tril urcl I will teil. tsut I will listen to hinr speirk.Tltesirtlillirlg oia crorvd is nothirls\\,ell,nothir)g btrt the llrany that we :lre,but nothing. (Jrbrrn art, art of the cities,ert of the yotlng irl the citiesexi.rausted his wor'ld arotlllcll.rir-rl nratt is deacJ, The isolateci nrarl!And indeed they And he fails! He fails,that ntec.litative
ca l)llot 'b e l r ' it.

P hyl l i s-not

rrc o- clir ssic,

TIl e qi rl ' .s ttatttci s l) lt yllisClorrrinshorrrc fl-ornher first jolr ()rr tl re [rrrri n tIte I r . r lccivi. lllt cl'i( ) r Atrrong those Pgepls,the srnallt'krt>rs C)pcnin{ron the nicht irt thc curb Hcr heart, she tolcl nre, strclclenlr,' tight \,vith hrrppirrcssS o snrl l l a pi cture. A spot of light on tlte ctrrb, it cruul()tclenrcrrr.r r.rs

11 it is ,/r'rtlight anlvhere, a light for thc tines Seeps ID which the buildings Staridon low gromd, thejr Pedhents Ju* abovethe harbor
Absolutely inrnrobile, you could enter ally building, Holloq available, You could look ftortt any lvirtdow One nright wave to hinrself Fr-onrthe top oi the Enrpirc Stlte i3uilclirlgthe r-airrf:rlls tlrat hacl not been t.tlling Sp eak and it is the sanreu'orlcl "t

I roo r) in love down ther<'with thc rrecn And dre square shbsofp.NeDrcnt To trlk ofche houseand the neighborhood.ur.l the docks Arrclit is not arC

t2
' l rr theseexpl al te t i( ) ns it is pr esr r nr et t lhr r t : r n cxpclic', , . 1"* subj ecti s one occasior of r a sensit ivt - 'r eact ion r ( ) ilr r : lct ur ll world.'

Ifyou c an They rrr:rde srnallolrjccts C)irvood lncl thc boncs of fish Speak A nd of stone.The y' t alked,

GEORGE

OPPEN

/ NEW

COLLECTED

POEM S

Frrnilies trlkec'I. T l rcv' sl th er c r l in c ot r nc i l Ancl spoke,cirrryirrgob-jects. They lvere cr-eclulotrs, Their thin{-Is shone itr the forest. They rvcre pirtiel)t With thc rvclrlrlT[ris r,villllevcr return, nevcr, Unless Ir:rvirtsreachecl their linrits Tlrey rvill treqirt over, thrrt is, ()rrcr encl ovcr

H i s di stancc If he can. l4 I cannot cver)n() w A ltosether clise'r rqase rnyself Fronr tlrose rnen W i th w horrr I sto oclir r er npleccr uent s. ir r nlesst cnt s, Irr hospri mlls ncl shecls ar r d hicJin t hc sullit s Of blrrstcdrorrds irr rr ruirreclcour)tr)/, Anrong therrr ntlny nter-r More c:rprl ' r]c tl ).ll)I -

t3
tun:tblc to begirt A r tl tc l r t ' gir t r r ir r g. t lt c li rrru rt,rtt' Fiurl cverything elreldy' here.Thet' rrreshoppcrs, (lhoosers, juclges;. . . Arrcl here the brtrtrrl is rvitl'rout issue, :t clcld encl. They develo;r Argtrnrent irr orcler to spcak,thev beconrc turrreul, unreal,life loscs tht'ir genre soliclitl', loscse\tel)t, b:rseball's b.rseblllis nc'rtrr ganre bccrruse btrt rrn rlrgllurellt rrnclcliflcrcuceof opiniott ntrrkes the horse rlccs.T'hey rrreshosts th:tt crtclanger e c hrn g e On e's s< > ir l. T hc ris In rrrrrtir Thrrt srrrells stlle, thcv r,villcorrrc to the encl ()f ln errt First of .rll peoples kcep Arrcl one tu:rv Itc'rttor,rbly
/ COLLECTED POEM S

Muykut arrclrr serqeunt Nanrecl Hcal1,, Th.rt l i eutcrr.rrrt rr lsoHou' firlqct th.rt?Hon, t:rlk l )i stantl y oi ' The l) eople' Who are that firrce Within the rvalls Of ci ti es Wherein their cers E cho l i ke l ri story I )orvn rvalleclrlvenlles Irt u'hich ()ne crlllllot spcak.

OF

BEING

N U ME R O U S

t 7l

15 (lhorr.rs(anrlroqyrrotts) :' Fincl nte So that I rvill cxist, firtcl nry Ilrtvel So tlut it will exist,flrrclnrv rripples So that thev n,ill exist, fintl cvery h:rir ()f nrv trell,v, I rtt.tt soocl (or I rrnr bacl), Fincl trrc.'

He waltts to s:ty His life is real, No one can sayrvhy It is not easyto spe:rk A ferocious nrunrblins, in public C)f rootlessspeech

l6 '... he rvho rvill l)ot \\r()rksltrrlltrtlt eat, rinclorrly he u'ho wrts trotlbleclshall fincl rest, into the nether rvorld shall rruclonly l'rc n'ho descettcls rcscue his belovccl. be siverl lrrcl ortlv hc rvho urtsheltheshis knifi: sl.rall tl o t e a t... s h rrl l rv o rk Is:u t c r r g: t it tHe . wlr o rv i l l n o t but he rvho rvill lvork sh:rll sive birth to his clwtl firther.'

18 It is the air of atr.city, A' event ls ordirary As a l)resident. A plu're of srroke, visrble at a dist:rnce In w hi ch peopl e b ur '.

t9 l7
The t-ootsof rvorc'ls l)i nr i n thc s t r br v ay s Insanity in high places, itr tlte trutrtbcr Therc is nrrrdtress ()f the livinr-I 'A stute()iillirtter' here but tts chickens T'hcrc is rroboc'lv Insane,the insanefly An ti -ortt olo W hi ch. ovcr rhc ('ir y Is the bright liuht of shipwreck If it is true we lrlust do these thir.rgs 'We cllt our throats 'rust The fly in the bottle Nor,v in the helicoptersthe casualwill Is atrocious

GEoRGE

OP P E N

NEW

COLLECTEI)

POEM S

oF TJ E TN GN U ME R oU S

20
-They ewait

Or which is the sarnething, That we do not altogether nlatter.

War, and the news Is wrr

2l There can be a brick

As always Tl-rat the juices lrlay flow in therrl Tho the juices lie. Great thinss have happened On tl.reearth lnd given it history,arnlies Ancl the ragged horclestlrovitrs arld the passiolls Of that death.IJtrt who escaPes Death

In a brick wall The eye picks So quiet of a Sunday Here is the brick, it was waitins Here when you were bor' Mary-Anne.

)') Anrortg these riders Of the sub'nvay, They know as I know I3y t.ro'nv Failure and the guilt Of farlure. poenr of Christnrls As in Hardy'.s Clarity ln the senseof transparence, I don't ntean that much can be explained. Clariry in the senseof silence.

23
We nright half-hope to firld the' anirtlals In the shedsof a tratiotr Kneeling at rnidnight, Flrnr aninrals, Draft aninrels,beastslor slattshter Bccauseit would ntean they have fbrgiven us, 'Half free And half mad' And the jet set is in. The vocabularies of the forties Gave way to the JetStream And the media, the Mustang

G EO R G E

OPPEN

NEW

COLLECTED

I' OEM S

Ar-rdthe deals And the people will chlnge ag:rirr Under the soil In the blind pressure Tl-relunrp, Entity Of sttbstance alsit. Chrrlrges In tr,vo dozett roott-ts, Two dozerr rpartntel)ts Atter the parry The girls Stareat the ceilings Blindly as they are filled Ancl then they sleeP.

Scatterecl about the ciry In the clark roonrs ()f' tl re p.rsr-.rrrd t lr c ir r r r r r isl': ur t s. The black I{cctl rrstrl .rrbtri ldir r cs Of the irnnrigrants. They are the chilclrenof the nricidleclass'Tlre pure products of Anrerica-' I nvesting The :rncient buildings Jclstlceach other In the half-forgottell,that ponderousbusiness This ChirreseWall.

24
In this natiot-t Which is in some sense

26 They carry nativeness Jir a conclusion l n sui ci de. 'We want to tlefend

Our honre. Clovetrarrtl

The covettant is There shall be peoples.

Linritation And do not know how. Stupid to say nrerelv TI1:ltpoets should not lead their lives Anrorlg poets, They have lost thc rueraphysical sense Of the future, they lcel drenrselves The end of rr chrrin

25 Strirngethat the youngest people I know Live in the oldest buildinss

OPPEN

/ NEW

COLLECTED

POEM S

OF

BEING

N U ME R O U S

L77

()i l i ve s, s ir r qle liv c s Arrtl u.e krrorv thrtt livcs Arc sirrglc

Streetlarlps shine on the parked ctrs Steadilyin tl.reclcar nieht It is trr-re the great nrirreralsilence

Artrl cattrtot tlcfbrrcl T hc nrct aphv s ic ( )rr rvh i c h r c s t

I llc L r ( ) Ul l rl .l fl e \

Vibrates,hunrs,a process Cornpletinu itself In which the windshield wipers ()f the ('rrs .lrc vrsiblc. The power of thc nrind, the I)ower and rveight Of the rnind which Is not enough, it is nothing And does nothing

()f otrr clistrrrtccs.

We rl'littt to sltv ' (lorrrrt ron sctrse ' Arrd crrttttot.Wc strltrcltltt

Thrrt tlenirtl ()f de:rth that prrvecltlre' citics' l):rvccithc citics ( le nerrtio rr For gettcrrttittlt lttttl thc 1:rlvetrtetlt Is filth,v rts the cort'iclors ( )f the p olice.

Aqainst the r.ratural world, Ilehernoth, white whale, beast They will say and lessthan beast, The tatal rock w hi cl r i s the w orld_ O if the streets

Flr>rv shall otte kttttrv .l gcl)t'r.rti()ll,.l llc\v qetteretiotl? Not by the ileu' ()ll thelll! Wl.rere tl-re earth is t.lttlst ttlrtt Ancl the u'ottttcis tttttetttlecl lrrttl the voices confirsecl, Tlrerc is the helcl tlf tltc tlrovittg coltltlrtr

Seenrbricht enough, Fold within fold Of resi dence ... Or see thru water

Who

if thev crrtrrttt flntl

Clearly the pebbles Of the beach Thru the water, flowirril Fror.nthe ripple, clelr As ever they have been

J ltcir gcticrrttlt-rtt Wit hcr in thc irttlrtrl;lr r es Ancl the strpply clepots, strpplyirrg ccts. I rrcl cvuttt ot.rj

I
GEORGE OPPEN / NEW COLI- ECTEI) I' OEM S OF BEING N U ME R O U S

179

27 It rs iLtllcult ltow to speakoi poetr\'of choice or th()se about those who hrrverecognizedthe r'.tttqe lt ts tltlt to-' 'uvhohave lived within the lifb tht'y "vere born oiexl.rcprecisely a questi()rl of protirndiry br-rta clitli'rettt tlrcler rvhlt litb' in a rience. One woulcl have to tell what hlppens rvhlt l.rrr1.tchoices presellt thetlrselves'rvh:rt the worlci is fbr us' therepens in time, r,vhatthought is in tl-recotlrse of .r hfe ltrcl fore what art is, ancl the isol.ition tlf tl-reactual I wotrl cl wallt t ot alk of r o o rn s a n c l o fw h l tttl re y l tl o k o tttott:tttcl the rough rv:rllsbelrir.rg the nlerks of the firl'trrs' of b:rsertrents, such solitttde rts u'e the old r.narks of ,nvood irr the cc-lrrcrete. ktrow:r worknlrrn bearirrg rtbtltrthirtl, ancl the swcpt floors. Sortreone, frrtllerfeeling abotrt hint that peculiar worcl like e dishonorecl hitltlcrl hood has swept this solitary f-it>or,this profbuntllv floor-such solitude as lve knor,l,.

The rarrou,. frishterrinq li{-aht Before :r strnrise.

29
My dauqhtcr.nry clltrghter,t'hrt clrn I slv ()f living? jtrclge it. I c:rrrnot We secnr caught In rerlity toqcther nrv lovell' I )lush ter, I have rr clatrghter B ut no chi l ci And it wils rlot precisely Happinessr',e prorrrisecl Otrrsclvcs; We say happincss, l.rappiness rrncltr e r ) o t Srrtisficrl. Tho tlrc house orr the lor,r,l:ruci Of the ciry Catchesthe drl.vn liqht I cln tcll nry'sclf, errclI tell nrvself C)nly rvhat u'e all bclieve True Ancl in the sudc'len \':)cllull Of ti nre ...
OF IJEING

threacls One tnust llot collle to feel thrrt he has e thotlsrlncl i n his hands . He nrust sonrehow see the one thirlg; Th i s i s t hc lev el oi, r r t Thcre are clther levels Btrt there is no other level of lrt

28
The light packeclaslitrst errchotllcr pages'tightly closecl, Of the closecl Exposes tl-retrew drrY,

POEM S

N U ME R O I J S

1R 1

. . . is it not In fbrr the roots grip l)ownward Arrd beget The bafTlinghierarclries Of fether and chilil

one witnesses-' It is ennoblins If one thi nks so. l{-to know is noble It is ennobling'

32 As of leaveson their high Thi' twigs to shield us Fronr tinre, frottr oPet.r Tinre C),bearrtiful l\ed grec'n blue-the rvet lips ()nly th.rt it should bc be:rutiful, Only that it should be beautifirl,

30
Behind their house,behind the back porch Are the little woods. ir r t o t hc lr r s o tl l c ti l l l c s Sh e rv.rl k s the bircls :rnd the deer. And rrrvaits Looking up she seesthe blue briuht sky Above the branches. lf one had been borrr here Horv could one belicve it?

Laughine Or the curl of the shell

"vhite

And the beauty of wonren, the perfect tendons Under the skin, the perfbct life That can twist in a flood Of desire Not tr-uth btrt each othcr The bright, bright skirr.l'rerhands waverirrg

31
the kttorvrl arrd the uttknorvtl Becrruse Touch ,

In lrer incredible need

33 Which is onrs, which is ourselves, Thi s i s otrr j ubi l a t r on

(]..}I,I,F,(]TED

POEMS

()F rl E l N G N U ME R oU S

183

Ex.rltecl lncl:ts olc'las thrrt tnrthfirlrrcss Wh i ch i llunr iuess pc ec h .

In the streets, u'eakerred bv tor>rnuch neecl Of too little And life seeming to depend on wollren, burdened and desperate As they are

34
Like thc rvirrrl in the trces :rnclthe bclls Ot-the proccssiort--

35
Hr>rvlirrht thc rrir is Arrcl thc e:rrth, (,hilclrerranc'l the qrrrss lrr the rvincl :rnclthe voices of nren lrncl'nvonren Tir be crrrriedrrbotrtthc sun forer.'er Arrrorrgthe bcrrutitirlp.rrticulrrrs of the brc'czes Tl'rc prlrers blorvn abotrt thc sic'lervrrlks (i o d ' . . . . rt F er r t r r le W ill t o h i c l eth e In o s t c v i c l e rrt Uncl eru c ( ) v er t . . . ' Su re l y i nf init c nes s is t h c rrro s te v i c l e rrt th i rrg i n th e rvorlcl Is it the crollrlgeof 36 Tho the world Is the obvious,the seen And unforeseeable, That rvhich one calllor "vonren To ussurrcever1, thenrsclvc's !11..1.nof blirrclness I n truclers (l.rlrving lifc, thc voLnrq\\'()nicll Carryrnu lifc U rr.ri .l c . lir r t lr c ir . r r r r r s N ot see Which the first eyes saw-For us Also cach Man or \\/orlran Near is Knowledge ...ordefi ne Man beyond rescue of the impoverished,solve whole cities before we can face again lorestsrrrd pr.riries. . .

G EO R G E

OP P E N

NEW

COLLECTED

PoEM S

c )F I ] E I N G

N U ME R O U S

Tho it nray be of the noonis Own vacuiry rhe nraci, too, speak only ol corrspiracy .rnclpeoplc rrlkirrg-And if rhose paths C )fth e nund Crrnnot breek It is not thc wild glare Of the worlcl even rhat -ancl

To' see' then r ? No. ()r scesnl otc s. ar r ir or r ruesh,links C)f consequence Still, at rhe nrinci\ encl Relevant

one dies in

37
'. . . approached the rvindow as if to The boreclonrwhich disclosed EverythingI should have written, not the rairr Of a nineteenth century day,but the motes In the air, rhe dust Here still. What have rve argned about? what Thickening the air? Air so thick with nlyrh the words unlucky And.gortdlurk F lo at i n i t . . .

38
You are the last Who will know hinr Nurse. Not know hinr, H e i s an ol d rnan, A patierrt, H ow coul d one know hir n? You are the last Who will seehinr Or touch hinr, Nurse.

jl
!
have we d o n e ?

39
Occurring ,neither for self Nor for rruth' The sad nrarvels

GE O R G E

O PP E N

NEW

C OLI- ECTED

POEM S

In the leastcredrblecircurnstance, Stornr or bornbardnrc'nt Or the roonr of a very old nran

HISTORIC

PU N

L:r pctitc vic,:r vourrg rrrerrcrrllecl it l:rter,it h:rc.l beerr the l.rstthing oflerecl In that way, Wh i tn ra n :' A p r i l 19, 18(r4 A rv:rvof beh:rvirrg,:l \\,ily of beirrs irr puirlic W hi cl r i vc I:i ,'kct l lf thcr-ervustloubt it rvasdor.rbtof Irinrsclf Firrclirrg a forc'e Irr the cafcsrrnclbistros Force of the fhr uili: r r t r r cl f r r r r r ili: r r s The firrcc of c:rsc Thcy *;rther ou the stelrsof Slcri,-Cocur, (irelt cxru'cls, sitting <lr tlre steps Tb u,atch rhc surrser arrtl rhe IightsI spelk of totrrists. Ilut rvh:tt we see is there Firrcl .r r,r,'orcl fbr ourselr,es C )r rve rvi l l havc not hills, neit ht , rf r t it h r r or r vill, t he r vill Ti rtrt' hctl[y rl rt' d. r zzl( . S pl i rru touchcs tlt c lJut t e Clr r ur nor r t , Evcrv urornirrg tlte chilclrenirplre:lr In the perks, l ).ri s i s [rc.uti f.l ar r d l. t r icr <r us, t he lcl'es of cr . cr l. t r cc ir r t hc city nrove irr tlre rvlrrcJ The sirls h:rvebe:rutiful tlrighs,berutifirl skirts.ril si'.lare c()uf:rgcSernite:to flrrtl :r uly for rnvsclt-.

40

as they have got The capitol grows upon one in tinte, especially on top of it uowand you cal) seeit very well. It the great figr.rre It looks is a sreat bronze figure, the Genius of Liberty I suppose. lvonclerful toward sundown. I love to go lnd look at it.The strrr when it is nearly down shinesort the headpieceand it dazzles and glistenslike a big star:it looks quite

c url ous . . .

xrcw/

I FarFD

P()EMS