Great Jove, who once with thundering, rolling clouds
Royally stepped down from heaven to earth
And amazed the peoples as they huddled together in crowds,
Zero is, for all his wonder and worth,
In our eyes when we contemplate your gift:
Exquisite, refined and generous — all these and more.
To do it and our feelings justice, our minds shift
Hopelessly: where are the words that will soar
And compel the empyrean’s denizens to hymn
Noble utensils, objects and accoutrements?
Knowing not, at first, our hearts sank — to
You we owed verbal pearls. Though slim,
Our final, feeble choices at least make sense:
Unadorned and ordinary, they’re ‘Grazie’ and ‘Thank you.’
Royally stepped down from heaven to earth
And amazed the peoples as they huddled together in crowds,
Zero is, for all his wonder and worth,
In our eyes when we contemplate your gift:
Exquisite, refined and generous — all these and more.
To do it and our feelings justice, our minds shift
Hopelessly: where are the words that will soar
And compel the empyrean’s denizens to hymn
Noble utensils, objects and accoutrements?
Knowing not, at first, our hearts sank — to
You we owed verbal pearls. Though slim,
Our final, feeble choices at least make sense:
Unadorned and ordinary, they’re ‘Grazie’ and ‘Thank you.’
(1994)
