Adonis/Dennis Bouchard. From “A”, an exhibition retracing twenty years of visual works by the poet Adonis, Galerie Azzedine Alaïa, Paris, 2015. Source: worldliteraturetoday.org
who are you and who am I
he stayed me
and he said to me Who are you and who am I and I saw the sun and the moon and the stars and all the lights ashine and he said to me There is no light in my sea shines on without I have seen it and each thing came to me until no thing was left and kissed me between my eyes and saluted me and stood in shadow and he said to me You know me and I do not know you and I saw all of him clung to my robe and not to me and my robe leant and I did not and my robe leant and he said to me Who am I and the sun went down and the moon and the stars fell and the lights were put out and the dark covered all things but him and my eye did not see and my ear did not hear my senses ceased and each thing spoke it said Allahu Akbar and each thing came to me a spear in its hand it said to me Flee and I said Where to and it said Fall into darkness and into darkness I fell and I saw myself and he said to me See none but yourself ever Come out from darkness never And should I bring you out from it I would show you myself You would see me and should you see me you would be most distant of all
night
he stayed me
at night
and he said to me Should night come to you stay between my hands Take ignorance in your hand with it turn the knowledge of the heavens and the earth from me and when you turn them you shall see me come down and he said to me Ignorance is the shield before the screen the cover before the shield and there is no greater shield for ignorance is the vanguard of the Lord When he comes it is his shield and nothing is known save ignorance No knowledge but works at what he is That he is is not unknown he is he And what you know of me and what you know by me and what you know for me and what you know of each and every thing turn it back with ignorance Should you hear it say my name and call to me and block your ears Should it come before you cover your eyes And what you do not know do not ask about or learn You are with me and the mark of my company is that you shield yourself from the known and from knowledge as I am shielded and should day come and the Lord come to his throne then suffering shall come Then let ignorance drop from your hands and take knowledge turning suffering away Reside in knowledge lest suffering take you and he said Shield yourself from knowledge with ignorance for if not you shall not see me nor see me seated By knowledge be shielded against suffering for if not you shall not see my light nor my clear proof and he said Look to each thing which your heart sees and your eye sees How I said to it Be and it was Then look to ignorance which I unfurled between me and it Had I not placed it in between it would not have endured before my light and he said Ignorance is the Lord’s vanguard this is one aspect of his vision manifest The Lord is the vanguard of ignorance this is one aspect of the essence manifest
тнє ѕυℓтαη'ѕ ѕєαℓ 