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I WHAT-SHALL-I-DO-WITH-THIS-ABSURDITY- O-HEART-O-TROUBLED-HEART-THIS-CARICATURE DECREPIT-AGE-THAT-HAS-BEEN-TIED-TO-ME AS-TO-A-DOGS-TAIL NEVER-HAD-I-MORE EXCITED-PASSIONATE-FANTASTICAL IMAGINATION-NOR-AN-EAR-AND-EYE THAT-MORE-EXPECTED-THE-IMPOSSIBLE- NO-NOT-IN-BOYHOOD-WHEN-WITH-ROD-AND-FLY OR-THE-HUMBLER-WORM-I-CLIMBED-BEN-BULBENS-BACK AND-HAD-THE-LIVELONG-SUMMER-DAY-TO-SPEND IT-SEEMS-THAT-I-MUST-BID-THE-MUSE-GO-PACK CHOOSE-PLATO-AND-PLOTINUS-FOR-A-FRIEND UNTIL-IMAGINATION-EAR-AND-EYE CAN-BE-CONTENT-WITH-ARGUMENT-AND-DEAL IN-ABSTRACT-THINGS-OR-BE-DERIDED-BY A-SORT-OF-BATTERED-KETTLE-AT-THE-HEEL - II I-PACE-UPON-THE-BATTLEMENTS-AND-STARE ON-THE-FOUNDATIONS-OF-A-HOUSE-OR-WHERE TREE-LIKE-A-SOOTY-FINGER-STARTS-FROM-EARTH AND-SEND-IMAGINATION-FORTH UNDER-THE-DAYS-DECLINING-BEAM-AND-CALL IMAGES-AND-MEMORIES FROM-RUIN-OR-FROM-ANCIENT-TREES FOR-I-WOULD-ASK-A-QUESTION-OF-THEM-ALL - BEYOND-THAT-RIDGE-LIVED-MRS-FRENCH-AND-ONCE WHEN-EVERY-SILVER-CANDLESTICK-OR-SCONCE LIT-UP-THE-DARK-MAHOGANY-AND-THE-WINE A-SERVINGMAN-THAT-COULD-DIVINE THAT-MOST-RESPECTED-LADYS-EVERY-WISH RAN-AND-WITH-THE-GARDEN-SHEARS CLIPPED-AN-INSOLENT-FARMERS-EARS AND-BROUGHT-THEM-IN-A-LITTLE-COVERED-DISH - SOME-FEW-REMEMBERED-STILL-WHEN-I-WAS-YOUNG A-PEASANT-GIRL-COMMENDED-BY-A-SONG WHOD-LIVED-SOMEWHERE-UPON-THAT-ROCKY-PLACE AND-PRAISED-THE-COLOUR-OF-HER-FACE- AND-HAD-THE-GREATER-JOY-IN-PRAISING-HER REMEMBERING-THAT-IF-WALKED-SHE-THERE FARMERS-JOSTLED-AT-THE-FAIR SO-GREAT-A-GLORY-DID-THE-SONG-CONFER - AND-CERTAIN-MEN-BEING-MADDENED-BY-THOSE-RHYMES OR-ELSE-BY-TOASTING-HER-A-SCORE-OF-TIMES ROSE-FROM-THE-TABLE-AND-DECLARED-IT-RIGHT TO-TEST-THEIR-FANCY-BY-THEIR-SIGHT BUT-THEY-MISTOOK-THE-BRIGHTNESS-OF-THE-MOON FOR-THE-PROSAIC-LIGHT-OF-DAY- MUSIC-HAD-DRIVEN-THEIR-WITS-ASTRAY- AND-ONE-WAS-DROWNED-IN-THE-GREAT-BOG-OF-CLOONE - STRANGE-BUT-THE-MAN-WHO-MADE-THE-SONG-WAS-BLIND YET-NOW-I-HAVE-CONSIDERED-IT-I-FIND THAT-NOTHING-STRANGE-THE-TRAGEDY-BEGAN WITH-HOMER-THAT-WAS-A-BLIND-MAN AND-HELEN-HAS-ALL-LIVING-HEARTS-BETRAYED O-MAY-THE-MOON-AND-SUNLIGHT-SEEM ONE-INEXTRICABLE-BEAM FOR-IF-I-TRIUMPH-I-MUST-MAKE-MEN-MAD - AND-I-MYSELF-CREATED-HANRAHAN AND-DROVE-HIM-DRUNK-OR-SOBER-THROUGH-THE-DAWN FROM-SOMEWHERE-IN-THE-NEIGHBOURING-COTTAGES CAUGHT-BY-AN-OLD-MANS-JUGGLERIES HE-STUMBLED-TUMBLED-FUMBLED-TO-AND-FRO AND-HAD-BUT-BROKEN-KNEES-FOR-HIRE AND-HORRIBLE-SPLENDOUR-OF-DESIRE I-THOUGHT-IT-ALL-OUT-TWENTY-YEARS-AGO - GOOD-FELLOWS-SHUFFLED-CARDS-IN-AN-OLD-BAWN AND-WHEN-THAT-ANCIENT-RUFFIANS-TURN-WAS-ON HE-SO-BEWITCHED-THE-CARDS-UNDER-HIS-THUMB THAT-ALL-BUT-THE-ONE-CARD-BECAME A-PACK-OF-HOUNDS-AND-NOT-A-PACK-OF-CARDS AND-THAT-HE-CHANGED-INTO-A-HARE HANRAHAN-ROSE-IN-FRENZY-THERE AND-FOLLOWED-UP-THOSE-BAYING-CREATURES-TOWARDS- -O-TOWARDS-I-HAVE-FORGOTTEN-WHAT-ENOUGH I-MUST-RECALL-A-MAN-THAT-NEITHER-LOVE NOR-MUSIC-NOR-AN-ENEMYS-CLIPPED-EAR COULD-HE-WAS-SO-HARRIED-CHEER A-FIGURE-THAT-HAS-GROWN-SO-FABULOUS THERES-NOT-A-NEIGHBOUR-LEFT-TO-SAY WHEN-HE-FINISHED-HIS-DOGS-DAY AN-ANCIENT-BANKRUPT-MASTER-OF-THIS-HOUSE - BEFORE-THAT-RUIN-CAME-FOR-CENTURIES- ROUGH-MENATARMS-CROSSGARTERED-TO-THE-KNEES OR-SHOD-IN-IRON-CLIMBED-THE-NARROW-STAIRS- AND-CERTAIN-MENATARMS-THERE-WERE WHOSE-IMAGES-IN-THE-GREAT-MEMORY-STORED COME-WITH-LOUD-CRY-AND-PANTING-BREAST TO-BREAK-UPON-A-SLEEPERS-REST WHILE-THEIR-GREAT-WOODEN-DICE-BEAT-ON-THE-BOARD - AS-I-WOULD-QUESTION-ALL-COME-ALL-WHO-CAN COME-OLD-NECESSITOUS-HALFMOUNTED-MAN AND-BRING-BEAUTYS-BLIND-RAMBLING-CELEBRANT THE-RED-MAN-THE-JUGGLER-SENT THROUGH-GODFORSAKEN-MEADOWS-MRS-FRENCH GIFTED-WITH-SO-FINE-AN-EAR THE-MAN-DROWNED-IN-A-BOGS-MIRE WHEN-MOCKING-MUSES-CHOSE-THE-COUNTRY-WENCH - DID-ALL-OLD-MEN-AND-WOMEN-RICH-AND-POOR WHO-TROD-UPON-THESE-ROCKS-OR-PASSED-THIS-DOOR WHETHER-IN-PUBLIC-OR-IN-SECRET-RAGE AS-I-DO-NOW-AGAINST-OLD-AGE BUT-I-HAVE-FOUND-AN-ANSWER-IN-THOSE-EYES THAT-ARE-IMPATIENT-TO-BE-GONE GO-THEREFORE-BUT-LEAVE-HANRAHAN FOR-I-NEED-ALL-HIS-MIGHTY-MEMORIES - OLD-LECHER-WITH-A-LOVE-ON-EVERY-WIND BRING-UP-OUT-OF-THAT-DEEP-CONSIDERING-MIND ALL-THAT-YOU-HAVE-DISCOVERED-IN-THE-GRAVE FOR-IT-IS-CERTAIN-THAT-YOU-HAVE- RECKONED-UP-EVERY-UNFOREKNOWN-UNSEEING PLUNGE-LURED-BY-A-SOFTENING-EYE OR-BY-A-TOUCH-OR-A-SIGH INTO-THE-LABYRINTH-OF-ANOTHERS-BEING - DOES-THE-IMAGINATION-DWELL-THE-MOST UPON-A-WOMAN-WON-OR-A-WOMAN-LOST IF-ON-THE-LOST-ADMIT-YOU-TURNED-ASIDE FROM-A-GREAT-LABYRINTH-OUT-OF-PRIDE COWARDICE-SOME-SILLY-OVERSUBTLE-THOUGHT OR-ANYTHING-CALLED-CONSCIENCE-ONCE AND-THAT-IF-MEMORY-RECUR-THE-SUNS UNDER-ECLIPSE-AND-THE-DAY-BLOTTED-OUT - III IT-IS-TIME-THAT-I-WROTE-MY-WILL I-CHOOSE-UPSTANDING-MEN THAT-CLIMB-THE-STREAMS-UNTIL THE-FOUNTAIN-LEAP-AND-AT-DAWN DROP-THEIR-CAST-AT-THE-SIDE OF-DRIPPING-STONE-I-DECLARE THEY-SHALL-INHERIT-MY-PRIDE THE-PRIDE-OF-PEOPLE-THAT-WERE- BOUND-NEITHER-TO-CAUSE-NOR-TO-STATE- NEITHER-TO-SLAVES-THAT-WERE-SPAT-ON NOR-TO-THE-TYRANTS-THAT-SPAT THE-PEOPLE-OF-BURKE-AND-OF-GRATTAN THAT-GAVE-THOUGH-FREE-TO-REFUSE- PRIDE-LIKE-THAT-OF-THE-MORN- WHEN-THE-HEADLONG-LIGHT-IS-LOOSE OR-THAT-OF-THE-FABULOUS-HORN OR-THAT-OF-THE-SUDDEN-SHOWER WHEN-ALL-STREAMS-ARE-DRY OR-THAT-OF-THE-HOUR WHEN-THE-SWAN-MUST-FIX-HIS-EYE UPON-A-FADING-GLEAM FLOAT-OUT-UPON-A-LONG LAST-REACH-OF-GLITTERING-STREAM- AND-THERE-SING-HIS-LAST-SONG AND-I-DECLARE-MY-FAITH I-MOCK-PLOTINUS-THOUGHT AND-CRY-IN-PLATOS-TEETH DEATH-AND-LIFE-WERE-NOT TILL-MAN-MADE-UP-THE-WHOLE MADE-LOCK-STOCK-AND-BARREL OUT-OF-HIS-BITTER-SOUL- AYE-SUN-AND-MOON-AND-STAR-ALL- AND-FURTHER-ADD-TO-THAT THAT-BEING-DEAD-WE-RISE- DREAM-AND-SO-CREATE TRANSLUNAR-PARADISE I-HAVE-PREPARED-MY-PEACE WITH-LEARNED-ITALIAN-THINGS AND-THE-PROUD-STONES-OF-GREECE POETS-IMAGININGS AND-MEMORIES-OF-LOVE MEMORIES-OF-THE-WORDS-OF-WOMEN ALL-THOSE-THINGS-WHEREOF MAN-MAKES-A-SUPERHUMAN MIRRORRESEMBLING-DREAM - AS-AT-THE-LOOPHOLE-THERE THE-DAWS-CHATTER-AND-SCREAM AND-DROP-TWIGS-LAYER-UPON-LAYER WHEN-THEY-HAVE-MOUNTED-UP- THE-MOTHER-BIRD-WILL-REST ON-THEIR-HOLLOW-TOP AND-SO-WARM-HER-WILD-NEST - I-LEAVE-BOTH-FAITH-AND-PRIDE TO-YOUNG-UPSTANDING-MEN CLIMBING-THE-MOUNTAINSIDE THAT-UNDER-BURSTING-DAWN THEY-MAY-DROP-A-FLY BEING-OF-THAT-METAL-MADE TILL-IT-WAS-BROKEN-BY THIS-SEDENTARY-TRADE - NOW-SHALL-I-MAKE-MY-SOUL- COMPELLING-IT-TO-STUDY- IN-A-LEARNED-SCHOOL TILL-THE-WRECK-OF-BODY- SLOW-DECAY-OF-BLOOD TESTY-DELIRIUM OR-DULL-DECREPITUDE OR-WHAT-WORSE-EVIL-COME- THE-DEATH-OF-FRIENDS-OR-DEATH OF-EVERY-BRILLIANT-EYE THAT-MADE-A-CATCH-IN-THE-BREATH- SEEM-BUT-THE-CLOUDS-OF-THE-SKY- WHEN-THE-HORIZON-FADES- OR-A-BIRDS-SLEEPY-CRY- AMONG-THE-DEEPENING-SHADES