Mockingbird Tree

These are not my words. I have collected them only to say that Nietzsche was a beautiful poet even though he did not write poetry.

Mockingbird, Mockingbird,
Are you mocking me?
Did I foolishly fall asleep, last night,
Under the Mockingbird tree?
I dreamed I sat at Nietzsche's side,
And, these are the words he said to me.

Why has all the new fruit,
Rotted on the branches?
What fell down last night,
From the evil moon?

All of our hearts have dried out,
And, our wine is poison.
The earth is full of cracks,
And, there is no where left to drown.

What apocrypha is this?
The fishes are swimming through fire,
And, the birds have falling down, out of the sky.

When the midnight was bright,
I took out my rusted key,
The one I have carried since birth,
And, I found that it fit in the locks,
That freed all the butterflies, big as children.

I climbed into the mountains,
With ashes in my hands,
And running through my veins.
I met with Yama god of death.
And, Shiva, smelling like vanilla.
And, I met with Zarathustra,
Zarathustra, the Great Star.

We looked at one another,
And, he said to me:
Oh timid man, without a dream,
Why are you here in my woods?
Why is there so little destiny,
Shining in your eyes?

I am the size and the shape of a man,
But, all of the universe dwells inside me,
And, the night that you are lost in,
Is his deeper than even the day thought possible.

Do you not know that you were all changed,
Into a serpent are you were asleep?
You are aimless wandering now,
In the desires of your enemies?

Only if you decide to wake up,
Will you know who they are.
Now, just in case you do wake up,
I will tell you my secret:
Do not let go of your enemy,
As long as there is life.
And I will also tell you,
To always go with joy,
For joy is just like everyone else.
Joy is seeking eternity.

[November 1998]

Author's Note

Nietzsche's words

Reviews

[Rudi J.P. Lejaeghere]

Beautiful work, as always. A bit apocalyptic, but very fluently and interesting poem. :) Rudi

[Vishuddha]

I quite agree. Apocalyptic is the right word.

[Rene Salinas]

It is a tricky thing to incoorporate fragments of any writer into one's own writings. First thing that comes to mind to italicize when needed so the reader does indeed know there are words which may have had or will continue to have a different meaning. It would also be recommendable to let the reader know that this adaptation for lack of a better word is from the discourses if indeed I am correct. Part one right? as this is not a word by word quote. But that prettty much sets the concept and theme to this writing. I would be so foolish to even attempt to decipher his words, so I won't but the positives are always the palpable despair, the loss of humanity, although mostly encapsulated in the term "atheism".

I think and this is just me, but the branding was wrongly given. Although by the same token Hitchens was also branded an atheist yet the commonality that I see which is very much also embraced bythe writing is to seek and uphold the dignity of the human being.

Stand and be counted then.

Thank you

[Vishuddha]

Thank you. Actually, each line, starting with the second stanza, is a word by word quote, as much as possible, this being a translation, with the single exception of the last line which I did paraphrase slightly. I had hoped the poem said they were his words and the clutter of quotation marks would not be necessary. Unfortunately the book I used was borrowed and no longer available to me so I cannot give you the name of the translator. They are wonderfully poetic lines, aren't they?
(I have added, under the poem's description, "These are not my words. I have collected them only to say that Nietzsche was a beautiful poet even though he did not write poetry.") Perhaps this will suffice.

[Marie]

I confess that I have not read Nietzsche, but I am glad to see these words by him, even though I don't understand them.