Hymn




This morning
there is in the air the incredible fragrance
of the roses of Paradise.
On the border of the Euphrates
Adam discovers the freshness of water.
A rain of gold falls from the sky;
It is the love of Zeus.
A fish jumps from the sea
and a man from Agrigento will remember
having been that fish.
In the cavern whose name will be Altamira
a faceless hand traces the curve
of a bison’s back.
The slow hand of Virgil caresses
the silk that they bring
from the kingdom of the Yellow Emperor
in ships and caravans.
The first nightingale sings in Hungary.
Jesus sees the profile of Cesar on a coin.
Pythagoras reveals to his Greeks
that the form of time is that of a circle.
In an Oceanic island
silver greyhounds pursue the golden deer.
On an anvil they forge the sword
that will be faithful to Sigurd.
Whitman sings in Manhattan.
Homer is born in seven cities.
A maiden ceases hunting
the white unicorn.
The past returns like a wave
and those ancient things recur
because a woman has kissed you.


Jorge Luis Borges