The Cantos Project - LII

LII

And I have told you of how things were under Duke
Leopold in Siena
And of the true base of credit, that is
the abundance of nature
with the whole folk behind it.
‘Goods that are needed’ said Schacht (anno sedici)
commerciabili beni, deliverable things that are wanted.
neschek is against this, the serpent
And Vivante was there in his paradise, the mild air
the fields rolling eastward, and the tower half ruin’d
with a peasant complaining that her son was taken for war
and he said ‘plutocracies were less violent’.
Stinkschuld’s sin drawing vengeance, poor yitts paying for
Stinkschuld
paying for a few big jews’ vendetta on goyim
I think wrote Miss Bell to her mama
that when not against the interests of Empire
we shd/ keep our pledges to Arabs.
Thus we lived on through sanctions, through Stalin
Litvinof, gold brokers made profit
rocked the exchange against gold
Before which entrefaites remarked Johnnie Adams (the elder)
IGNORANCE, sheer ignorance ov the natr ov money
sheer ignorance of credit and circulation.
Remarked Ben: better keep out the jews
or yr/ grand children will curse you
jews, real jews, chazims, and neschek
also super-neschek or the international racket
specialité of the Stinkschuld
bomb-proof under their house in Paris
where they cd/ store aht voiks
fat slug with three body-guards
soiling our sea front with a pot bellied yacht in the offing,
governments full of their gun-swine, bankbuzzards, poppinjays.
Did commit, that he did in the Kingdom of Italy ...
of the two usuries, the lesser is now put down.
(“Pericles,” near the beginning.)
that he did in the Kingdom of Britain etc/
Between KUNG and ELEUSIS
Or under the Golden Roof, la Dorata
her baldacchino
Riccio on his horse rides still to Montepulciano
the groggy church is gone toothless
No longer holds against neschek
the fat has covered their croziers
The high fans and the mitre mean nothing
Once only in Burgos, once in Cortona
was the song firm and well given
old buffers keeping the stiffness,
Gregory damned, always was damned, obscurantist.
Know then:
Toward summer when the sun is in Hyades
Sovran is Lord of the Fire
to this month are birds.
with bitter smell and with the odour of burning
To the hearth god, lungs of the victim
The green frog lifts up his voice
and the white latex is in flower
In red car with jewels incarnadine
to welcome the summer
In this month no destruction
no tree shall be cut at this time
Wild beasts are driven from field
in this month are simples gathered.
The empress offers cocoons to the Son of Heaven
Then goes the sun into Gemini
Virgo in mid heaven at sunset
indigo must not be cut
No wood burnt into charcoal
gates are all open, no tax on the booths.
Now mares go to grazing,
tie up the stallions
Post up the horsebreeding notices
Month of the longest days
Life and death are now equal
Strife is between light and darkness
Wise man stays in his house
Stag droppeth antlers
Grasshopper is loud,
leave no fire open to southward.
Now the sun enters Hydra, this is the third moon of summer
Antares of Scorpio stands mid heaven at sunset
Andromeda is with sunrise
Lord of the fire is dominant
To this month is SEVEN,
with bitter smell, with odour of burning
Offer to gods of the hearth
the lungs of the victims
Warm wind is rising, cricket bideth in wall
Young goshawk is learning his labour
dead grass breedeth glow-worms.
In Ming T’ang HE bideth
in the west wing of that house
Red car and the sorrel horses
his banner incarnadine.
The fish ward now goes against crocodiles
To take all great lizards, turtles, for divination,
sea terrapin.
The lake warden to gather rushes
to take grain for the manes
to take grain for the beasts you will sacrifice
to the Lords of the Mountains
To the Lords of great rivers
Inspector of dye-works, inspector of colour and broideries
see that the white, black, green be in order
let no false colour exist here
black, yellow, green be of quality
This month are trees in full sap
Rain has now drenched all the earth
dead weeds enrich it, as if boil’d in a bouillon.
Sweet savour, the heart of the victim
yellow flag over Emperor’s chariot
yellow stones in his girdle.
Sagittarius in mid-course at sunset
cold wind is beginning. Dew whitens.
Now is cicada’s time,
the sparrow hawk offers birds to the spirits.
Emperor goes out in war car, he is drawn by white horses,
white banner, white stones in his girdle
eats dog and the dish is deep.
This month is the reign of Autumn
Heaven is active in metals, now gather millet
and finish the flood-walls
Orion at sunrise.
Horses now with black manes.
Eat dog meat. This is the month of ramparts.
Beans are the tribute, September is end of thunder
The hibernants go into their caves.
Tolls lowered, now sparrows, they say, turn into oysters
The wolf now offers his sacrifice.
Men hunt with five weapons,
They cut wood for charcoal.
New rice with your dog meat.
First month of winter is now
sun is in Scorpio’s tail
at sunrise in Hydra, ice starting
The pheasant plunges into Houai (great water)
and turns to an oyster
Rainbow is hidden awhile.
Heaven’s Son feeds on roast pork and millet,
Steel gray are stallion.
This month winter ruleth.
The sun is in archer’s shoulder
in crow’s head at sunrise
Ice thickens. Earth cracks. And the tigers now move to mating.
Cut trees at solstice, and arrow shafts of bamboo.
Third month, wild geese go north,
magpie starts building,
Pheasant lifteth his voice to the Spirit of Mountains
The fishing season is open,
rivers and lakes frozen deep
Put now ice in your ice-house,
the great concert of winds
Call things by the names. Good sovereign by distribution
Evil king is known by his imposts.
Begin where you are said Lord Palmerston
began draining swamps in Sligo
Fought smoke nuisance in London. Dredged harbour in Sligo.

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