48. The Chant. From The Beginning Of Time. Poem by Eugene Issaus

In this castle I listen to the echo of the winds
winds that had blown away time
winds that had blown away
miserable time and hope

I am alone now.
The winds do not step into the castle
The echoes of winds
fill the castle with emptiness.
Slowly, the cold stones awake.
They began to sing a chant from the
beginning of time—

‘God commenced “Let there be light”—
and light appeared.’
‘God was pleased with what he saw. Then he
separated the light from the darkness, and he
named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night”.’
‘Evening passed and morning came—that was
the first day.’

Then which day is today?
How many evenings passed before the mornings came?
Yet how many will still come after the mornings?

For a hundred-thousand times, had the stones
witnessed sunrises and sunsets
Sun warms them up and night cools them down.
Rain makes them wet and wind blows them dry.
Yet they had never counted the days.