Time & Again

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Time

& again


Everything that occurs in the world— creation, growth, decay—depends on the passage of time. It can’t be stopped. It is rarely embraced.

I d o n o t k n o w m u c h a b o u t g o d s ; b u t I t h i n k t h at t h e r i v e r I s a s t r o n g b r o w n g o d — s u l l e n , u n ta m e d a n d i n t r a c ta b l e , P at i e n t t o s o m e


d e g r e e , at f i r s t r e c o g n i s e d a s a f r o n t i e r ; U s e f u l , u n t r u s t w o r t h y, a s a c o n v e y o r o f c o m m e r c e ; T h e n o n ly a p r o b l e m c o n f r o n t i n g t h e


b u i l d e r o f b r i d g e s . T h e p r o b l e m o n c e s o lv e d , t h e b r o w n g o d i s a l m o s t f o r g o tt e n B y t h e d w e l l e r s i n c i t i e s — e v e r , h o w e v e r , i m p l a c a b l e .


Time

&

ag a i n

K e e p i n g h i s s e a s o n s a n d r a g e s , d e s t r o y e r , r e m i n d e r O f w h at m e n c h o o s e t o f o r g e t. U n h o n o u r e d , u n p r o p i t i at e d B y w o r s h i p p e r s o f t h e


vanity

m a c h i n e , b u t w a i t i n g , w at c h i n g a n d w a i t i n g . H i s r h y t h m w a s p r e s e n t i n t h e n u r s e r y b e d r o o m , I n t h e r a n k a i l a n t h u s o f t h e A p r i l


d o o r ya r d , I n t h e s m e l l o f g r a p e s o n t h e a u t u m n ta b l e , A n d t h e e v e n i n g c i r c l e i n t h e w i n t e r g a s l i g h t. T h e r i v e r i s w i t h i n u s , t h e s e a i s

of vanities


all about us; The se a is the l and’s edge al so, the granite Into which it re aches, the be aches where it tos ses Its hints of e arlier and


all is

vanity.

o t h e r c r e at i o n : T h e s ta r f i s h , t h e h o r s e s h o e c r a b , t h e w h a l e ’ s b a c k b o n e ; T h e p o o l s w h e r e i t o f f e r s t o o u r c u r i o s i t y T h e m o r e d e l i c at e


Nothing lasts forever. Everything has its life span. In this fact we can find either dread or beauty. a l g a e a n d t h e s e a a n e m o n e . I t t o s s e s u p o u r l o s s e s , t h e t o r n s e i n e , T h e s h at t e r e d l o b s t e r p o t, t h e b r o k e n o a r A n d t h e g e a r o f f o r e i g n

Franz Kafka said: the meaning of life is that it ends. From one point of view this is desperately grim. Time reminds us of mortality, especially when pessimistic writers get ahold of it. But time allows growth as well as decline. As the world becomes older, it becomes something new.


d e a d m e n . T h e s e a h a s m a n y v o i c e s , M a n y g o d s a n d m a n y v o i c e s . T h e s a lt i s o n t h e b r i a r r o s e , T h e f o g i s i n t h e f i r t r e e s . T h e s e a h o w l


A n d t h e s e a y e l p, a r e d i f f e r e n t v o i c e s O f t e n t o g e t h e r h e a r d : t h e w h i n e i n t h e r i g g i n g , T h e m e n a c e a n d c a r e s s o f w a v e t h at b r e a k s o n

What has been is

what will


w at e r , T h e d i s ta n t r o t e i n t h e g r a n i t e t e e t h , A n d t h e w a i l i n g w a r n i n g f r o m t h e a p p r o a c h i n g h e a d l a n d A r e a l l s e a v o i c e s , a n d t h e

be: under the sun.

there is nothing new


h e av in g g roa n e r Ro u n de d h o m e ward s , a n d t h e s e ag u ll : A n d u n d e r t h e o ppre s s i o n o f t h e s ile n t fo g T h e to llin g b e ll Me a s u re s t im e n ot


A ruin is time’s dwelling place. It is the past and the future. A physical paradox, it is something that no longer is. Yet it is independent from the thing it used to be. With time, a ruin becomes complete in itself. The remains of what used to be there are a reminder of the past, but they are also a place, here, now.

our time, rung by the unhurried Ground swell , a time Older than the time of chronometers, older Than time counted by anxious worried


People come to discover the empty foundations, like they used to come for the attractions that were built there. Like a strange shell washed up on the beach, it continues to fade, to crumble away, but this too is part of its life.

It takes time for the former place to become a new place. As it ages, it makes a transformation. It’s no longer a mere remnant of what it was, it is a thing: a ruin.

w o m e n Ly i n g a w a k e , c a l c u l at i n g t h e f u t u r e , T r y i n g t o u n w e a v e , u n w i n d , u n r a v e l A n d p i e c e t o g e t h e r t h e p a s t a n d t h e f u t u r e , B e t w e e n


m i d n i g h t a n d d a w n , w h e n t h e p a s t i s a l l d e c e p t i o n , T h e f u t u r e f u t u r e l e s s , b e f o r e t h e m o r n i n g w at c h W h e n t i m e s t o p s a n d t i m e i s n e v e r


no mem

There is

e n d i n g ; A n d t h e g r o u n d s w e l l , t h at i s a n d w a s f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g , C l a n g s T h e b e l l . W h e r e i s t h e r e a n e n d o f i t, t h e s o u n d l e s s w a i l i n g ,

of former things.


ory

T h e s i l e n t w i t h e r i n g o f a u t u m n f l o w e r s D r o p p i n g t h e i r p e ta l s a n d r e m a i n i n g m o t i o n l e s s ; W h e r e i s t h e r e a n d e n d t o t h e d r i f t i n g


Only time can effect this change. Time the destroyer is also time the creator. The whole world exists balanced

on this point.

w r e c k a g e , T h e p r ay e r o f t h e b o n e o n t h e b e a c h , t h e u n p r aya b l e P r ay e r at t h e c a l a m i t o u s a n n u n c i at i o n ? T h e r e i s n o e n d , b u t a d d i t i o n :


t h e t r a i l i n g C o n s e q u e n c e o f f u r t h e r d ay s a n d h o u r s , W h i l e e m o t i o n ta k e s t o i t s e l f t h e e m o t i o n l e s s Y e a r s o f l i v i n g a m o n g t h e b r e a k a g e


The sun

rises, and

O f w h at w a s b e l i e v e d i n a s t h e m o s t r e l i a b l e — A n d t h e r e f o r e t h e f i t t e s t f o r r e n u n c i at i o n . T h e r e i s t h e f i n a l a d d i t i o n , t h e f a i l i n g P r i d e

The remains of what used to be there are a witness for the past. Only if the ruins themselves are demolished will the former place truly be gone. “This is where it used to be,” you could say—but it would be a myth. Without a remnant, it’s just a story. Ruins maintain the reality of a thing that time has left behind.


the sun

sets

o r r e s e n t m e n t at f a i l i n g p o w e r s , T h e u n at ta c h e d d e v o t i o n w h i c h m i g h t p a s s f o r d e v o t i o n l e s s , I n a d r i f t i n g b o at w i t h a s l o w l e a k a g e ,

&


T h e s i l e n t l i s t e n i n g t o t h e u n d e n i a b l e C l a m o u r o f t h e b e l l o f t h e l a s t a n n u n c i at i o n . W h e r e i s t h e e n d o f t h e m , t h e f i s h e r m e n s a i l i n g

returns

to the place


I n t o t h e w i n d ’ s ta i l , w h e r e t h e f o g c o w e r s ? W e c a n n o t t h i n k o f a t i m e t h at i s o c e a n l e s s O r o f a n o c e a n n o t l i t t e r e d w i t h w a s ta g e O r o f

rises.

where it


A ruin is the ghost of a place. Like a soul disembodied, it makes us feel the presence of something that’s almost there—but not quite. What was standing here? It left a mark. These stones are its bones. The skeleton shows us the shape of its body.

Maybe it’s not the skeleton of a dead thing.

a f u t u r e t h at i s n o t l i a b l e L i k e t h e p a s t, t o h a v e n o d e s t i n at i o n . W e h a v e t o t h i n k o f t h e m a s f o r e v e r b a i l i n g , S e t t i n g a n d h a u l i n g , w h i l e


Maybe it’s only dormant.

t h e N o r t h E a s t l o w e r s O v e r s h a l l o w b a n k s u n c h a n g i n g a n d e r o s i o n l e s s O r d r a w i n g t h e i r m o n e y, d r y i n g s a i l s at d o c k a g e ; N o t a s m a k i n g


Is there anything of which it is said:

a t r i p t h at w i l l b e u n p aya b l e F o r a h a u l t h at w i l l n o t b e a r e x a m i n at i o n . T h e r e i s n o e n d o f i t, t h e v o i c e l e s s w a i l i n g , N o e n d t o t h e


See, w i t h e r i n g o f w i t h e r e d f l o w e r s , T o t h e m o v e m e n t o f p a i n t h at i s p a i n l e s s a n d m o t i o n l e s s , T o t h e d r i f t o f t h e s e a a n d t h e d r i f t i n g

this is

new?


The ruin holds the past and the future in tension, suggesting the possibility of rebirth.

A soul awaiting reincarnation.

w r e c k a g e , T h e b o n e ’ s p r ay e r t o D e at h i t s G o d . O n ly t h e h a r d ly, b a r e ly p r aya b l e P r ay e r o f t h e o n e A n n u n c i at i o n . It s e e m s , a s o n e b e c o m e s


See, o l d e r , T h at t h e p a s t h a s a n o t h e r p att e r n , a n d c e a s e s t o b e a m e r e s e q u e n c e — O r e v e n d e v e l o p m e n t: t h e l att e r a p a r t i a l f a l l a c y

this is

new



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