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Baal's hymn
(
Bertold Brecht - Dominic Muldowney )
Whilst his mother's womb contained the growing Baal,
Even then the sky was waiting quiet and pale,
Naked, young, immensely marvellous-
Like Baal loved it, when he came to us.
That same sky remained with him in joy and care,
Even when Baal slept peaceful and unaware.
At night a lilac sky, a drunken Baal,
Turning pious as the sky grows pale.
So through hospital, cathedral, whiskey bar,
Baal kept moving onwards and just let things go.
When Baal's tired, boys, Baal cannot fall far,
He will have his sky down there below.
When the sinners congregate in shame together,
Baal lay naked, revelling in their distress.
Only sky, a sky that will go on forever,
Formed a blanket for his nakedness.
And that lusty girl, the world, who'll laughing yield,
To the men who'll stand the pressure of her thighs-
Sometimes gave him love-bites, such as can't be healed.
Baal survived it, he just used his eyes.
And when Baal saw lots of corpses scattered round,
He felt twice the thrill, despite the lack of room.
"Space enough", said Baal, "they're not thick on the ground,
Space enough within this woman's womb"
Any vice for Baal has got its useful side-
It's the man who practices it, he can't abide.
Vices have their point, once you see it as such,
Stick to two for one will be too much.
Slackness, softness are the sort of things to shun,
Nothing could be harder than the quest for fun.
Lots of strength is needed and experience too-
Swollen bellies can embarrass you.
Under gloomy stars and this poor veil of tears,
Baal will graze a pasture till it disappears.
Once it's been digested to the forest deep,
Baal trod singing for a well earned sleep.
Baal can spot the vultures in the stormy sky,
As they wait up there to see if Baal will die.
Sometimes Baal pretends he's dead, the vultures swoop-
Baal in silence dines on vulture-soup.
When the dark womb drags him down into its prize-
What's the world to mean to Baal?* He's overfed!
So much sky is lurking still behind his eyes,
He'll just have enough sky when he's dead!
Once the Earth's dark womb engulfed the rotting Baal,
Even then the sky was up there, quiet and pale.
Naked, young, immensely marvellous.
Like Baal loved it when he lived with us
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