Its roof: dust and minarets reaching the clouds Its earth: motley Its water tinged with iron rust Its river charged to run between a wall And a wall Its suns idiotic Craving murder Out playing with children . . . Its flesh is subjected to thieves and strangers Its gate is at the sea And its limit at the end of speech. Once The raven was its god Once It colored itself for the Calf Confided in stones And danced with a frog And once