The Genius of Earth

First risen; rise as tall as the sky
Shadow the heavens in the midst of the earth
Call but an echo back to those who cry
Be silence; be stone, hidden in birth.

The immortal hills; they shall forget us
When at last we are gone from this place
With them there can be no sacred trust
Titans of a time before any face;

Sleep, for what dreamless sleep brings
The earth sleeps, its heart is not cold
Thoughtless trees drinking, making rings
And what greatness from sleep unfolds;

There is nothing to be said in reply--
Inherit the land; the meek are the land--
Can you then make the stones themselves cry
Can you provoke them with unpraised hand?

But the earth forgets itself, forgetting as well
Remembers no wrong; remembers no right--
Hear your voice in the hills, a good spell
For we forget what has gone out of sight

- Ephrem Antony Gray

Be sure to visit Ephrem's site Symposium of Fire

Editors Note: Republished with permission. This is part of  a series on Genius by Ephrem. You can find others, here, here and here.