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Article: The Prague Astronomical Clock.(Poem)
- Article from:
- Poetry
- Article date:
- August 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Modern Poetry Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE PRAGUE ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK
Inside, it must resemble a great churning mouth,
the three co-axial wheels, all with nearly 400 cogs.
Ignore the trinkets and pawns, the puppet apostles
that march out on the hour, the tiny skeleton
striking the chimes. They all are additions,
centuries late, to pacify travelers on the Royal Way.
For six hundred years it has marshaled the stars,
the revolutions of the sun and moon, the minuscule
placement of zodiacal signs. The maker's intent,
the chronicles claim, was to "publish" the paths
of celestial bodies and meter the universe to discernible
time. According to legend, he labored for years, ...