Spelt from Sibyl’s Leaves Milton Babbitt

EARNEST, earthless, equal, attuneable, ’ vaulty, voluminous, … stupendous Evening strains to be tíme’s vást, ’ womb-of-all, home-of-all, hearse-of-all night. Her fond yellow hornlight wound to the west, ’ her wild hollow hoarlight hung to the height Waste; her earliest stars, earl-stars, ’ stárs principal, overbend us, Fíre-féaturing heaven. For earth ’ her being has unbound, her dapple is at an end, as- 5 tray or aswarm, all throughther, in throngs; ’ self ín self steedèd and páshed—qúite Disremembering, dísmémbering ’ áll now. Heart, you round me right With: Óur évening is over us; óur night ’ whélms, whélms, ánd will end us. Only the beak-leaved boughs dragonish ’ damask the tool-smooth bleak light; black, Ever so black on it. Óur tale, O óur oracle! ’ Lét life, wáned, ah lét life wind Off hér once skéined stained véined variety ’ upon, áll on twó spools; párt, pen, páck Now her áll in twó flocks, twó folds—black, white; ’ right, wrong; reckon but, reck but, mind But thése two; wáre of a wórld where bút these ’ twó tell, each off the óther; of a rack Where, selfwrung, selfstrung, sheathe- and shelterless, ’ thóughts agaínst thoughts ín groans grínd.