The Anathemata
Keel, Ram, Stauros (continued)
Did he walk the water-lanes of the city from east of Bridge Within, by Dowgate and Vintry to Farringdon Without.
Walking the nine river-fronting divisions of the city3
of cities all, per se
and flower of towns4
did he hear them say
when will you pay me?
(or had they not yet grown rich?)
when might that be?
when might that be??
I do not know!
I do not know!!
I do not know what time is at
or whether before or after
was it when
but when is when?
All that we do know is
that from before long ago he
sailed our Mori Marusam.a
David Jones notes
3 Nine of the twenty-six wards of London have river-frontage.
4 Cf. Dunbar.
‘London thou art of townes A per se
. . . art flour of Cities all.’
additional notes
a Mori Marusam: see DJ note 1 to next page.
comments
‘but when is when?’ seems to sum up the feeling of fluid asynchronicity that pervades the whole of The Anathemata. Often we don’t know either, so we can make it whenever we want (or the poet wants — which may be different, of course).