Tiger Work, page 13
On the side of a hill
Some mysterious power behind it all
What do we know
Of the wonder of the dragonfly
Or the intelligence of the dog?
The earth responds
With invisible nerves
To everything we do.
A sweet energy runs
Through the sap of a tree
And shows itself off in the rose,
Hibiscus and the daffodils.
Long before we stood on two legs
Earth had a replete destiny.
She helped us to stand straight
And her food nourished our
Tentative myths.
She already contained the secret
Of fire folded in stones.
Future ships and rockets
And space stations
And computers
And phones were already
Implied in the gleam of light
Which rainfall reveals on high rocks.
She had all our future before
Whatever chance or miracle brought us
Out of the womb of sea or land.
The first music was hers.
She made rock paintings long
Before rocks were painted.
The future is not really ours but hers
And like trees we will listen to the wind.
Roots run deep in the busy earth
And they speak a subterranean language.
I can show you magic in a handful of soil.
Mushrooms have their mute lexicons
Great rivers like the Amazon
Are the serpent power of the world
And oceans have their encyclopaedias.
A small fox in the undergrowth
Made me jump at its big presence
In our narrowing world.
Some unseen radiance behind it all.
ANTHEM
Can’t you hear the
Future weeping?
Our love must save
The world
Can’t you hear us
Future fighting
We are the hope
Of the world
We will rise
And we will dream
We heal her
And keep her strong
How can we turn
Our times around
We must fight for
This world that we love
But can you hear
The future weeping?
Our love must
Save the world.
About the Author
Ben Okri was born in Minna, Nigeria. His childhood was divided between Nigeria, where he saw first-hand the consequences of war, and London. He has won many prizes over the years, including the Booker Prize for Fiction, and is also an acclaimed essayist, playwright and poet. In 2019 Astonishing the Gods was named as one of the BBC’s ‘100 Novels That Shaped Our World’.
An Invitation from the Publisher
We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at www.headofzeus.com and become part of our community of book-lovers.
We will keep you up to date with our latest books, author blogs, special previews, tempting offers, chances to win signed editions and much more.
Get in touch: hello@headofzeus.com
www.headofzeus.com
@headofzeus
@HoZ_Books
@HeadOfZeus
Ben Okri, Tiger Work
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Some mysterious power behind it all
What do we know
Of the wonder of the dragonfly
Or the intelligence of the dog?
The earth responds
With invisible nerves
To everything we do.
A sweet energy runs
Through the sap of a tree
And shows itself off in the rose,
Hibiscus and the daffodils.
Long before we stood on two legs
Earth had a replete destiny.
She helped us to stand straight
And her food nourished our
Tentative myths.
She already contained the secret
Of fire folded in stones.
Future ships and rockets
And space stations
And computers
And phones were already
Implied in the gleam of light
Which rainfall reveals on high rocks.
She had all our future before
Whatever chance or miracle brought us
Out of the womb of sea or land.
The first music was hers.
She made rock paintings long
Before rocks were painted.
The future is not really ours but hers
And like trees we will listen to the wind.
Roots run deep in the busy earth
And they speak a subterranean language.
I can show you magic in a handful of soil.
Mushrooms have their mute lexicons
Great rivers like the Amazon
Are the serpent power of the world
And oceans have their encyclopaedias.
A small fox in the undergrowth
Made me jump at its big presence
In our narrowing world.
Some unseen radiance behind it all.
ANTHEM
Can’t you hear the
Future weeping?
Our love must save
The world
Can’t you hear us
Future fighting
We are the hope
Of the world
We will rise
And we will dream
We heal her
And keep her strong
How can we turn
Our times around
We must fight for
This world that we love
But can you hear
The future weeping?
Our love must
Save the world.
About the Author
Ben Okri was born in Minna, Nigeria. His childhood was divided between Nigeria, where he saw first-hand the consequences of war, and London. He has won many prizes over the years, including the Booker Prize for Fiction, and is also an acclaimed essayist, playwright and poet. In 2019 Astonishing the Gods was named as one of the BBC’s ‘100 Novels That Shaped Our World’.
An Invitation from the Publisher
We hope you enjoyed this book. We are an independent publisher dedicated to discovering brilliant books, new authors and great storytelling. Please join us at www.headofzeus.com and become part of our community of book-lovers.
We will keep you up to date with our latest books, author blogs, special previews, tempting offers, chances to win signed editions and much more.
Get in touch: hello@headofzeus.com
www.headofzeus.com
@headofzeus
@HoZ_Books
@HeadOfZeus
Ben Okri, Tiger Work
