9384. I WOULD SUPPOSE (Castor and Pollux, at Princeton)

9384. I WOULD SUPPOSE (Castor and Pollux at Princeton):

Castor and Pollux themselves could have none better - the lines all led to the monumental and 'every set of twins is a son to the Gods' as was said in Greek mythology Xerxes Zeus and all the rest - Castor and Pollux the great Gemini twins sharing the constellated stars in Heaven split their time between Heaven and Hades (making great use of dualogy there putting their twin-ness to great use and having as it were the BEST of both worlds - but when one was killed the other so wanted to share Death too and monumental duality comes right there to a crashing end) 'share my death and share my immortality too' and just like that somewhere deep in the bowels of the Firestone Library I found myself looking at two-thousand year old Roman coins stretched out before me in rows and Greek coins and great coins of Byzantium as the docent handed out magnifying glasses and we walked along the rows : particular to images of the formulated past like this was I : small heads and the dolphins and rams of mythology and I realized reduced today to the enormous fizzle of sport and enthusiasm how different was it ? ancient forums with chariot races and bloodied charges and that loud echo down time's warped alley : the mobs of the same still bleating and Castor was a boxer while Pollux was a horseman and I WOULD SUPPOSE back then everyone was assumed to know that stuff : but then have we ever really died and aren't we all - as is said too often - twinned brothers in time's cruel race with awesome Gods watching down from above to see what we do and how and with Time's arrow always in flight : I left all that behind me sun shining at the Japanese Peace Bell right where I stood - fronds and grasses flowers and bloom - the ancient old men of this age's glory seemed doddering and bent as they slowed their ways across the field colored in pastels and squinting in sunlight as dogs ran and the apple-cart turned over music blared (the trumpet man the trombone guy the kid with the massive oboe) and wearing derbies and tophats galore the girls of Oswego or Bainbridge and Maine walked loosely the sidewalks of such awkward acclaim : I was trapped I KNEW in some very old past but couldn't escape from it and wasn't sure anyway if I wanted to.