Saw him first in
Hamburg, thought
nothing, a beggar
low as any,
skin like dust, beard
long and dreaded,
eyes small
and watery.
In Belarus I gave
him some change and
he nodded.
In León he winked
and smiled a
rotten smile.
I offered to buy
him a drink and he gladly
took me up.
I asked his name
and he said, Ahasuerus.
I asked where was
he from, and he
gave that smile,
and said, he quite
enjoys the mescal,
sipping on the local
rotgut.
I asked as to why
he was traveling,
and he said it was all
he could do, seems
the things you’ve done,
well, they can’t be
undone, consequences
being what they are.
I asked as to when he
would settle, and
he replied, when the
Kingdom comes.
In Liverpool, I watched
as he cheered the
Reds, and hoped
he wouldn’t have to
wait much longer.
Chris Deal writes from Huntersville, North Carolina.
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10 Responses to “AHASUERUS • by Chris Deal”
Comments
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June 14th, 2009 at 3:43 am
According to the Ahasuerus story most known to our part of the world, the ancient Persian king Ahasuerus was done a great favor by Mordecai, a Jew, who saved the kings life by reporting a life threat against Ahasuerus to his cousin Esther who was a favorite of Ahasuerus’ harem. Esther reported it to the king and saved him. Soon after, Ahasuerus appointed a subking, Haman, giving him full king’s power under himself. Haman decided to eliminate part of the population, probably as a form of birth control when things became too crowded, as the early Egyptians had done. Jews were not Persian and refused to bow before a Persian king so he decided on eliminating Jews. Haman made the ruling and set the date for execution. Esther reminded the king of the favor done for Ahasuerus by her cousin/father Mordecai. The king had Haman put to death, but there was a Persian law that a king’s edict (and Haman was a subking) could in no way be overturned. However, Ahasuerus gave a new ruling that Jews had the right to bear arms to defend themselves and the Jews were able to destroy the attackers and the attackers’ families.
The major blame against Ahasuerus was that he couldn’t keep track of what was going on in his kingdom, and that neither the king nor his country could overturn a ruling by the king, seen as a mistake or not.
There have been other Persian kings named Ahasuerus. What brings the one in this poem to foreign beggarhood? What is the background for this particular event of an Ahasuerus in diaspora?
June 14th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Interesting and well written poem. Cheers.
June 14th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Fascinating. I like the form of this. I enjoyed the images and the thoughts you provoked.
June 14th, 2009 at 11:33 am
4. Does anyone know why this latter day Ahasuerus is presented as a beggar foreign to his country? Is he undergoing some sort of punishment? I can’t find it in the poem.
June 14th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I enjoyed this poem, wanted to understand it even more when I read Roberta’s comment. My husband is Persian (Iran) and we live only a few miles from Liverpool.
From wikipedia -
The name Ahasuerus is equivalent to Xerxes, both deriving from the Persian Khashayarsha. The form Xerxes has not traditionally appeared in English bibles
The Wandering Jew is a figure from medieval Christian folklore whose legend began to spread in Europe in the thirteenth century and became a fixture of Christian mythology, and, later, of Romanticism. The original legend concerns a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion and was then cursed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. The exact nature of the wanderer’s indiscretion varies in different versions of the tale, as do aspects of his character; sometimes he is said to be a shoemaker or other tradesman, sometimes he is the doorman at Pontius Pilate’s estate.
I wonder about the association with Liverpool in the poem. Did you come to Liverpool Chris? Many football teams have stories of second comings, and there is also the Liverpudlean writer Tom Slemen who tells the story of Count St Germain, said to be over a thousand years old, never aged, and was doomed to wander the earth ’til the second coming. Nice to think of a Liverpool supporter in North Carolina, there are certainly plenty of them in Iran. Mmmm
June 14th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Having recently met someone very much like Ahasuerus, I enjoyed this poem’s vivid imagery a lot.
June 14th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I loved the first stanza, quite blew me away. The second stanza was fine too. But after that the poem began to peter out. Sorry.
June 15th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Why would a “wandering Jew” be named Ahasuerus?
June 15th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I liked this very much – regardless of the question of the use of the name. For me, the figure represents the universal beggar, to be found in all cities of the world. I read the last line as a hope for mercy – that beggars may someday be released from this state of being.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Robin, thank you, the last line as a hope for mercy – that beggars may someday be released from this state of being – does it for me.
and Roberta, Why would a “wandering Jew” be named Ahasuerus? I don’t know, it’s from a legend. I just read it in Wikipedia.
This poem has been an interesting read.