Wall, Cave, and Pillar Statements, after Asôka -- Alan Dugan (2001)

In order to perfect all readers

the statements should be carved

on rock walls, on cave walls,

and on the side of pillars so

the charm of their instruction can

affect the mountain climbers near

the cliffs, the plainsmen near

the pillars, and the city people near

the caves they go to on vacations.

 

The statements should, and in a fair

script, spell out the right text and gloss

of the Philosopher’s jocular remark. Text:

“Honesty is the best policy.” Gloss:

“He means not ‘best’ but ‘policy,’

(this is the joke of it) whereas in fact

          Honesty is Honesty, Best

          is Best, and Policy is Policy,

          the three terms being not

          related, but here loosely allied.

What is more important is that ‘is’

is, but the rocklike truth of the text

resides in the ‘the’. The ‘the’ is The.

          By this means the amusing sage

          has raised or caused to be raised

          the triple standard in stone:

the single is too simple for life,

the double is mere degrading hypocrisy,

but the third combines the first two

in a possible way, and contributes

something unsayable of its own:

this is the pit, nut, seed, or stone

of the fruit when the fruit has been

digested:

          It is good to do good for the wrong

          reason, better to do good for the good

          reason, and best of all to do good

          good: i.e. when the doer and doee

          and whatever passes between them

          are beyond all words like ‘grace’

          or ‘anagogic insight,’ or definitions like

          ‘particular instance of a hoped-at-law,’

and which the rocks alone can convey.

This is the real reason for the rock walls,

the cave walls and pillars, and not the base

desires for permanence and display

that the teacher’s conceit suggests.”

 

          That is the end of the statements, but,

          in order to go on a way after the end

          so as to make up for having begun

          after the beginning, and thus to come around

          to it in order to include the whole thing,

add: “In some places the poignant slogan,

‘Morality is a bad joke like everything else,’

may be written or not, granted that space

exists for the vulgar remarks, the dates,

initials and hearts of lovers, and all

other graffiti of the prisoners of this world.”