canto 87. the mandrake of heaven

end of the battle of lions lordly; the mandrake of heaven; spoils

the dogs did it, and accomplished,
scattered, at last, the lions lordly — 
the threat, over (for administration),
the gods returned, to champion the champion — 
it’s a system that’s been expounded,
since gods were made (however sprouted) — 
gods have the choice to chose the fate,
once that fate has already shaped — 
this allows for their omniscience 
(even if it’s just contrivance) — 
lets them win each pot and wager,
irrespective of their behavior — 
a system, known, from convention,
as the great mandrake of heaven
(itself, a typographical error,
over-inked, pressed together — 
but, cause some will *not* mistaken,
hardened into universal saying)

this treaty, long and boring,
won’t begin, with details, pouring — 
the upshot: jericho, awarded,
passage, park, and portage,
though invisible, unconditional — 
one or two bodyguards, also

and, treasures, great and small — 
what the hell, here revealed:
an aten (which had been outdated),
a scarab, of gold or metal,
a sky, a cow, a wheeze, a willing,
plates, of oriental inscription,
a wooly, rack, a beam, a plenty,
some craic, some gall, some ordinary,
some right, some wrong, and some stills,
some simple organizational skills,
a chunk of cheese, some modulated,
bits and pieces, corrugated,
an occipital, mores and lesses,
some weakened, wise, some elegiac,
some muscle, some mr., and some muse, 
some lost, less more, more brilliance, 
a legion of, a candle, a bishop,
and the helmet of great beacon

this helmet, it was said to tell,
of things profuse, peculiar,
things that hadn’t happened yet,
or things that would if they were let — 
but, unable to extract its structure,
they threw onto the pile of plunder