ekleksographia

and by swiftness or word play says
the only actual truism in thirty years,
slipped      into the air of the room
—room eleven-oh-five, foley square, new york,
new york—before it is forbidden or he
is forbidden. Obviously,
it is all a mistake; others
found ways      to talk their tongues
around the question or just lie
supine      when prodded, provoked
Lionel lays into it: I know
a group of fanatics      desperately
trying to undermine the Constitution of the United States
depriving      artists and others
of life
without due process      of the law. I can tell
names, and cite instances, and if
you are interested      also
a group of ex-Bundists and anti-Semites, people
who hate everybody, including
Negroes, minorities, and most likely
themselves. And they try
to stop him then as he
continues to slip phrase      by phrase
between their threats: these people
[the chairman interrupts]
are engaged in a conspiracy
[reminds the witness of his place]
to undermine      [and continues
his threat]      our very fundamental
American concepts—      [the other six congressman,
seven staff members and three investigators sit
wild-eyed, unaware of how to stop
such talk] Well,
if you’re interested [congressman
clardy tries to stop it] I am willing
to tell you about these activities [congressman doyle
tries to stop it] which I think
are subversive      [and again the chairman: no witness
can come before this committee
and insult the committee]      Is this
an insult to the committee?
[the chairman threatens removal]
I am deeply shocked by your cutting me
off. You don’t seem to be interested      in the sort
of subversive activities I know about. Someone
might have said to him: Lionel dear      sarcasm
will get you nowhere. But
barred from work as “a
red sonofabitch” with ten years
yet to go, why not be the first
to say: there was an inference
of the Chairman      which deeply
irritated me.

 

GRENE’S OEDIPUS:

of blood by blood, since it is murder guilt which holds our city in this destroying storm

 

BUSH:

today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very

freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts

the victims were in airplanes or in their offices--

 

GRENE’S OEDIPUS:

you may see them one with another, like birds

swift on the wing, quicker than fire unmastered, speeding

away to the coast of the Western God.

 

FAGLES’ OEDIPUS:

like seabirds winging west, outracing the day’s fire

 

BUSH:

thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable

acts of terror; the pictures      of airplanes flying

into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us

with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger

 

GRENE’S OEDIPUS:

in the unnumbered deaths of its people the city dies

 

BUSH:

these acts      of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos . . . . America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world

and no one will keep that light from shining

 

GOULD’S OEDIPUS:

and with their deaths unnumbered dies the city

 

BUSH:

today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature

 

GRENE’S OEDIPUS:

and justly you will see in me an ally, a

champion of my country and the God

 

BUSH:

immediately following the first attack, I implemented our emergency

response plans; our military is powerful, and it's prepared; our

first priority is to get help . . . and to take every precaution

 

GOULD’S OEDIPUS:

a towered city or a ship is nothing     if desolate

and no man lives within

 

FAGLES’ OEDIPUS:

if anyone knows the murderer is a stranger, a man

from alien soil, come, speak up

 

BUSH:

the search is underway     for those who are behind these evil acts; I've directed

the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement

communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice

 

GRENE’S OEDIPUS:

but if you shall keep silence, if perhaps some one of you, to shield

a guilty friend, or     for his own sake

shall reject my words--hear what I shall do then:

 

BUSH:

we will make no distinction      between

the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them

 

GRENE’S OEDIPUS:

I command all to drive him from their homes, since he is our pollution

 

GOULD’S OEDIPUS:

and this curse, too, against the one who did it, whether alone

in secrecy, or with others: may he bear out his life

unblest and evil! I pray this, too

 

BUSH:

tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children

whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense

of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray

 

GOULD’S OEDIPUS:

this prayer against all those who disobey . . . oh, let them die victims

of this plague, or of something worse. . . . we the obedient,

may Justice, our ally, and all the gods, be always on our side!

 

BUSH:

unite in our resolve for justice and peace; America has stood

down enemies before, and we will do so this time. . . . We go forward to defend

freedom and all that is good and just in our world; thank you,

good night and God bless America