See Of Eli Poem by gershon hepner

The young lad Samuel was serving
Eli in the sanctuary;
Eli was quite undeserving,
not a lot the priest could see.
Eyes were dim, extremely blind,
his spirit very clearly lacking.
Although to Samuel he was kind,
and gave to him his major backing.
before the lad was ever born
he had already realized
that Samuel would become a thorn,
which from his flesh could not be prized.

God’s word in those days was rare;
in the land there was no vision.
people didn’t seem to care.
Though there was no television
they had other ways to waste
their time, ignoring the mysterious
dimension, for which they’d no taste.
“Faith in God is deleterious
to the spirit, ” they declared.
People think the same today,
viewpoint commonly declared
in Europe more than USA,
where religion’s still in vogue.
Politicians have to go
to the church and synagogue
catching voters, blow by blow
if they wish to be elected
by a population that believes
it by God has been selected,
and His messages receives.
Atheists have little chance
in elections in the States,
unlike Europe, e.g. France,
where religion’s on the skates.

Eli one day lay in bed,
after midday snack siesta.
Samuel, though, went straight ahead
with his routine, and didn’t pester
Eli, priest whose eyes were weak,
Not by God facilitated.
God was playing hide-and-seek
with the young man no one hated.
Very popular he was
since he had been dedicated
to the Shiloh shrine. His loss
saddened parents, but elated
spirits of the men he met,
happy child who loved to play,
adopted as a mascot pet
by the men who came to pray.
Man women also came
to the tabernacle; they
did not fear he might cause them shame,
and treat them as his sexual prey.
The young lad never would molest them,
unlike the two sons of his boss;
every time that he addressed them
he the Torah’s laws would gloss,
and whoever wished to learn,
found in him a brilliant teacher,
so that very few would turn
to disbelief of God, like Nietzsche.

He heard a voice whose awesome timbre
disturbed him, and he said: “I’m here! ”
God’s Ark was kept inside the chamber
but it did not make him fear.
He ran to Eli who declared:
“It was not I who has just called.”
Once more it happened, he was scared,
and again to Eli crawled.
The voice called one time more, a third.
and to Eli he returned:
this time Eli knew he’d heard
God’s voice. When the Bush had burned
Moses also heard this voice.
Samuel didn’t know, but turned
straight to God, he had no choice
once he heard from Eli that
it was the Lord who’d made him jump,
preview of Jehoshaphat,
without injury or bump.

“Samuel, Samuel, ” God intoned,
Samuel said: “Your servant hears.”
God said: “Know, you once were loaned
to your mother for three years.
Now my servant must replace
Eli, who has sinned most badly.”
Samuel could not bear to face
Eli, who had watched him sadly,
knowing that his time was up
since his sons were a disgrace.
“Tell me, Samuel, ” Eli said,
all the things you’ve been instructed.”
He would be a figurehead,
till his whole house was destructed,
when he drained the bitter cup,
far more serious loss of face,
learning that both sons died
and the Ark by Philistines
captured. He fell on its side,
dead, a victim in the shrine.
Widow of his son gave birth,
Eli’s grandson, Ichabod.
In the house there was no mirth,
and no glory, lacking God,
until Samuel’s oil anointment
helping David have his turn.
Great was Eli’s disappointment
that he never seemed to earn
that respect which he considered
he most rightfully deserved,
feeling had he been a bigot
his see might have been preserved.

Eli was a stepping-block
for young Samuel’s great success.
He died, the cause of death the shock
of capture of the Ark, and stress
caused by the youth whose star would rise
once his had set by God’s decree,
when failure of his old blind eyes
brought his successor to his see.


(3/15/04,5/7/07)