YESTERDAY we featured Meg Bateman's view of Glasgow's iconic Dali painting.
Today is Edwin Morgan's response to it, first published in The Herald in 2005. It was subsequently included in Beyond the Sun, a set of 10 witty and perceptive pieces by him on the most popular pictures in Scottish public collections (Luath, 2007).
SALVADOR DALI: CHRIST OF ST JOHN OF THE CROSS
It is not of this world, and yet it is,
And that is how it should be.
Strong light hits the back and the arms
Coming from where we cannot see,
Ought not to see, another dimension
For another time. At this time, we
Share the life of bay and boat
With simply painted fishermen
Who would give no Amen
Even if clouds both apocalyptic and real
Made them look up and feel
What they had to feel
Of shattering amazement, fear,
Protection, and a wash of glory.
Was it an end coming near?
Was it a beginning coming near?
What happened to the thorns and blood and sweat?
What happened to the hands like claws the whipcord muscles?
Has the artist never seen Grunewald?
'I have to tell you John of the Cross called,
Said to remind you light and death once met.'
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