Make us gods, Aaron:
Moses delays. Make us Gods! Here the golden earrings—make us hearing. We listen to gold. Molten calves, Aaron: give us pearly milk (but not meat for it is written thou shalt not kill thy sacred cows). Let us lick the cream from Hathor’s teats to gild our tongues. Sit here, Aaron: sit upon the Great Steer for us. Fashion us into horns of strength. We shall scale Sinai’s empty seat and exalt ourselves, engraving your name forever on our lips: Pharaoh. Lead us, Aaron-Ra: we have made ourselves naked as suckling babes. Speak your will so we may consecrate ourselves to your fame. Then Moses saw the mischief and brake the tables of testimony, grinding the gold to powder, saying: Aaron, what did this people do to you? And Aaron answered: The gold flowed like the Nile waxes hot. What difference, Moses, twixt Egypt and Canaan when all people are set to make gods of men? |