Psalm Concerning The Castle

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Let me be at the place of the castle.
Let the castle be within me.
Let it rise foursquare from the moat's ring.
Let the moat's waters reflect green plumage of ducks, let
  the shells of swimming turtles break the surface or be
  seen through the rippling depths.
Let horsemen be stationed at the rim of it, and a dog,
  always alert on the brink of sleep.
Let the space under the first storey be dark, let the water
  lap the stone posts, and vivid green slime glimmer upon
  them; let a boat be kept there.
Let the caryatids of the second storey be bears upheld on
  beams that are dragons.
On the parapet of the central room, let there be four
  archers, looking off to the four horizons.  Within, let
  the prince be at home, let him sit in deep thought, at
  peace, all the windows open to the loggias.
Let the young queen sit above, in the cool air, her child in
  her arms; let her look with joy at the great circle, the
  pilgrim shadows, the work of the sun and the play of
  the wind.  Let her walk to and fro.  Let the columns uphold
  the roof, let the storeys uphold the columns, let there
  be dark space below the lowest floor, let the castle rise
  foursquare out of the moat, let the moat be a ring and
  the water deep, let the guardians guard it, let there be
  wide lands around it, let that country where it stands be
  within me, let me be where it is.

© Denise Levertov