Synopsis

This narrative in 6 parts is well over 3,000 lines. It is the story of a messenger of God, Elmallah, who comes to Ertha to guide her into increasingly deeper spiritual knowledge, morality, and compassion. “Elmallah” is an Anglicized form of the Hebrew, El MalLUKH, which means “the messenger” or “the angel.” Part 1 is an introduction. The following parts are set in successive historical periods. Part 2 is a prehistoric setting among hunter-gatherers. Part 3 is a re-writing of a little known, but nonetheless remarkable Sumerian myth entitled “Dumuzi’s Dream.” Elmallah is superimposed into the shepherd-king Dumuzi (Dumuzee), and Ertha superimposes into Dumuzi’s goddess-wife, Inanna (Innonna), who is the prototype of Ishtar/Astarte. Part 4 is set in Byzantine Constantinople, where Justinian and Theodora are theAmmung the Ruwenz... Excerpts from the writings of Steve Berer human “carriers” of Elmallah and Ertha. Part 5 is based on the lives of Abalard and Heloise in 12^th century France. Finally, Part 6, which is not quite complete, takes place during the Shoah (the Holocaust). Elmallah and Ertha have chosen to enter into a newly married Jewish couple in Warsaw to measure the world and Ertha’s accumulated knowledge. S. Berer

Part 1
In which Elmallah is overwhelmed by his first impressions of Ertha. He is not yet aware that it is his Presence that has amplified Ertha's Life with so much more power, beauty, and desire than ever she possessed before. Who is this Elmallah? They are a Being -- compared to you and me -- whose orbit is much wider, whose horizons are far more distant, whose temperature is higher, whose velocity is faster, whose knowledge is not passed down from old time but is direct comprehension.

Part 2
I grasp
For the memmer ov owr Lor
And that wich allone iz unmuving and fixt.

With my last breth ov self kontrol
I Wil myself bak tu Thaer Silens
Tu heer Thaer beluvved Vois.

And the silens dessendz

Like a sickenning shaddo

And my hart fillz

Not with strenth, but dred

Az if I am bannisht
And that Vois iz oenlee a dreem
And I am not kum intu its mist
But intu the mist ov a liyonz lare.

Part 3: Fragmenz ov the Innonna Sikel
" Lamment for me, hu kareed the staff!
" Let yur kole be smeerd
" O muther hu baekt my bred.
" Lamment for me, hu kareed the loevz.
" I had 5 loevz; I had 10 loevz.
" O feeldz, o kannalz, lamment for me!

"Lamment for me hu drove the floks!
" Let yur handz trembel
" O fother hu stoeks the fiyer.
" Lamment for me hu held the seekrets.
" I had 5 forjez. I had 10 forjez.
" O pallassez, o tempelz, lamment for me!

[from: Dumuzeez Derj]

Part 4: The Sikelz in Theyodorra
I ternd tu Ertha, saying:
"Now the hand ov the Lor will lift us
" Frum this shor and set us on annuther
" And we will not kno wut levvel we ar on.
"Now we will go
"Az if tu slumber
" And in ower miendz
"A dreem will arrize
" And in it we will awake.

"Hu ar yu, a kortezzan or a kween?
" Now we will see. Haz my root taken hoeld?
"Iz the Knowen ov the Lor koild in yur sensez,
" Or, in the storm, will it sunder?"

[from: Tranzmigrating]

Part 5: The Fawl ov Helloweez
Helloweez felt a pervasiv joy.
Even az she slept she felt her immerzhen.
She knu a marvellus wunder had okkerd,
Like an aenjel dessending and filling her Sol.
She opend her eyz az she had a hundred tiemz
That nite, and beheld Abballar sleeping...

Elmallah sleeping. And Ertha neerlee gaspt

In her plezzher and amaze, and deziyer renued.

The dreem ov werldz roelld thru her miend
And she the revolven in its n-dimmenshenz.
Helloweez roelld over in her dreem ov joy
Wile Abballar kisst her nek and arm.
Joy! Intens joy! immerst her sleep,
But she woke, alone, lockt in a konvent
[from: Swooning Allong the Kurvacherz]

Part 6: In the End ov Time

Elmallah, Elmallah, kan yu heer me
Repeeting the praerz yu laed in my Soel?
Kan yu heer me abbuv my roring thots
Rushing frum the deep and the pownding waevz?

Elmallah, doent just leev me heer!
Wut iz my perpos withowt yur luv?
Yu laed a mantel uppon my shoelderz.

My neez are trembling and the waevz ar chant,
" Goudby! Goudby!" A dredful goudby.