Recalling the Moon

One of the recurring themes in Borges' Dreamtigers is the notion that no description (and thus no poem, no story, no novel) can fully capture the essence of the object being described. A particularly eloquent invocation of this theme can be seen in the opening lines of his short poem, "The Moon":

History tells us how in that past time
When all things happened, real,
Imaginary, and dubious, a man
Conceived the unconscionable plan

Of making an abridgment of the universe
In a single book and with infininte zest
He towered his screed up, lofty and
Strenuous, polished it, spoke the final verse.

About to offer his thanks to fortune,
He lifted up his eyes and saw a burnished
Disc in the air and realized, stunned,
That somehow he had forgotten the moon.

Well said. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the short fiction that made Borges famous.