I. Black riders came from the sea.
II. Three little birds in a row
III. In the desert
IV. Yes, I have a thousand tongues
V. Once there came a man
VI. God fashioned the ship of the world carefully
VII. Mystic shadow, bending near me,
VIII. I looked here
IX. I stood upon a high place,
X. Should the wide world roll away,
XI. In a lonely place,
XII. "And the sins of the fathers shall be"
XIII. If there is a witness to my little life,
XIV. There was a crimson clash of war.
XV. "Tell brave deeds of war."
XVI. Charity thou art a lie,
XVII. There were many who went in huddled
procession
XVIII. In heaven
XIX. A god in wrath
XX. A learned man came to me once
XXI. There was, before me
XXII. Once I saw mountains angry
XXIII. Places among the stars
XXIV. I saw a man pursuing the horizon
XXV. Behold, the grave of a wicked man
XXVI. There was set before me a mighty hill
XXVII. A youth in apparel that glittered
XXVIII. "Truth," said a traveller
XXIX. Behold, from the land of the farther suns
XXX. Supposing that I should have the courage
XXXI. Many workmen
XXXII. Two or three angels
XXXIII. There was one I met upon the road
XXXIV. I stood upon a highway
XXXV. A man saw a ball of gold in the sky
XXXVI. I met a seer
XXXVII. On the horizon the peaks assembled
XXXVIII. The ocean said to me once
XXXIX. The livid lightnings flashed in the clouds
XL. And you love me
XLI. Love walked alone
XLII. I walked in a desert
XLIII. There came whisperings in the winds
XLIV. I was in the darkness
XLV. Tradition, thou art for suckling children
XLVI. Many red devils ran from my heart
XLVII. "Think as I think," said a man
XLVIII. Once there was a man
XLIX. I stood musing in a black world
L. You say you are holy
LI. A man went before a strange God
LII. Why do you strive for greatness, fool?
LIII. Blustering God
LIV."It was wrong to do this," said the angel
LV. A man toiled on a burning road
LVI. A man feared that he might find an assassin
LVII.With eye and with gesture
LVIII. The sage lectured brilliantly
LIX. Walking in the sky
LX. Upon the road of my life
LXI. There was a man and a woman
LXII. There was a man who lived a life of fire
LXIII. There was a great cathedral
LXIV. Friend, your white beard sweeps the ground
LXV. Once, I knew a fine song
LXVI. If I should cast off this tattered coat
LXVII. God lay dead in heaven
LXVIII. A spirit sped
Blustering God (1895) by |
from The Black Riders & Other Lines, 1895. |
LIII.
i
Blustering God,
Stamping across the sky
With loud swagger,
I fear You not.
No, though from Your highest heaven
You plunge Your spear at my heart,
I fear You not.
No, not if the blow
Is as the lightning blasting a tree,
I fear You not, puffing braggart.
ii
If Thou canst see into my heart
That I fear Thee not,
Thou wilt see why I fear Thee not,
And why it is right.
So threaten not, Thou, with Thy bloody spears,
Else Thy sublime ears shall hear curses.
iii
Withal, there is One whom I fear:
I fear to see grief upon that face.
Perchance, friend, He is not your God;
If so, spit upon Him.
By it you will do no profanity.
But I –
Ah, sooner would I die
Than see tears in those eyes of my soul.
This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. |