The Years Between Part 10

Deliver me from every pride--the Middle, High, and Low-- That bars me from a brother's side, whatever pride he show.

And purge me from all heresies of thought and speech and pen That bid me judge him otherwise than I am judged. _Amen!_ That I may sing of Crowd or King or road-borne company, That I may labour in my day, vocation and degree, To prove the same in deed and name, and hold unshakenly (Where'er I go, whate'er I know, whoe'er my neighbour be) This single faith in Life and Death and all Eternity 'The people, Lord, Thy people, are good enough for me!'

THE OLDEST SONG

For before Eve was Lilith--_Old Tale._

These were never your true love's eyes.

Why do you feign that you love them?

You that broke from their constancies, And the wide calm brows above them!

This was never your true love's speech.

Why do you thrill when you hear it?

You that have ridden out of its reach The width of the world or near it!

This was never your true love's hair,-- You that chafed when it bound you Screened from knowledge or shame or care, In the night that it made around you!

'_All these things I know, I know._ _And that's why my heart is breaking!_'

Then what do you gain by pretending so?

'_The joy of an old wound waking._'

NATURAL THEOLOGY

PRIMITIVE

I ate my fill of a whale that died, And stranded after a month at sea....

There is a pain in my inside.

Why have the G.o.ds afflicted me?

Ow! I am purged till I am a wraith!

Wow! I am sick till I cannot see!

What is the sense of Religion and Faith?

Look how the G.o.ds have afflicted me!

PAGAN

How can the skin of rat or mouse hold Anything more than a harmless flea?...

The burning plague has taken my household.

Why have my G.o.ds afflicted me?

All my kith and kin are deceased, Though they were as good as good could be.

I will out and batter the family priest, Because my G.o.ds have afflicted me.

MEDIaeVAL

My privy and well drain into each other After the custom of Christendie....

Fevers and fluxes are wasting my mother.

Why has the Lord afflicted me?

The Saints are helpless for all I offer-- So are the clergy I used to fee Henceforward I keep my cash in my coffer, Because the Lord has afflicted me.

MATERIAL

I run eight hundred hens to the acre.

They die by dozens mysteriously....

I am more than doubtful concerning my Maker.

Why has the Lord afflicted me?

What a return for all my endeavour-- Not to mention the L. S. D.!

I am an atheist now and for ever, Because this G.o.d has afflicted me!

PROGRESSIVE

Money spent on an Army or Fleet Is homicidal lunacy....

My son has been killed in the Mons retreat.

Why is the Lord afflicting me?

Why are murder, pillage and arson And rape allowed by the Deity?

I will write to the _Times_, deriding our parson Because my G.o.d has afflicted me.

CHORUS

We had a kettle, we let it leak; Our not repairing it made it worse.

We haven't had any tea for a week....

The bottom is out of the Universe!

CONCLUSION

This was none of the good Lord's pleasure, For the Spirit He breathed in Man is free; But what comes after is measure for measure And not a G.o.d that afflicteth thee.

As was the sowing so the reaping Is now and evermore shall be.

Thou art delivered to thy own keeping.

Only Thyself hath afflicted thee!

A SONG AT c.o.c.k-CROW

'_Ille autem iterum negavit._'