Poems by Hartley Coleridge With a Memoir of his Life by his Brother. In Two Volumes |
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IN CONTINUATION. |
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 | Poems by Hartley Coleridge |  |
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II. IN CONTINUATION.
What if the angry God hath made thy armDread as the thunderbolt or solid fire,
Or pest obedient to his vengeful ire,
Think'st thou thy oath was like a wizard's charm,
Or hadst thou need, with proffer'd blood, to farm
Jehovah's might? It proves thy faith unsure,
Thy creed idolatrous, thy heart impure;
Thy god a greedy trafficker in harm,
Not Israel's hope. But she, thy daughter, mild,
Whose eager love and over-hasty greeting,
Has made thee murderer of thy blameless child,
Loves not the less for that unhappy greeting;—
Guiltless she dies, to save thee from the guilt
Which must be thine, though her pure blood be spilt.
| Poems by Hartley Coleridge | |