 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
77
The Serpent
They knew that they were naked, and ashamedFrom Him who formed them stole themselves away,
And when He spoke they each the other blamed,
And death speaks living in each word they say;
The serpent grows, a liar born within,
Self-slaughter speaks in every uttered word,
And earth is filled with temples built in sin,
Where the foul tempter's praise is sung and heard;
But soon the truth shall gain the listening ear,
And from the lips in sacred utterance speak,
And weary souls of Christ's own word shall hear,
And in the living bread salvation seek,
And Satan's reign on earth forever cease,
And the new dawn begin of the eternal peace.
Poem No. 642; mid-September to mid-December 1838
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |