The Wizard in the Street
July 6, 2023The Tree of Laughing Bells
July 6, 2023The Unpardonable Sin
This is the sin against the Holy Ghost: —
To speak of bloody power as right divine,
And call on God to guard each vile chief’s house,
And for such chiefs, turn men to wolves and swine:—
To go forth killing in White Mercy’s name,
Making the trenches stink with spattered brains,
Tearing the nerves and arteries apart,
Sowing with flesh the unreaped golden plains.
In any Church’s name, to sack fair towns,
And turn each home into a screaming sty,
To make the little children fugitive,
And have their mothers for a quick death cry,—
This is the sin against the Holy Ghost:
This is the sin no purging can atone:—
To send forth rapine in the name of Christ:—
To set the face, and make the heart a stone.
Vachel Lindsay
Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931) was an American poet who often performed his work in public, accompanied by music or visual aids. He was known for his use of vernacular language and his interest in social and political issues. Some of his best-known works include "The Congo" and "General William Booth Enters into Heaven."