The Last Decalogue
Arthur Hugh Clough 1819 (Liverpool) – 1861 (Florence)
Thou shalt have one God only; -who
Would be at the expense of two?
No graven images may be
Worshipped, except the currency:
Swear not at all; for, for thy curse
Thine enemy is none the worse:
At church on Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep the world thy friend:
Honour thy parents; that is, all
From whom advancement may befall:
Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive
Officiously to keep alive:
Do not adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it:
Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,
When 'tis so lucrative to cheat:
Bear not false witness; let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet, but tradition
Approves all forms of competition.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on April 30, 2023
- 36 sec read
- 23 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 647 |
Words | 122 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 20 |
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"The Last Decalogue" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/54778/the-last-decalogue>.
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