MISCELLANEOUS
THE SHUT AND OPEN HAND
Ishutmy eyes and opened them,And while they were shut I sawAll the dread things that happen to menIn the name of cause and law.I saw the tortured toil and travailAs the cost of bread and birth;I saw the skein of fate unravelAround the helpless earth;A million who had nobly strivenGo down to grim defeat,A million who their heart-blood givenSpurned from proud Honor’s seat;Hope mocked and dear ideals shattered,Truth crushed and crucified,The fruits of love and labor scatteredAnd Greed o’er Goodness ride;Curse like a ghoul despair and sorrowLeave at the race’s door,Pledging to-morrow and to-morrowCursing the world still more.And as men were broken and strickenI saw the darkness loomTo a frown of Hate and slowly thickenTo a spectral shape of Doom.Shadows, thunders, griefs and grossnessGathered in a blacker mass,Life’s calamities and crossesWrapped the midnight of all spaceInto—God! What awful likenessOf a giant arm and wristBulking blacker still to smite usAs a clenched terrificFIST!
Ishutmy eyes and opened them,And while they were shut I sawAll the dread things that happen to menIn the name of cause and law.I saw the tortured toil and travailAs the cost of bread and birth;I saw the skein of fate unravelAround the helpless earth;A million who had nobly strivenGo down to grim defeat,A million who their heart-blood givenSpurned from proud Honor’s seat;Hope mocked and dear ideals shattered,Truth crushed and crucified,The fruits of love and labor scatteredAnd Greed o’er Goodness ride;Curse like a ghoul despair and sorrowLeave at the race’s door,Pledging to-morrow and to-morrowCursing the world still more.And as men were broken and strickenI saw the darkness loomTo a frown of Hate and slowly thickenTo a spectral shape of Doom.Shadows, thunders, griefs and grossnessGathered in a blacker mass,Life’s calamities and crossesWrapped the midnight of all spaceInto—God! What awful likenessOf a giant arm and wristBulking blacker still to smite usAs a clenched terrificFIST!
Ishutmy eyes and opened them,And while they were shut I sawAll the dread things that happen to menIn the name of cause and law.
Ishutmy eyes and opened them,
And while they were shut I saw
All the dread things that happen to men
In the name of cause and law.
I saw the tortured toil and travailAs the cost of bread and birth;I saw the skein of fate unravelAround the helpless earth;
I saw the tortured toil and travail
As the cost of bread and birth;
I saw the skein of fate unravel
Around the helpless earth;
A million who had nobly strivenGo down to grim defeat,A million who their heart-blood givenSpurned from proud Honor’s seat;
A million who had nobly striven
Go down to grim defeat,
A million who their heart-blood given
Spurned from proud Honor’s seat;
Hope mocked and dear ideals shattered,Truth crushed and crucified,The fruits of love and labor scatteredAnd Greed o’er Goodness ride;
Hope mocked and dear ideals shattered,
Truth crushed and crucified,
The fruits of love and labor scattered
And Greed o’er Goodness ride;
Curse like a ghoul despair and sorrowLeave at the race’s door,Pledging to-morrow and to-morrowCursing the world still more.
Curse like a ghoul despair and sorrow
Leave at the race’s door,
Pledging to-morrow and to-morrow
Cursing the world still more.
And as men were broken and strickenI saw the darkness loomTo a frown of Hate and slowly thickenTo a spectral shape of Doom.
And as men were broken and stricken
I saw the darkness loom
To a frown of Hate and slowly thicken
To a spectral shape of Doom.
Shadows, thunders, griefs and grossnessGathered in a blacker mass,Life’s calamities and crossesWrapped the midnight of all space
Shadows, thunders, griefs and grossness
Gathered in a blacker mass,
Life’s calamities and crosses
Wrapped the midnight of all space
Into—God! What awful likenessOf a giant arm and wristBulking blacker still to smite usAs a clenched terrificFIST!
Into—God! What awful likeness
Of a giant arm and wrist
Bulking blacker still to smite us
As a clenched terrificFIST!
I shut my eyes and opened them,And when they were open I sawAll the glad things that happen to menBy a more benignant law.I saw the smiling heaven bendingAbove the fruitful land,The beauty and the bounty blending,The kiss of sea on strand;The love in labor and the guerdonOf home and wrought ideal,The benison behind the burden,The worth which works the weal;The glory of the sacrificial,The sanctity and songOf Nature’s benedictive missalO’er suffering and wrong.I saw the good and grace of seasonsAglow with golden yield,And giving trust a thousand reasonsIn flowerfest and field;Until a misty plexus trembledIn midair and anonA presence as of Love resembledDiaphanous at dawn,With morning vestments all a-shimmer,Yet from whose potent charmOf godlike gloriole and glimmerThere stretched a TitanARM.Earth and sky seemed coalescingBy filmy fingers spannedAnd became as if in blessingA mighty,OPEN HAND.
I shut my eyes and opened them,And when they were open I sawAll the glad things that happen to menBy a more benignant law.I saw the smiling heaven bendingAbove the fruitful land,The beauty and the bounty blending,The kiss of sea on strand;The love in labor and the guerdonOf home and wrought ideal,The benison behind the burden,The worth which works the weal;The glory of the sacrificial,The sanctity and songOf Nature’s benedictive missalO’er suffering and wrong.I saw the good and grace of seasonsAglow with golden yield,And giving trust a thousand reasonsIn flowerfest and field;Until a misty plexus trembledIn midair and anonA presence as of Love resembledDiaphanous at dawn,With morning vestments all a-shimmer,Yet from whose potent charmOf godlike gloriole and glimmerThere stretched a TitanARM.Earth and sky seemed coalescingBy filmy fingers spannedAnd became as if in blessingA mighty,OPEN HAND.
I shut my eyes and opened them,And when they were open I sawAll the glad things that happen to menBy a more benignant law.
I shut my eyes and opened them,
And when they were open I saw
All the glad things that happen to men
By a more benignant law.
I saw the smiling heaven bendingAbove the fruitful land,The beauty and the bounty blending,The kiss of sea on strand;
I saw the smiling heaven bending
Above the fruitful land,
The beauty and the bounty blending,
The kiss of sea on strand;
The love in labor and the guerdonOf home and wrought ideal,The benison behind the burden,The worth which works the weal;
The love in labor and the guerdon
Of home and wrought ideal,
The benison behind the burden,
The worth which works the weal;
The glory of the sacrificial,The sanctity and songOf Nature’s benedictive missalO’er suffering and wrong.
The glory of the sacrificial,
The sanctity and song
Of Nature’s benedictive missal
O’er suffering and wrong.
I saw the good and grace of seasonsAglow with golden yield,And giving trust a thousand reasonsIn flowerfest and field;
I saw the good and grace of seasons
Aglow with golden yield,
And giving trust a thousand reasons
In flowerfest and field;
Until a misty plexus trembledIn midair and anonA presence as of Love resembledDiaphanous at dawn,
Until a misty plexus trembled
In midair and anon
A presence as of Love resembled
Diaphanous at dawn,
With morning vestments all a-shimmer,Yet from whose potent charmOf godlike gloriole and glimmerThere stretched a TitanARM.
With morning vestments all a-shimmer,
Yet from whose potent charm
Of godlike gloriole and glimmer
There stretched a TitanARM.
Earth and sky seemed coalescingBy filmy fingers spannedAnd became as if in blessingA mighty,OPEN HAND.
Earth and sky seemed coalescing
By filmy fingers spanned
And became as if in blessing
A mighty,OPEN HAND.