Poems[2]
ELIZABETH GIBSON CHEYNE
Whenever there is silence around me,By day or by night,I am startled by the cry“Take me down from the cross!”The first time I heard itI went out and searchedTill I found a man in the throes of crucifixion,And I said, “I will take you down,”And I tried to take the nails out of his feet,But he said “Let be;For I cannot be taken downTill every man, every woman, and every childCome together to take me down.”And I said, “But I cannot bear your cry—What can I do?”And he said “Go about the world,Telling everyone you meet‘There is a man upon the cross.’”
Whenever there is silence around me,By day or by night,I am startled by the cry“Take me down from the cross!”The first time I heard itI went out and searchedTill I found a man in the throes of crucifixion,And I said, “I will take you down,”And I tried to take the nails out of his feet,But he said “Let be;For I cannot be taken downTill every man, every woman, and every childCome together to take me down.”And I said, “But I cannot bear your cry—What can I do?”And he said “Go about the world,Telling everyone you meet‘There is a man upon the cross.’”
Whenever there is silence around me,By day or by night,I am startled by the cry“Take me down from the cross!”The first time I heard itI went out and searchedTill I found a man in the throes of crucifixion,And I said, “I will take you down,”And I tried to take the nails out of his feet,But he said “Let be;For I cannot be taken downTill every man, every woman, and every childCome together to take me down.”And I said, “But I cannot bear your cry—What can I do?”And he said “Go about the world,Telling everyone you meet‘There is a man upon the cross.’”
Whenever there is silence around me,
By day or by night,
I am startled by the cry
“Take me down from the cross!”
The first time I heard it
I went out and searched
Till I found a man in the throes of crucifixion,
And I said, “I will take you down,”
And I tried to take the nails out of his feet,
But he said “Let be;
For I cannot be taken down
Till every man, every woman, and every child
Come together to take me down.”
And I said, “But I cannot bear your cry—
What can I do?”
And he said “Go about the world,
Telling everyone you meet
‘There is a man upon the cross.’”
I go about the worldTelling all the rich,And all the happy, and all the comfortable,“There is a man upon the cross.”But they all say“We are sure you are mistaken;There was a man upon the crossTwo thousand years ago;But he died, and was taken downAnd was decently buried;And a miracle happened,So that he rose againAnd ascended into Heaven,And is happy evermore.”Still I go about the world saying“There is a man upon the cross.”
I go about the worldTelling all the rich,And all the happy, and all the comfortable,“There is a man upon the cross.”But they all say“We are sure you are mistaken;There was a man upon the crossTwo thousand years ago;But he died, and was taken downAnd was decently buried;And a miracle happened,So that he rose againAnd ascended into Heaven,And is happy evermore.”Still I go about the world saying“There is a man upon the cross.”
I go about the worldTelling all the rich,And all the happy, and all the comfortable,“There is a man upon the cross.”But they all say“We are sure you are mistaken;There was a man upon the crossTwo thousand years ago;But he died, and was taken downAnd was decently buried;And a miracle happened,So that he rose againAnd ascended into Heaven,And is happy evermore.”Still I go about the world saying“There is a man upon the cross.”
I go about the world
Telling all the rich,
And all the happy, and all the comfortable,
“There is a man upon the cross.”
But they all say
“We are sure you are mistaken;
There was a man upon the cross
Two thousand years ago;
But he died, and was taken down
And was decently buried;
And a miracle happened,
So that he rose again
And ascended into Heaven,
And is happy evermore.”
Still I go about the world saying
“There is a man upon the cross.”
Any grovellerMay be straightened by a crossIf he lies down upon it at night,And sleeps upon it with outstretched arms;If he rises in the morning,And shoulders it bravely,Neither resenting itNor being ashamed of it,He will find that he can bring his eyesTo look upon lifeInstead of upon the grave,And that he will even be ableTo lift them to the stars;And that he can liveOn the levels he is able to look upon.
Any grovellerMay be straightened by a crossIf he lies down upon it at night,And sleeps upon it with outstretched arms;If he rises in the morning,And shoulders it bravely,Neither resenting itNor being ashamed of it,He will find that he can bring his eyesTo look upon lifeInstead of upon the grave,And that he will even be ableTo lift them to the stars;And that he can liveOn the levels he is able to look upon.
Any grovellerMay be straightened by a crossIf he lies down upon it at night,And sleeps upon it with outstretched arms;If he rises in the morning,And shoulders it bravely,Neither resenting itNor being ashamed of it,He will find that he can bring his eyesTo look upon lifeInstead of upon the grave,And that he will even be ableTo lift them to the stars;And that he can liveOn the levels he is able to look upon.
Any groveller
May be straightened by a cross
If he lies down upon it at night,
And sleeps upon it with outstretched arms;
If he rises in the morning,
And shoulders it bravely,
Neither resenting it
Nor being ashamed of it,
He will find that he can bring his eyes
To look upon life
Instead of upon the grave,
And that he will even be able
To lift them to the stars;
And that he can live
On the levels he is able to look upon.
[2]I do not know whether these poems have been published elsewhere or not. They were read by Ellen Gates Starr in a mass meeting in Kent Theatre on the University of Chicago campus—a mass meeting in protest against police brutality during the garment strike.