Genesis [God said: 'Let there be Man,' and from the clay]

Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)



God said: 'Let there be Man,' and from the clay
Adam came forth and, thoughtful, walked away.
The matrix whence his body was obtained,
An empty, man-shaped cavity, remained
All unregarded from that early time
Till in a recent storm it filled with slime.
Now Satan, envying the Master's power
To make the meat himself could but devour,
Strolled to the place and, standing by the pool,
Exerted all his will to make a fool.
A miracle!-from out that ancient hole
Rose Morehouse, lacking nothing but a soul.
'To give him that I've not the power divine,'
Said Satan, sadly, 'but I'll lend him mine.'
He breathed it into him, a vapor black,
And to this day has never got it back.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

38 sec read
116

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 665
Words 128
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist, and satirist. more…

All Ambrose Bierce poems | Ambrose Bierce Books

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