Ballade Of The Paid Puritan

Richard Le Gallienne 1866 (Liverpool) – 1947



In vain with whip and knotted cord
The hirelings of hypocrisy
Would make us comely for the Lord:
Think ye God works through such as ye--
Paid Puritan, plump Pharisee,
And lobbyist fingering his fat bill,
Reeking of rum and bribery:
God needs not you to work His will.

We know you whom you serve, abhorred
Traducers of true piety,
What tarnished gold is your reward
In Washington and Albany;
'Tis not from God you take your fee,
Another's purpose to fulfil,
You that are God's worst enemy:
God needs not you to work His will.

Not by the money-changing horde,
Base traders in the sanctuary,
Nor by fanatic fire and sword,
Shall man grow as God wills him be;
In his own heart a voice hath he
That whispers to him small and still;
God gives him eyes His good to see:
God needs not you to work His will.

ENVOI

Dear Prince, a sinner's honesty
Is more to God, much nearer still,
Than the bribed hypocritic knee:
God needs not you to work His will.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

54 sec read
42

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 920
Words 179
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 4

Richard Le Gallienne

Richard Le Gallienne was an English author and poet. The American actress Eva Le Gallienne was his daughter, by his second marriage. more…

All Richard Le Gallienne poems | Richard Le Gallienne Books

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