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Mandragora/God

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For works with similar titles, see God.

Published in Mandragora (1917)

569134GodJohn Cowper Powys

GOD

WHAT is that face at the window?
    What is that form at the door?
Of white mist are its shadowy limbs
    And with moonlight covered o'er.

Is it a girl or a ghost?
    Pile up the fuel higher!
Pour out the wine and heat the roast!
    Let us warm ourselves at the fire.

Look! It wavers and moans.
    It is very cold and drear!
Pelt it with nuts and cherry-stones!
    It must not enter here.

Let us talk philosophy,
    While the roast is on the spit.
That moonlit thing which wavers there,
    What have we to do with it?

Listen! Its white lips move.
    Christ! Are you mad that you rise
As if each one saw his buried love
    Stand living before his eyes?

I have no love. I lie!
    I lie not! — The wine is poured
And the roast is ready; and I —
    I refuse to believe in God!

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1963, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 60 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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