Genesis [God said, 'Let there be Crime,' and the command]
Ambrose Bierce 1842 (Meigs County) – 1914 (Chihuahua)
God said, 'Let there be Crime,' and the command
Brought Satan, leading Stoneman by the hand.
'Why, that's Stupidity, not Crime,' said God
'Bring what I ordered.' Satan with a nod
Replied, 'This is _one_ element-when I
The _other_-Opportunity-supply
In just equivalent, the two'll affine
And in a chemical embrace combine
And Crime result-for Crime can only be
Stupiditate of Opportunity.'
So leaving Stoneman (not as yet endowed
With soul) in special session on a cloud,
Nick to his sooty laboratory went,
Returning soon with t'other element.
'Here's Opportunity,' he said, and put
Pen, ink, and paper down at Stoneman's foot.
He seized them-Heaven was filled with fires and thunders,
And Crime was added to Creation's wonders!
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 84 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AABBCCDDEEFFGHIIJJ |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 718 |
Words | 124 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 18 |
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"Genesis [God said, 'Let there be Crime,' and the command]" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 11 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1795/genesis-[god-said,-'let-there-be-crime,'-and-the-command]>.
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