That is the Sentence of the Gods

Near the goodness lies,

Heralded by the prophets,

As promised by the Gods.

But to find it, Man must

Dirty his hands, digging

In the mud to reveal the

Snow-pearls of Heaven.

 

That is the sentence of the Gods.

 

For Man was cast out of Eden;

The Heaven was cast with him.

Thus near is the Heaven; still,

Nearer is Hell, the black earth,

Under our feet; it is shaped by

The innumerable steps of Man,

The blood and sweat and tears.

 

That is the sentence of the Gods.

 

Shall we, then, rebuild Babel

And glorify the scarlet whore?

Shall we turn to the crown of

Parnassus, the voice of Delphi?

Oh, woe! Babylon lies in ruin,

The mouth of Providence shut;

The holy halls hollow-voiced.

 

That is the sentence of the Gods.

 

However, nearer is Heaven than

Man believes; though the olden

Gods’ words remain unintelligible

To Him, Man’s inner world speaks

Aloud the psalms of ages, the holy

Sentence of Gods: “I am that I am”;

So shall we re-enter Garden of Life.

 

That is the sentence of the Gods.