Come let us curse our Master ere we die, <br />For all our hopes in endless ruin lie. <br />The good is dead. Let us curse God most High. <br /> <br />Four thousand years of toil and hope and thought <br />Wherein man laboured upward and still wrought <br />New worlds and better, Thou hast made as naught. <br /> <br />We built us joyful cities, strong and fair, <br />Knowledge we sought and gathered wisdom rare. <br />And all this time you laughed upon our care, <br /> <br />And suddenly the earth grew black with wrong, <br />Our hope was crushed and silenced was our song, <br />The heaven grew loud with weeping. Thou art strong. <br /> <br />Come then and curse the Lord. Over the earth <br />Gross darkness falls, and evil was our birth <br />And our few happy days of little worth. <br /> <br />Even if it be not all a dream in vain <br />—The ancient hope that still will rise again— <br />Of a just God that cares for earthly pain, <br /> <br />Yet far away beyond our labouring night, <br />He wanders in the depths of endless light, <br />Singing alone his musics of delight; <br /> <br />Only the far, spent echo of his song <br />Our dungeons and deep cells can smite along, <br />And Thou art nearer. Thou art very strong. <br /> <br />O universal strength, I know it well, <br />It is but froth of folly to rebel; <br />For thou art Lord and hast the keys of Hell. <br /> <br />Yet I will not bow down to thee nor love thee, <br />For looking in my own heart I can prove thee, <br />And know this frail, bruised being is above thee. <br /> <br />Our love, our hope, our thirsting for the right, <br />Our mercy and long seeking of the light, <br />Shall we change these for thy relentless might? <br /> <br />Laugh then and slay. Shatter all things of worth, <br />Heap torment still on torment for thy mirth— <br />Thou art not Lord while there are Men on earth.<br /><br />Clive Staples Lewis<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/de-profundis-19/
