Added Tuesday 31st March 2015
1. The first lash was an accident
Inside a mine of gold;
Thirteen for muck, thirteen for luck,
Thirteen were bought and sold:
But the walls were high and the walls were thick,
So nobody was told.
2. The first thorn from a President
In a palace full of rings
Joined thorns of stone and human bone
From emperors and kings:
But the crowning went unwitnessed
As they hated suffering.
3. The first nail was a precedent
Set down in a decree;
One for the great, one for estate,
A last for property:
But as long as there is argument
We still have liberty.
4. The scimitar's hilt was an ornament
To artifice and grief
With filigree veins and bloody stains
In clots of bas relief:
But its blade was the final reckoning
For the soul of a dying thief.
5. The Holy Cross was a testament
Barbaric, cruel and raw
Yet its wood was sold and dipped in gold
To edify the poor:
But would Jesus fare much better
If he came to earth once more?
Taken from Hymns for Ash Wednesday to Pentecost.
Return to All News