tle, slow of foot is he,
Of stature base, unclad in mail or panoply.
His heart hath a poor courage. He hath beauty none.
Bare to the buttocks he of all that might atone.
Without Thy favour, Lord, what power had he for ill?
Without thy prompting voice his violence had scant skill.
The snare, the sling, the lime, who taught him these but Thou?
The World was lost through Thee who fashioned him his bow.
And Thou hast clean forgot the fair great beasts of yore,
The mammoth, aurochs, elk, sea-lion, cave-bear, boar,
Which fell before his hand, each one of them than he
Nobler and mightier far, undone by treachery.
He spared them not, old, young, calf, cow. With pitfall hid
In their mid path they fell, by his guile harvested,
And with them the World's truth. Henceforth all walked in fear,
Knowing that one there was turned traitor, haply near.
This was the wild man's crime.

THE LORD GOD

He erred in ignorance.
As yet he was not Man. Naught but his form was Man's.

SATAN

Well had he so remained. Lord God, thou thoughtest then
To perfect him by grace, among the sons of men
To choose a worthiest man. "If he should know," saidst Thou
"The evil from the good, the thing We do allow
"From that We do forbid! If We should give him shame,
"The consciousness of wrong, the red blush under blame!
"If he should walk in light beholding truth as We!"
Thou gavest him Conscience, Creed, Responsibility,
The power to worship Thee. Thou showedst him Thy way.
Thou didst reveal Thyself. Thou spakest, as one should say
Conversing mouth to mouth. Old Adam and his Eve
Thou didst array in aprons Thy own hands did weave.
Enoch was taken up. To Noah Thou didst send
Salvation in Thine ark. Lord Abraham was Thy friend.
These are the facts recorded, facts--say fables--yet
Impressed with the large truth of a new value set
Upon Man's race and kind by Thy too favouring will.
Man had become a "Soul," informed for good and ill
With Thy best attributes, Earth's moral arbiter,
Tyrant and priest and judge. Woe and alas for her!
Think of the deeds of Man! the sins! No wilding now,
But set in cities proud, yet marked upon his brow
With label of all crime.

THE LORD GOD

The men before the Flood?
We did destroy them all.

SATAN

Save Noah and his brood.
In what were these mo