Oh! Such Sublimely Sanguine ‘Bellicosity’
… as spoken from the salubrious tongue of a distant
relative!
… “can’t lie, can’t lie, can’t lie”
The
Lie
Go,
Soul … the body's guest,
Upon
a thankless errand;
Fear not to touch the best;
The truth shall be thy warrant:
Go now… since my needs must die,
And give the world “THEIR LIE”.
Say to the court, it glows
And shines like rotten wood;
Say to the church, it shows
What's good, and doth no good:
If church and court reply,
Then give them both “the lie”.
Tell potentates, they live
Acting by others' action;
Not loved unless they give,
Not strong, but by a faction.
If potentates reply,
Give potentates “the lie”.
Tell men of high condition,
That manage vast estate,
Their purpose is ambition,
Their practice, only ‘hate’:
And if they once reply,
Then give them ALL the lie.
Tell those that brave it most,
They beg for more by spending,
Who, in their greatest cost,
Seek nothing but commending.
And if they make reply,
Then give them all the lie.
Tell zeal it wants devotion;
Tell love it is but lust;
Tell time it metes but motion;
Tell flesh it is but dust:
And wish them not reply,
For thou must give the lie.
Tell age it daily wasteth;
Tell honour how it alters;
Tell beauty how she blasteth;
Tell favour how it falters:
And as they shall reply,
Give every ONE the lie.
Tell wit how much it wrangles
In ticklish points of niceness;
Tell wisdom she entangles
Herself in over-wiseness:
And when they do reply,
Straight give them both the lie.
Tell physics of her boldness;
Tell skill it is
pretension;
Tell charity of coldness;
Tell law it is contention:
And as they do reply,
So give them [still] the lie.
Tell fortune of her blindness;
Tell nature of decay;
Tell friendship of unkindness;
Tell justice of delay:
And if they will reply,
Then give them all the lie.
Tell ‘arts’ they have no soundness,
But vary by esteeming;
Tell schools they want profoundness,
Yet stand too much on seeming:
If arts and schools reply,
Give arts and schools their lie.
Tell
faith it's fled the city;
Tell how the country erreth;
And manhood shakes off pity
As virtue least preferreth:
And if they should reply,
Spare not to give “the lie”.
So when thou hast [as
I],
‘Commanded thee’, done blabbing--
Although to give the lie
Deserves no less than stabbing--
Stab at thee… “He that will”;
No
stab the soul can kill.
Sir
Walter Raleigh was an English explorer, soldier and writer who was imprisoned
in the Tower of London and eventually put to death after being accused of
treason by King James I.
Prior to serving in the Huguenot army in France, he had studied
at Oxford. Raleigh later became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, following distinguished
service allied with her army in Ireland. He was knighted in 1585, and within
two years became captain of the queen's guard. Between 1584 and 1589, Raleigh
also established a colony near Roanoke Island. Unfortunately, much of his
writings and poetry from that time were either destroyed or lost. He composed
his poem The Lie while imprisoned. If living today, I
would surmise that he’d take the likes of Fox News, [et. al] to task for their reserve
of ‘twisted truths’, as well!
Post-script: strange how my DNA results are showing both Raleigh
and Drake ancestry…however, the elder Raleigh’s 1st wife WAS
named Joan Drake!
… “can’t
lie, can’t lie, can’t lie”
{MAHALO}
Lisa Porter-Grenn
