<p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">WORMWOOD</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Thou only </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>art</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> alternative to God, oh, dark</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">And burning island among spirits, tenth hierarch,</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Wormwood, immortal Satan, Ahriman, alone</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Second to Him to whom no second else </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>were known</b></span><span style="color: #000000;">,</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Being essential fire, sprung of His fire, but bound</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Within the lightless furnace of thy Self, bricked round</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">To rage in the reverberated heat from seven</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Containing walls: hence power thou </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>hast</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> to rival heaven.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Therefore, except the temperance of the eternal love</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Only thy absolute lust </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>is</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> worth the thinking of.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">All else </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>is</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> weak disguising of the wishful heart,</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">[All that </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>seemed</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> earth] </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>is</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> Hell, or Heaven. God </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>is:</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> thou </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>art:</b></span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">The rest, illusion. How </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>should</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> man </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>live</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> save as glass</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">To let the white light without flame, the Father, pass</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Unstained: or else—opaque, molten to thy desire,</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Venus infernal starving in the strength of fire!</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">Lord, </span><span style="color: #000000;"><b>open</b></span><span style="color: #000000;"> not too often my weak eyes to this.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">From Poems</span></p><p> </p>
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