Black Beetles in Amber - читать онлайн бесплатно полную версию книги . Страница 156
A SPADE
[The spade that was used to turn the first sod in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad is to be exhibited at the New Orleans Exposition.
Press TelegramPrecursor of our woes, historic spade,What dismal records burn upon thy blade!On thee I see the maculating stainsOf passengers' commingled blood and brains.In this red rust a widow's curse appears,And here an orphan tarnished thee with tears.Upon thy handle sanguinary bandsReveal the clutching of thine owner's handsWhen first he wielded thee with vigor braveTo cut a sod and dig a people's grave—(For they who are debauched are dead and ought,In God's name, to be hid from sight and thought.)Within thee, as within a magic glass,I seem to see a foul procession pass—Judges with ermine dragging in the mudAnd spotted here and there with guiltless blood;Gold-greedy legislators jingling bribes;Kept editors and sycophantic scribes;Liars in swarms and plunderers in tribes;They fade away before the night's advance,And fancy figures thee a devil's lanceGleaming portentous through the misty shade,While ghosts of murdered virtues shriek about my blade!