Peter's Pence From Perugia
Iscariot, thou grey-grown beast of blood, Stand forth to plead; stand, while red drops run here And there down fingers shaken with foul fear, Down the sick shivering chin that stooped and sued, Bowed to the bosom, for a little food At Herod's hand, who smites thee cheek and ear. Cry out, Iscariot; haply he will hear; Cry, till he turn again to do thee good. Gather thy gold up, Judas, all thy gold, And buy thee death; no Christ is here to sell, But the dead earth of poor men bought and sold, While year heaps year above thee safe in hell, To grime thy grey dishonourable head With dusty shame, when thou art damned and dead.
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"Iscariot, thou grey-grown beast of blood,..."
Algernon Charles Swinburne's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "Peter's Pence From Perugia"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...