The Augurs
Lay the corpse out on the altar; bid the elect Slaves clear the ways of service spiritual, Sweep clean the stalled soul's serviceable stall, Ere the chief priest's dismantling hands detect The ulcerous flesh of faith all scaled and specked Beneath the bandages that hid it all, And with sharp edgetools oecumenical The leprous carcases of creeds dissect. As on the night ere Brutus grew divine The sick-souled augurs found their ox or swine Heartless; so now too by their after art In the same Rome, at an uncleaner shrine, Limb from rank limb, and putrid part from part, They carve the corpse--a beast without a heart.
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"Lay the corpse out on the altar; bid the elect..."
Exploring the themes of classic, Algernon Charles Swinburne delivers a powerful performance in "The Augurs"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...