The Mind

LXVIII. A spirit sped

by Stephen Crane 1871–1900

From The Black Riders and Other Lines (1895)

The Mind

A spirit sped
Through spaces of night;
And as he sped, he called,
"God! God!"
He went through valleys
Of black death-slime,
Ever calling,
"God! God!"
Their echoes
From crevice and cavern
Mocked him:
"God! God! God!"
Fleetly into the plains of space
He went, ever calling,
"God! God!"
Eventually, then, he screamed,
Mad in denial,
"Ah, there is no God!"

A swift hand,
A sword from the sky,
Smote him,
And he was dead.

MLA

Crane, Stephen. “LXVIII. A spirit sped.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/crane/67/.

Chicago

Crane, Stephen. “LXVIII. A spirit sped.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/crane/67/.

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