Religion

What Tomas an Buile Said in a Pub

by James Stephens 1882–1950

Religion

I saw God. Do you doubt it?
Do you dare to doubt it?
I saw the Almighty Man. His hand
Was resting on a mountain, and
He looked upon the World and all about it:
I saw him plainer than you see me now,
You mustn't doubt it.

He was not satisfied;
His look was all dissatisfied.
His beard swung on a wind far out of sight
Behind the world's curve, and there was light
Most fearful from His forehead, and He sighed,
"That star went always wrong, and from the start
I was dissatisfied."

He lifted up His hand--
I say He heaved a dreadful hand
Over the spinning Earth. Then I said, "Stay,
You must not strike it, God; I'm in the way;
And I will never move from where I stand."
He said, "Dear child, I feared that you were dead,"
And stayed His hand.

MLA

Stephens, James. “What Tomas an Buile Said in a Pub.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/stephens/1/.

Chicago

Stephens, James. “What Tomas an Buile Said in a Pub.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/stephens/1/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by James Stephens