I've heard a stranger, Crito, -- such a man! He spoke to-day before a little crowd Of chance-drawn folk upon the Hill of Mars, And as I strolled he caught me -- such a man! A short man, somewhat bowed as if in thought; An ugly man, but ah! his shining face, And swift, compelling voice! I hardly think Demosthenes or even AEschines Could so command his hearers. And he told, There on the Hill of Mars, about a god Could conquer Mars, and yet the god of peace. Indeed, he vaunted him all gods in one, -- The god of tempests like the thundering Zeus, And at a word the storm would kiss his feet: Light of the world, Apollo in the sun; Bread of the world, Demeter bounteous; The god of truth, than Pallas wiser far, And more than Aphrodite god of love. This paragon of gods, the stranger said, Could more than Hermes move the hearts of men With winsome words, and more than Heracles Could work his wonders, and could heal the sick With touch that AEsculapius might desire. Such nonsense! but you should have heard the man. His voice is still a clarion in my ears: "The God who made the world and all therein Dwells not in temples made with human hands, And is not served by human hands," he said, "As though he needed anything. . . . He made All nations of one blood," the stranger said. "He is not far from any one of us. In him we have our being, live and move. We are his children --" much he made of that, This herald of all deities in one. He said he sent his Son, this Father-god, Who came to earth and died upon a cross And rose again to heaven, all for us. You should have heard him, Crito -- such a man! You're going to the baths? The day is warm And dusty. I will go along with you. They say a ship from Egypt is in port, And in its cargo is a linen mesh So fine you scarce can see it. And they say The Governor at once bought up the lot To send it to the Emperor at Rome. A prudent man, our Governor, and wise. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CONTRA MORTEM: THE BEING AS MOMENT by HAYDEN CARRUTH THE GIANTS OF HISTORY by JAMES GALVIN TO W.E.B. DUBOIS - SCHOLAR by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON O SOUTHLAND! by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON SURFACES AND MASKS; 7 by CLARENCE MAJOR CANTICLE OF THE RACE by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |