Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT, by JONATHAN SWIFT


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT, by         Recitation             Poet's Biography
First Line: With a whirl of thought oppressed
Last Line: I damn such fools! -- go, go, you're bit.'
Variant Title(s): On The Day Of Judgement
Subject(s): Bible; Hate; Judgment Day; Religion; End Of The World; Doomsday; Fall Of Man; Theology


With a whirl of thought oppressed
I sink from reverie to rest.
An horrid vision seized my head,
I saw the graves give up their dead.
Jove, armed with terrors, burst the skies,
And thunder roars, and lightning flies!
Amazed, confused, its fate unknown,
The world stands trembling at his throne.
While each pale sinner hangs his head,
Jove, nodding, shook the Heavens, and said,
" Offending race of human kind,
By nature, reason, learning, blind;
You who through frailty stepped aside,
And you who never fell -- through pride;
You who in different sects have shammed,
And come to see each other damned;
(So some folks told you, but they knew
No more of Jove's designs than you):
The world's mad business now is o'er,
And I resent these pranks no more.
I to such blockheads set my wit!
I damn such fools! -- Go, go, you're bit.'






Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net