John Donne

1.

The prettiest of words, doth not make a faith
When thou crown'st thy works to make Catholics afraid...
Sore reminder you are that a Poet great
Does not save a soul, for rather irate
You were at your brother's death
And then became a Protestant mess.
You persecuted your brethren who were very poor
You wagged your tongue and then once more
Preached against their miserable poverty;
You lashed your tongue at their misery---
And mocked and scorned and had no remorse:
You teach me that a poet does not get saved
By pretty words, which always amaze.---
For I would have rather been dull and not said a word.

2.

For I would have rather been dull and not said a word,
Should my words be toward my brother in curse.
For when you were Catholic, your heart was pure
I see it, I see it, you were so cured
Of malice and slander and awful hate.
Then, your brother died and irate
You took it out on the Catholic Church
When England had made its laws a curse.
Your brethren had no means to find work
As you wagged your tongue on the lector's perch.
And judge I do not, I do not this day
For I know not whether you are in heaven always.
I just know... like Antichrist will some day
Study the dictators, the Christians, their lives I shall gain.

3.

Study the dictators: The Christians, their lives I shall gain,
To know how to live a life so gay.
I shall study you and Bunyan and Paul
And learn how to be Most Christian of them all.
For Antichrist thou art, with your false prophet tongue
To wag at good Christians and their sons.
So Antichrist shall study the Dictators and Laws
I shall study Good Christian sons.
And the poets and the sages and the wise men too;
I shall learn all there is to know about the good.
And when it is, even the gays
I shall not wag against them on that day.
I shall say, "Look, these are sinners it's true
"But have mercy on them, have mercy on them too."

4.

"But have mercy on them, have mercy on them too,"
I shall scream as the Christians march by twos
In their lines of war and peace
And the invasions of their worldly armies.
And I shall say on that day,
"You wagged against the Catholics and I by my way
"Studied only the good heavenly truth
"For I do not know if in heaven you roost.
"Yet, I shall not judge, I shall not judge
"Not you, not me, not a gay man's sludge
"Of foul sin and dirt and sodomy's filth
"I shall speak of peace until I'm stilled."
For a good man you were in your youth
Before you were fearful of your brother's couth.

5.

Before you were fearful of your brother's couth,
You were good, and you were then proved.
Why did you then put to the worse your proof?
When your brother died, you converted to Anglican
And then you slandered your Catholic fellowman.
I am, I am, I am a good Lutheran
And will not leave my peace of Philadelphia's rudiments.
For I will not wag against any man
And those who I did I shall then understand
From every tongue's judgment I shall be weaned
For I may be a poet Laureate some day, it remains to be seen.
Over my life and over my words, it will be said
"He practiced what he preached, and he did what he says." [So]
The prettiest of words, do not make a faith.