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The Last Decalogue

By Arthur Hugh Clough

Topics: classic

Thou shalt have one God only; -who     Would be at the expense of two?     No graven images may be     Worshipped, except the currency:     Swear not at all; for, for thy curse     Thine enemy is none the worse:     At church on Sunday to attend     Will serve to keep the world thy friend:     Honour thy parents; that is, all     From whom advancement may befall:     Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive     Officiously to keep alive:     Do not adultery commit;     Advantage rarely comes of it:     Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,     When 'tis so lucrative to cheat:     Bear not false witness; let the lie     Have time on its own wings to fly:     Thou shalt not covet, but tradition     Approves all forms of competition.

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Author:Arthur Hugh Clough

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Arthur Hugh Clough

About Arthur Hugh Clough

Arthur Hugh Clough (1819–1861) was an English poet whose work explores Victorian doubt and moral uncertainty. His poems "Say Not the Struggle Naught Availeth" and "The Latest Decalogue" are sharp, thoughtful, and still widely anthologized.

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"Cease, empty Faith, the Spectrum saith,     I was,..."

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