God lay dead in heaven - A poem by Stephen Crane

Stephen Crane - God lay dead in heaven

God lay dead in heaven;
Angels sang the hymn of the end;
Purple winds went moaning,
Their wings drip-dripping
With blood
That fell upon the earth.
It, groaning thing,
Turned black and sank.
Then from the far caverns
Of dead sins
Came monsters, livid with desire.
They fought,
Wrangled over the world,
A morsel.
But of all sadness this was sad --
A woman's arms tried to shield
The head of a sleeping man
From the jaws of the final beast.

Added: on February 2nd, 2006 at 2:38 AM | Viewed: 8871 times | Comments and analysis of God lay dead in heaven by Stephen Crane Comments (9)

God lay dead in heaven - Comments and Information
Poet: Stephen Crane Poem: 67. God lay dead in heaven Volume: The Black Riders & Other Lines Year: Published/Written in 1905 Poem of the Day: Aug 10 2004 Comment 9 of 9, added on December 11th, 2007 at 11:35 AM. listen, all he Stephen was was an athiest, & i think that is so stupid, but his poems catch me in some way, it confuses me, because i've never felt this way about an athiest, more or less, an athiest poem. Emily from United States Comment 8 of 9, added on November 12th, 2007 at 10:56 PM. Am I the only one who found an alliteration? It may be cliche, but Crane does make references to God quite frequently. I found that the woman is Mary and the boy Jesus, while the beast is the evils of mankind--ignorance, foolishness, "group mentality" (i.e. a person would not kill somebody but a group of people would). That was just something that immediately came to mind when I read it. wesley from United States Comment 7 of 9, added on February 2nd, 2006 at 2:38 AM. amid the existentialist mayhem, oblivious man's only defense is nothing more powerful than the delicate and fragile arm of woman; illustrating the futility of mankind's struggle against its demons and the ultimate inevitability of its annihilation. (mind you, if the woman happened to be butch enough, like them women pro-wrestlers or something, we might have more of a chance. Crane probably meant to suggest that most women could use some more gym time, work on those biceps a bit, general body tone etc. Well, that's the positive spin I see in it.... ) Bobby Ray Diamond from United Kingdom More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, God lay dead in heaven, has received 9 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Stephen Crane with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Stephen Crane Poem: 67. God lay dead in heaven Volume: The Black Riders & Other Lines Year: Published/Written in 1905 Last read: May 11 2008, 11:52PM Poem of the Day: Aug 10 2004 Viewed 8871 times. Added on February 2nd, 2006 at 2:38 AM.

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