A Flat Earth Poem

I expressed this opinion in an allegorical figure about ten years ago, in my book entitled, Adrian Galileo, a song-writer’s story. The stanzas I refer to, which portray Satan, as “the prince of Hades,” conversing with one of his evil instruments the “Spirit-Jester”—are as follows:

Prince.  Why, Jester, laughing still as ever!

Jester.   I’m mimicking mankind so clever!

Prince.  I hate them for their power of will,

     To change their minds, or hold them still!

Jester.   Describe thy plans, detail each stage

     For snaring man in Christian age?

Prince.  First, far and wide, shall rise division.

     To fog’s man’s senses, cause derision.

     Then strong conceit shall fast increase,

     A trap affording no relief.

     This spirit, holding men so neat,

     Will raise a sect in every street.

     For plain I see, through spirit source,

     A battle-field right down time’s course;

     Till the Angel shall the decree enforce,

     That “Time shall be no more.”

                     *        *        *        *        *

Prince.  Against their Maker men shall turn,

     And strong “delusion” Truth shall spurn;

     For this well focussed, and compact,

     Imprints untruth as solid fact.

     Spirits prepared throughout the ages,

     Shall do our will at fitting stages;

     Man’s word ‘against God’s shall be accepted,

     And false Cosmogony erected;

     That earth’s a tiny whirling globe

     Shall men set forth in learned robe;

     Above concern if Moses erred,

     And Jesus verified his word

     Denying the earth’s Creator.

Jester.  Stay, Prince, observe before Time’s closed,

     Our mighty will shall be opposed;

     Sneer not at the Zetetic band,

     Goliath fell by David’s hand.

     I see a Stone; it taketh aim;

     And hush, I hear its curious strain:

Hypothesis quoted

“All matter once floated

 In atoms wide roaming through space;”

When a power, perhaps “Nether”?

Pulled all down together;

     How it happened no mortal can trace?

But, dear me! however

Could there then be a “Nether”?

     Or an upward or downward at all?

With “atoms” dis-severed,

Now gravity-tethered,

    And shooting through space like a ball.

This power of such fame,

“Gravitation” by name,

    Pounced down on the atoms while strewing:

But further back gaze,

O’er eternity’s maze,

    What before was good gravity doing?

The gravity theory,

When started, was clearly

     A fancy which Newton had “run”;

Imagine the notion

This world, mostly ocean,

     Once a cinder shot out from the sun?

Like Solar relation

Inherent rotation

     Sent the “globe” whirling round, till full

       soon

Just picture the view

The sparks, how they flew?

    And a beauty so bright made the moon?