The Crucifixion of Man A Narrative Poem Author:George Barlow General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1893 Original Publisher: S. Sonnenschein Subjects: English poetry Fiction / Classics Literary Collections / General Literary Criticism / General Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / General Poetr... more »y / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: PART IL IN A LONDON HOSPITAL. A WOMAN'S CONFESSION. first woman: -- I Often wonder in this strange place Where the dying and dead seem one, As my eyes meet sorrow in face after face, What each sad soul has done : And I think it would ease my own sad heart As I lie on this hospital bed To tell you my story, or tell you part -- I shall tell it soon to the dead ! But I want some living soul to hear : We are in this ward alone, Will you listen ? They've moved your bed quite near,- In the night I could hear you moan. If you have loved, and have known love's curse, You may find it a help to know That another has suffered -- worse, far worse -- Yet did not die of the blow. I loved him well, but I treated him ill -- (Ah, why was it ? Who can say ?) I loved him truly -- I love him still -- But I flung my chance away. Women are mad, and the maddest of all Is the woman who knows she is fair, Who has love, she thinks, at her beck and call And can make men's souls despair. I treated him ill, and I drove him away ; Then the retribution came -- Not in an hour, not in a day, But with fiercer than hell's hot flame. It came with the knowledge of what I had done And of what my life would be : I knew the value of what I had won And had squandered, woe is me ! I knew I ha...« less