England, (1852-1941)
Gadara, A.D. 31
- Rabbi, begone! Thy powers
- Bring loss to us and ours.
- Our ways are not as Thine.
- Thou lovest men, we–swine.
- Oh, get you hence, Omnipotence,
- And take this fool of Thine!
- His soul? What care we for his soul?
- What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,
- Since we have lost our swine?
- And Christ went sadly.
- He had wrought for them a sign
- Of Love, and Hope, and Tenderness divine;
- They wanted–swine.
- Christ stands without your door and gently knocks;
- But if your gold, or swine, the entrance blocks,
- He forces no man’s hold–he will depart,
- And leave you to the treasures of your heart.
- No cumbered chamber will the Master share,
- But one swept bare
- By cleansing fires, then plenished fresh and fair
- With meekness, and humility, and prayer.
- There will He come, yet, coming, even there
- He stands and waits, and will no entrance win
- Until the latch be lifted from within.
About the Poet:
William Arthur Dunkerley, England, (1852-1941), poet, journalist and novelist. He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. He often used another pseudonym, Julian Ross, for journalism. John Oxenham is used as the name authority by the Library of Congress.
In February 1892 Robert Barr and Dunkerley founded The Idler, a monthly general interest magazine, one of the first to appear following the enthusiastic reception of The Strand, but not a slavish imitation. Barr and Dunkerley/Oxenham both contributed as writers.
Dunkerley served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s, and he then moved to Worthing in Sussex in 1922, where he became the town’s mayor. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. [DES-01/22]