It would be laughable if it were not so serious.
It would be serious if it were not so laughable.
Laughable, serious; serious, laughable.
Laughable-serious?
My head spins, for which is which?
Round the sun in lurid splendour
Earth is circling to its doom,
Lost in time and space eternal
Speck of dust in a wall-less tomb.
Gods from human dreams created
In the childhood of our breed,
Living still to rule our doings,
Every thought and every deed.
Gods whose orders gave the guidance
To our blindly thrusting kind,
Hold us now as ‘ere they held us
From their thrones within our mind.
One rule stood and stands for ever:
Man’s Own Good is All in All.
Damn the mice and damn the microbes,
With our brothers stand or fall.
Found our laws and found our morals,
Found our inmost hopes and fears,
On the urge to strive together
Through the passing of the years.
Rulers of a hostile empire,
Here we are and here we stay.
Man’s needs are Good; to thwart them Evil;
For things Good we kneel and pray.
Round the sun in lurid splendour
Earth is circling to its doom,
Lost in time and space eternal
Speck of dust in a wall-less tomb.
It would be laughable if it were not so serious.
It would be serious if it were not so laughable.
Laughable, serious; serious, laughable.
Laughable-serious?
My head spins, for which is which?
RAE, 1968
It would be laughable if it were not so serious.
It would be serious if it were not so laughable.
Laughable, serious; serious, laughable.
Laughable-serious?
My head spins, for which is which?
Round the sun in lurid splendour
Earth is circling to its doom,
Lost in time and space eternal
Speck of dust in a wall-less tomb.
Gods from human dreams created
In the childhood of our breed,
Living still to rule our doings,
Every thought and every deed.
Gods whose orders gave the guidance
To our blindly thrusting kind,
Hold us now as ‘ere they held us
From their thrones within our mind.
One rule stood and stands for ever:
Man’s Own Good is All in All.
Damn the mice and damn the microbes,
With our brothers stand or fall.
Found our laws and found our morals,
Found our inmost hopes and fears,
On the urge to strive together
Through the passing of the years.
Rulers of a hostile empire,
Here we are and here we stay.
Man’s needs are Good; to thwart them Evil;
For things Good we kneel and pray.
Round the sun in lurid splendour
Earth is circling to its doom,
Lost in time and space eternal
Speck of dust in a wall-less tomb.
It would be laughable if it were not so serious.
It would be serious if it were not so laughable.
Laughable, serious; serious, laughable.
Laughable-serious?
My head spins, for which is which?
RAE, 1968