Upreared in the night, pallid-gray ’gainst the moon, towers she they call Astoreth, goddess of flesh and of worms, older than all years, younger than Love. Alone I stand in that desert in that dead of the night with the Spear of the Great Spurning, tipped with the poison of an Ageless Thought, leveled straight at her dugs. Pallid-gray! Pallid-gray! ’gainst the moon, sick is young Astoreth, who saw me grow from cycle to cycle— Astoreth pales ‘gainst the moon at the vision of him who will not suck at her dugs. Drive well, O Spear of the Great Spurning—drive well at the Mother of Life, who rowels out flesh—goddess of flesh and of worms! Drive well, O Spear, tinct with my Thought!—with her fall comes the Great Manumission, and nothing else shall be save the beat of my Thought in the Void.
Publication History
The Shadow-Eater [1915/17 and 1923]
1923 Edition Text Changes
- [New stanzas at “Pallid-gray!…” and “Drive well, O Spear…”]
- the moon, towers > the moon, ⁋ Towers
- of worms, older > of worms, ⁋ Older
- the night with the > the night ⁋ With the
- Thought, leveled > Thought, ⁋ Leveled
- Spurning—drive well > Spurning— ⁋ Drive well
- Thought!—with > Thought!— ⁋ With
- shall be save > shall be ⁋ Save