The Black Riders and Other Lines

The Black Riders and Other Lines is a book of poetry written by American author Stephen Crane (1871-1900). It was first published in 1895 by Copeland & Day.Black riders came from the sea.Three little birds in a rowIn the DesertYes, I have a thousand tonguesOnce there came a manGod fashioned the ship of the world carefullyMystic shadow, bending near me,I looked hereI stood upon a high place,Should the wide world roll away,In a lonely place,"And the sins of the fathers shall be"If there is a witness to my little life,There was a crimson clash of war."Tell brave deeds of war."There were many who went in huddled processionIn heavenA god in wrathA learned man came to me onceThere was, before meOnce I saw mountains angryPlaces among the starsI saw a man pursuing the horizonBehold, the grave of a wicked manThere was set before me a mighty hillA youth in apparel that glittered"Truth," said a travellerBehold, from the land of the farther sunsSupposing that I should have the courageMany workmenTwo or three angelsThere was one I met upon the roadI stood upon a highwayA man saw a ball of gold in the skyI met a seerOn the horizon the peaks assembledThe ocean said to me onceThe livid lightnings flashed in the cloudsAnd you love meLove walked aloneI walked in a desertThere came whisperings in the windsI was in the darknessTradition, thou art for suckling childrenMany red devils ran from my heart"Think as I think," said a manOnce there was a manI stood musing in a black worldYou say you are holyA man went before a strange GodWhy do you strive for greatness, fool?Blustering God"It was wrong to do this," said the angelA man toiled on a burning roadA man feared that he might find an assassinWith eye and with gestureThe sage lectured brilliantlyWalking in the skyUpon the road of my lifeThere was a man and a womanThere was a man who lived a life of fireThere was a great cathedralFriend, your white beard sweeps the groundOnce, I knew a fine songIf I should cast off this tattered coatGod lay dead in heavenA spirit sped