Evil borrows the face of heaven,
And waits for us to kneel;
It speaks with all the grace of angels,
And blesses wounds it will not heal.
The guilty cast their sins on others,
And wash their hands in borrowed shame;
They stand as judges of the innocent,
And make the wounded bear the blame.
Cruelty speaks in reason’s name,
And calls its cold dominion just;
It clothes its violence in virtue,
And grinds compassion into dust.
Remember: when the lies grow loud,
When darkness crowns itself as light,
Truth need not borrow falsehood’s thunder,
Nor meet its fury with more might.
For truth has depths no lie can fathom,
A voice no clamour can dispel;
And when the world grows deaf to reason,
It must become a deeper bell.
