Warning From The Gold Mine

Ye who rend my bed of earth,
Mark me! from my lowly birth,
Ye to light in me will bring
What will rise to be your king!
I shall rule with tyrant sway,
Till ye rue my natal day!
High and low my power shall own,
For I’ll make the world my throne!
And my worshippers shall be
Martyrs, dupes, or slaves to me.
Love and friendship, on the way
To their idol, they will slay.
Conscience—I will still her cry;
Truth for me shall bleed and die!
I will prove a chain to bind
Down to earth the immortal mind!
Though ye try me by the fire,
This will only heat my ire.
Though my form ye oft may change,
‘T will but give me wider range!
For my sake the poor shall feel
On his face, his neighbour’s heel.
Then I’ll turn, and, taking wing,
Leave with avarice but a sting!
I will be a spur to crime,
Ye shall sell your peace through time;
And a long eternity
Of remorse shall come, for me!
Now I’m here without defence;
But, if once I’m taken hence,
Man shall eat the bitter fruit
Springing from a golden root!