Hymn of Hatred

Hymn of Hatred written by Robert Ervin Howard

First published in Always Comes Evening, 1957

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Oh, brother coiling in the acrid grass,
Lift not for me your sibilant refrain:
Less deadly venom slavers from your fangs
Than courses fiercely in my every vein.

A single victim satisfied your hate,
But I would see walled cities crash and reel,
Gray-bearded sages blown from cannon-mouths,
And infants spitted on the reddened steel.

And I would see the stars come thundering down,
The foaming oceans break their brimming bowl –
Oh, universal ruin would not serve
To glut the fury of my maddened soul!

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.