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On The Massacre Of The Christians In Bulgaria by Oscar Wilde

Analysis

"On The Massacre Of The Christians In Bulgaria" is a religious poem written by Oscar Wilde. The poem is asking Christ to come down from heaven and seek revenge against the Islamists who slaughtered Christians in Bulgaria. He ends the poem by stating "Lest Mahomet be crowned instead of Thee!" if he Christ doesn't come. "Mahomet" in this sense is a reference to the Voltaire play of the same name in which Mohammad slaughtered all of his critics.

"On The Massacre Of The Christians In Bulgaria" is an Italian sonnet with the rhyme scheme ABBAACCADEFDEF. this is a non-traditional Italian Sonnet format, but since it is also written in iambic-pentameter and he follows the "C" lines with an "A" line, it is safe to assume this is indeed an Itlaian Sonnet.

Poem

On The Massacre Of The Christians In Bulgaria
By 

CHRIST, dost thou live indeed? or are thy bones
Still straightened in their rock-hewn sepulcher?
And was thy Rising only dreamed by Her
Whose love of thee for all her sin atones?
For here the air is horrid with men's groans,
The priests who call upon thy name are slain,
Dost thou not hear the bitter wail of pain
From those whose children lie upon the stones?
Come down, O Son of God! incestuous gloom
Curtains the land, and through the starless night
Over thy Cross the Crescent moon I see!
If thou in very truth didst burst the tomb
Come down, O Son of Man! and show thy might,
Lest Mahomet be crowned instead of Thee!
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