Page:Poems Kennedy.djvu/81

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THE THIEF
THOU shalt not steal."
Was it to you
  God spake this stern decree?
Nay, curl not so your scornful lip,
  As though that could not be.

For he spake not alone to those
  Whose fingers snatch away
The gem or coin or treasure rare—
  Those street-bred birds of prey.

But if with idle, venomed word
  You soil your neighbor's name,
Orrobhimofajoyoflife,
  Or cast an unjust blame—

And further still, if so you take
  From your own soul its truth
Or lower the standard of your creed,
  You are a thief in sooth.

It was to you and all your kind
  Who bear the slander seal
That God, in his omnipotence,
  Hath said:
"Thou shalt not steal."

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