Upton Sinclair, ed. (1878–1968).
The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest. 1915. | | | In the Market-Place
(From “Beyond the Breakers”) |
By George Sterling |
(California poet, born 1869) |
| | | IN Babylon, high Babylon, | |
| What gear is bought and sold? | |
| All merchandise beneath the sun | |
| That bartered is for gold; | |
| Amber and oils from far beyond | 5 |
| The desert and the fen, | |
| And wines whereof our throats are fond— | |
| Yea! and the souls of men! | |
| |
| In Babylon, grey Babylon, | |
| What goods are sold and bought? | 10 |
| Vesture of linen subtly spun, | |
| And cups from agate wrought; | |
| Raiment of many-colored silk | |
| For some fair denizen, | |
| And ivory more white than milk— | 15 |
| Yea! and the souls of men!… | |
| |
| In Babylon, sad Babylon, | |
| What chattels shall invite? | |
| A wife whenas your youth is done, | |
| Or leman for a night. | 20 |
| Before Astarte’s portico | |
| The torches flare again; | |
| The shadows come, the shadows go— | |
| Yea! and the souls of men! | |
| |
| In Babylon, dark Babylon, | 25 |
| Who take the wage of shame? | |
| The scribe and singer, one by one, | |
| That toil for gold and fame. | |
| They grovel to their masters’ mood; | |
| The blood upon the pen | 30 |
| Assigns their souls to servitude— | |
| Yea! and the souls of men! | | | | |
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