On the Massacre of the Christians in Bulgaria
On the Massacre of the Christians in Bulgaria - meaning Summary
Plea to a Crucified God
Wilde's poem is a furious, anguished plea for divine intervention after the 1876 Bulgarian April Uprising. The speaker questions whether Christ truly rose while describing priests and villagers slaughtered and children dead. The image of a Crescent moon over the Cross and the line about "Mahomet" express a fear that Islam—or political Ottoman power—will replace Christian presence. The poem confronts brutality and demands that God prove His power against atrocity.
Read Complete AnalysesChrist, dost Thou live indeed? or are Thy bones Still straitened in their rock-hewn sepulchre? 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 a 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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