Thou shalt have one
God only; who
Would be at the expense of two?
No
graven images may be
Worshipped, except the
currency:
Swear not at all; for, for thy
curse
Thine enemy is
none the worse:
At
church on
Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep
the world thy friend
Honour thy parents that is, all
From whom
advancement may
befall
Thou shalt not kill; but need'st not strive
Officiously to keep alive
Do not
adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it
Thou shalt not steal; an empty
feat
When it's so
lucrative to cheat:
Bear not
false witness; let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet, but tradition
Approves all forms of
competition.
-
Arthur Hugh Clough, "
The New Decalogue"