"The Laws of God, The Laws of Man" by A.E. Housman (poetry reading)

So why is Housman so upset?

He was homosexual at a very difficult time in history. (Except that the word homosexual wasn't common then) He was only 5 years younger than Oscar Wilde who served 2 years in jail for "gross indecency" under the 1885 act.

Sodomy was a hanging offence in Byron's day, which he why he fled the Greece where they took a more liberal view of it. Until 1861 a man could be hanged for sodomy, although the last hanging was in 1836. There's more about Byron and Wilde here:
http://mural.uv.es/katzan/2ndpaper.htm

As Housman says so vehemently, it was all so terribly, terribly unfair. Man has now realised his mistake and changed his laws.

Obviously God hasn't changed His laws because He's infallible, nor do I see why they wouldn't apply on Saturn or Mercury...

Category:

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Tags:

• Laws
• of
• God
• Man
• sodomy
• homosexuality
• Housman

[skellymatters1]

The speaker messed up line 3.

[SpokenVerse]

How? Nobody's perfect, but you'll have to be specific.

[skellymatters1]

You reversed the order, you said "...let man and God decree..." where it should be read "...let God and man decree..." Nothing major. I meant no offense.

[SpokenVerse]

Well said. Thank you for pointing this out.

[SonicR30]

This is amazing

[XxxLivenLetRockxxX]

Thank you for this poem

[paulmercy]

Housman is such a genius. This poem is perplexing because he begins with a clear, even forceful, argument and then capitulates at the end. Moreover, he refers to Saturn & Mercury, which have conflicting symbology (Matter over Mind / Conformity vs. Mind over Matter / Curiosity). I'm left wondering what the underlying message is here.

A poem to mull over and revisit.

[SpokenVerse]

It is your right to hold views and to express them.

You say that the Laws of God in Leviticus apply to Jews but those in Exodus and Deuteronomy, the Ten Commandments, apply to Christians too, if I understand you.

I do not have religious beliefs but I do not deny the possibility that there is a God.

If God exists why does He communicate different Laws to Muslims, Jews, Christians when this causes endless conflicts?

Perhaps God doesn't exist and man creates the conflicts.

[MULESLAX]

That law is for jews

[MULESLAX]

If you love god with all your heart you will keep the ten commandments