| Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936). Verse: 1885–1918. 1922. | | | | Gehazi |
| | 1915
“WHENCE comest thou, Gehazi, | |
| So reverend to behold, | |
| In scarlet and in ermines | |
| And chain of England’s gold?” | |
| “From following after Naaman | 5 |
| To tell him all is well, | |
| Whereby my zeal hath made me | |
| A Judge in Israel.” | |
| |
| Well done, well done, Gehazi! | |
| Stretch forth thy ready hand, | 10 |
| Thou barely ’scaped from judgment, | |
| Take oath to judge the land | |
| Unswayed by gift of money | |
| Or privy bribe, more base, | |
| Of knowledge which is profit | 15 |
| In any market-place. | |
| |
| Search out and probe, Gehazi, | |
| As thou of all canst try, | |
| The truthful, well-weighed answer | |
| That tells the blacker lie— | 20 |
| The loud, uneasy virtue | |
| The anger feigned at will, | |
| To overbear a witness | |
| And make the Court keep still. | |
| |
| Take order now, Gehazi, | 25 |
| That no man talk aside | |
| In secret with his judges | |
| The while his case is tried. | |
| Lest he should show them—reason | |
| To keep a matter hid, | 30 |
| And subtly lead the questions | |
| Away from what he did. | |
| |
| Thou mirror of uprightness, | |
| What ails thee at thy vows? | |
| What means the risen whiteness | 35 |
| Of the skin between thy brows? | |
| The boils that shine and burrow, | |
| The sores that slough and bleed— | |
| The leprosy of Naaman | |
| On thee and all thy seed? | 40 |
| Stand up, stand up, Gehazi, | |
| Draw close thy robe and go, | |
| Gehazi, Judge in Israel, | |
| A leper white as snow! | | | | |
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