Masonic Poetry

I just stumbled upon this Masonic poem, from the collection of the Masonic Poets Society which seems to deal with all the issues which Freemasons frequently encounter on ATS. I just thought it highly appropriate for this site.

Mystery Society
by Owen Lorien

Throughout recent history,
the Masons have been plagued
By a misapprehension,
to a sad misnomer pegged.
This group of goodly fellows,
a brotherhood of man,
Has been accused of being
nothing but an evil scam!

What is the foundation
to disseminate such woe,
To spread such allegations
that the Masons are a foe?
It is the reputation
of our sweet Society
Of being much renowned
for its fabled SECRECY!

"Would you be a Mason?
Answer yes or answer no!"
There were times it could be dangerous
to tell some people so.
Though the Nazis took their vengeance
mainly on the Jewish folk,
The Mason also had to take
a care to whom he spoke.

There are the handshakes and the passwords
handed down for centuries
(Not that different from boys
with a clubhouse in the trees).
But what really makes us secret,
which the profane do despise,
Is the RITUALS we practice,
which we hide from prying eyes.

"Is it true you worship Satan?
Do you really ride a goat?
Is it fact that if you tell,
then someone will slit your throat?"
Oh, the myths that people make up
when they do not know the story
Of our "mystic" symbolism,
and our "shrouded" allegory!

Through the mischief of old Taxil,
and his forgeries of Pike
The Luciferian Heresy is
a simple lie outright.
It's outlived generations,
it's been totally debunked,
But repetitious demagogues
won't let it lay defunct.

When we address our Maker as
the G. A. O. T. U.
Do you wonder they assume
there's a GOAT among our crew?
Great Architect Of The Universe
may be what we call God,
But that's so we will not argue
in the confines of our Lodge.

The vows and oaths we take
are Draconian and fell,
(They bring to mind the punishments
of ancient Israel).
Yet they're purely metaphoric —
always will be, ever were —
But they bind us all as brothers
with a bond made to endure.

We say we're not political,
we do not foment war.
Then we brag about our heros:
Washington and Bolivar.
We've o'er our share of princes,
legislators, presidents.
This is a contradiction,
and a secret represents.

We say we're not religious,
that we promulgate no creed,
Yet we call our buildings temples,
and we Bible verses read.
We adapt to Jew and Gentile,
to Hinduism and Islam
So there must be a secret,
we can do this without qualm.

Master Mason is a title
that's not arrogant to bear,
But Worshipful, or Potentate,
or Grand Exalted chair?
The titles become fanciful,
the hats look awfully frilly.
What's the secret men respectfully
will seem to act this silly?

There is secret piled on secret,
but they really don't mean shucks
Any more than do the trappings
of our mighty muck-a-mucks.
What we're really all about
is the betterment of people,
Just as standing on the level
makes us all each others' equal.

So what's the answer brothers,
how do we shake this curse
Of being known as "secret",
and suspect of even worse?
Let's try to change the thinking —
starting with the friends we know —
That we're not a "Secret Order",
that's a term that's got to go.

Instead let's say the Masons
are a Lodge of "Mysteries".
Our rituals are plays:
detective stories if you please.
And just as it would spoil the play
to give away the end
So we conceal the ritual,
our mystery to defend.

As a "Mystery Society"
then let us now be known,
With the Mysteries of the Ages
as our Lodges' stepping stones.
Let the Mysteries of the Symbols
and the Mysteries of the Rite
Lend an air of Mystic Mysteriousness
to Masonry tonight!

Source

[edit on 18/5/2010 by Saurus]

Thank you so much for posting this. I still hear these claims from my own wife as she comes across them online.

that's a very good poem, imo

i like the beat
i like the rhyme

even the author's name is a poem

ow-en
lor-i-en

thank you, Saurus!

At the Muezzin's call for prayer
The kneeling faithful thronged the square;
Amid a monastery's weeds,
An old Franciscan told his beads,

While on Pushkara's lofty height
A dark priest chanted Brahma's might,
While to the synagogue there came
A Jew, to praise Jehovah's Name.

The One Great God looked down and smiled
And counted each His loving child;
For Turk and Brahmin, monk and Jew
Has reached Him through the gods they knew.

[Author Unknown]

The Mother Lodge



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




THERE was Rundle, Station Master,
An' Beazeley of the Rail,
An' 'Ackman, Commissariat,
An' Donkin' o' the Jail;
An' Blake, Conductor-Sergeant,
Our Master twice was 'e,
With im that kept the Europe-shop,
Old Framjee Edu1jee.
Outside - " Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!
Inside - 'Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!

We'd Bola Nath, Accountant,
An' Saul the Aden Jew,
An' Din Mohammed, draughtsman
Of the Survey Office too;
There was Babu Chuckerbutty,
An' Amir Singh the Sikh,
An' Castro from the fittin'-sheds,
The Roman Catholick!

We 'adn't good regalia,
An' our Lodge was old an' bare,
But we knew the Ancient Landmarks,
An' we kep' 'em to a hair;
An' lookin' on it backwards
It often strikes me thus,
There ain't such things as infidels,
Excep', per'aps, it's us.

For monthly, after Labour,
We'd all sit down and smoke
(We dursn't give no banquets,
Lest a Brother's caete were broke),
An' man on man got talkin'
Religion an' the rest,
An' every man comparin'
Of the God 'c knew the best.

So man on man got talkin',
An' not a Brother stirred
Till mornin' waked the parrots
An' that dam' brain-fever-bird.
We'd say 'twas 'ighly curious,
An' we'd all ride 'ome to bed,
With Mo'ammed, God, an' Shiva
Changin' pickets in our 'ead.

Full oft on Guv'ment service
This rovin' foot 'ath pressed,
An' bore fraternal greetin's
To the Lodges east an' west,
Accordin' as commanded.
From Kohat to Singapore,
But I wish that I might see them
In my Mother-Lodge once more!

I wish that I might see them,
My Brethren black an' brown,
With the trichies smellin' pleasant
An' the hog-darn passin' down;
An' the old khansamah snorin'
On the bottle-khana floor,
Like a Master in good standing
With my Mother-Lodge once more.

Outside - Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!'
Inside- Brother," an' it doesn't do no 'arm.
We met upon the Level an' we parted on the Square,
An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother-Lodge out there!




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

this was an beautiful poetry.i love the word

I AM FREEMASONRY

I was born in antiquity, in the ancient days when men first dreamed of God. I have been tried through the ages, and found true. The crossroads of the world bear the imprint of my feet, and the cathedrals of all nations mark the skill of my hands. I strive for beauty and for symmetry. In my heart is wisdom and strength and courage for those who ask. Upon my alters is the Book of Holy Writ, and my prayers are to the One Omnipotent God, my sons work and pray together, without rank or discord, in the public mart and in the inner chamber. By signs and symbols I teach the lessons of life and of death and the relationship of man with God and of man with man.

My arms are widespread to receive those of lawful age and good report who seek me of their own free will. I accept them and teach them to use my tools in the building of men, and thereafter, find direction in their own quest for perfection so much desired and so difficult to attain. I lift up the fallen and shelter the sick. I hark to the orphans' cry, the widows tears, the pain of the old and destitute. I am not church, nor party, nor school, yet my sons bear a full share of responsibility to God, to country, to neighbour and themselves. They are freemen, tenacious of their liberties and alert to lurking danger. At the end I commit them as each one undertakes the journey beyond the vale into the glory of everlasting life.

I ponder the sand within the glass and think how small is a single life in the eternal universe. Always have I taught immortality, and even as I raise men from darkness into light, I am a way of life. I Am Freemasonry.

- Ray V. Denslow, 1933, Solomon Lodge #484, Texas
Source

My husband has a lot of older books about masonry and one of them has one called On Yonder Book that I really like. He explained to me the steps and due guards used in this. I can only imagine the import and meaning it holds for those that have gone through the degrees.

Confession: I LOVE the single letter keys. He would have me practice degrees with him so I know what things like WYBOOF? mean. I can still read all three degrees in single letter; even the long ass obligation. ;-)

In Mason's Lodge with darkened eyes
And cable tow about you
You swore to Hale all mysteries
That Masons keep and Masons prize
The Brothers secrets whispered low,
The words they speak, the things they do,
In mystic manner taught you.

On yonder book, that oath you took, and you should break it never. But stand by this(1), and this(2), and this(3), forever and forever.

You swore to answer and Obey
The Summons sent you duly
My Brothers hand or Lodge array,
You swore that you would never stray
From laws and rules that bound
Freemasons in the days renowned
But would observe them truly.

On yonder book that oath you took, and you should break it never, But stand by this(4), and this(5), and this(6), forever and forever,

You swore in charity to care
For all with sorrow smitten,
The Brother on the darkened square,
The Widow, full of grief and care,
The sorrowing orphan doomed to stray
On life's cold path and cheerless way
While tears gush forth unbidden.

On yonder book that oath you took, and you should break it never, But stand by this(7), and this(8), and this(9), forever and forever

You swore to deal in honesty
With each true heart around you
That honour bright should ever be
The unbroken bond, twixt him and thee'
Nor wrong, nor guile, nor cruel fraud
Should ever break or loose that holy chord
With which these vows have bound you

You swore the chastity to shield
Of women true and tender
A brother's wife, A brothers child
His Mother, Sister, Undefiled
Those, pure of heart, whose love
Makes Masons' homes like heaven above
You are their sworn defender

On yonder book, three oaths you took and you should break them never
But stand by this(10), and this(11), and this(12), forever and forever.

These are our vows, be these our care,
And may such light be given
In answer to our earnest prayer
That we may ever do or dare.
All that Gods gracious laws enjoin
That, so,when shades of night decline.
We may be found in heaven.

On this fair book these vows we all took and we should break them never But stand by this(13), and this(14), and this(15), forever and forever.


At 1 The presenter takes Step
At 2 The presenter shows E.A. sign
At 3 The presenter cuts E.A. sign

AT 4 The presenter takes step
At 5 The presenter shows F.C. sign
At 6 The presenter discharges F.C. sign

At 7 The presenter takes step
At 8 The presenter shows M.M. sign
At 9 The presenter discharges M.M. sign and recovers

At 10 The presenter takes step, shows E.A. sign, and cuts it
At 11 The presenter takes step, shows F.C. sign and discharges it
At 12 The presenter takes step, shows M.M. sign, discharges it and recovers

At 13 The presenter puts right hand on the V.O.S.L.
At 14 The presenter indicates the Sq. & C,s.
At 15 The presenter kneels & seals once on the V.O.S.L.

Here's a nice concise version.


IN MASONS LODGE, WITH DARKENED EYES; WITH CABLE TOW AROUND ME I SWORE TO HAIL
ALL MYSTERIES THAT MASONS KEEP, AND MASONS PRIZE ALL THEY SPEAK, ALL THINGS THEY
DO, IN MYSTIC MANNER TAUGHT ME.
FOR:

ON YONDER BOOK, THAT OATH I TOOK, AND WILL I BREAK IT? NEVER.
BUT STAND BY THIS (STEP EA) AND THIS (SIGN OF EA) FOREVER AND FOREVER!

I SWORE TO ANSWER AND OBEY ALL SUMMONS SENT ME BY BROTHERS HAND OR LODGE, I
SWORE THAT I WOULD NEVER STRAY FROM LAWS AND RULES THAT BOUND, BUT WOULD OBSERVE
THEM TRULY, FOR:

ON YONDER BOOK, THAT OATH I TOOK, AND WILL I BREAK IT? NEVER.
BUT STAND BY THIS (STEP FC) AND THIS (SIGN OF FC) FOREVER AND FOREVER!

I SWORE TO LEAD WITH GENEROUS CARE, ALL THOSE IN SORROW, A BROTHER ON THE
DARKENED SQUARE. THE ORPHAN, UPON THE ROUGH AND RUGGED WAY. FOR:

ON YONDER BOOK, THAT OATH I TOOK, AND WILL I BREAK IT? NEVER.
BUT STAND BY THIS (STEP MM) AND THIS (SIGN OF MM) FOREVER AND FOREVER!

I SWORE TO DEAL IN HONESTY, WITH EACH TRUE HEART AROUND ME. THAT HONOR BRIGHT
SHOULD EVER BE, UNBROKEN BONDS BETWEEN HIM AND ME. FOR:


ON YONDER BOOK, THAT OATH I TOOK, AND WILL I BREAK IT? NEVER.
BUT STAND BY THIS (STEP & SIGN EA) AND THIS (STEP & SIGN OF FC)
AND THIS (STEP & SIGN OF MM) FOREVER AND FOREVER!

I SWORE THE PORTALS CLOSE TO GUARD OF THE MASONIC TEMPLE, TO BUILD EACH MYSTIC
WALL ACROSS, WITH BODY PERFECT, UPRIGHT HEART AND MIND MATURE BY PRECEPT AND
EXAMPLE. FOR:

ON YONDER BOOK, THAT OATH I TOOK, AND WILL I BREAK IT? NEVER.
BUT STAND BY THIS (POINT TO GREAT LIGHTS) AND THIS (POINT TO LETTER G) AND THIS
(POINT TO WM AND BRETHREN) FOREVER AND FOREVER!

I will always support Secret Societies.

reply to post by RadarOReilly


Very nice - thanks for this one! :-)

reply to post by Saurus


You're welcome. Apparently this is recited/performed in his lodge after one is raised.

reply to post by RadarOReilly

It depends on the Lodge, but for most it is an optional piece to deliver to a candidate. My Lodge does give this piece though after the set ritual has been completed.

reply to post by KSigMason


I've never even heard it before! In any of the five constitutions here in South Africa!

I do know this one though, which is vaguely similar in the last verse:

“The mason's square doth clear the air of folly and deception
The rule is straight, the angle clear, for greatness has direction
By the compasses abide the points within so far and wide
No pleasure sway nor profit tempt these bounds of Mason pride
Greatness, what your virtues are; good deeds practiced wide and far
And that secret of Masonic love is learning who you really are

For the great Book knows what man can’t hide
A life that’s measured from inside
And on that book that oath we took
And we will break it never
But stand by this [shows VSL], and this [places square on VSL], and this [places compasses on square]
Forever and forever”

Saurus
I've never even heard it before! In any of the five constitutions here in South Africa!

We refer to it as the Canadian Charge and it is an optional piece however our current District Ritual Instructor and Past Master enjoys delivering this to all new Master Masons. I have to say it is one of my favorite pieces.

reply to post by AugustusMasonicus


All the more reason to plan a visit to that side of the world soon! :-)

reply to post by Saurus


Wow that was really cool thanks for sharing.

I agree Masonry has been sorely misunderstood.
I myself failed and judged when that isn't my authority.

Time to set the wrongs to right.
The Truth will now come to light.

The forelorn will no longer be scorn.

reply to post by Saurus


I'm very impressed. Now I need to study more.