{
 "id": "ambrose-bierce/j-f-b",
 "title": "J. F. B.",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "Ambrose Bierce",
 "poet_slug": "ambrose-bierce",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Shapes of Clay",
 "book_slug": "shapes-of-clay",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 41,
 "container": "Shapes of Clay",
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1903,
  "venue": "Shapes of Clay (1903)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/shapesofclay00bier"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
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  "repo": "standardebooks/ambrose-bierce_poetry",
  "file": "shapes-of-clay.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4793",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12658",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12977",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15599",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof04bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof05bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof08bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/shapesofclay00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/blackbeetlesinam00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/literarycalifor05mighgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/cali07webb"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 14,
  "n_stanzas": 1,
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  [
   {
    "text": "How well this man unfolded to our view",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The world’s beliefs of Death and Heaven and Hell⁠—",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "This man whose own convictions none could tell,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Nor if his maze of reason had a clew.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Dogmas he wrote for daily bread, but knew",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The fair philosophies of doubt so well",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "That while we listened to his words there fell",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Some that were strangely comforting if true.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Marking how wise we grew upon his doubt,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "We said: “If so, by groping in the night,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "He can proclaim some certain paths of trust,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "How great our profit if he saw about",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "His feet the highways leading to the light.”",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Now he sees all. Ah, Christ! his mouth is dust!",
    "indent": 1
   }
  ]
 ]
}