{
 "id": "david-park-barnitz/sonnet-of-the-instruments-of-death",
 "title": "Sonnet of the Instruments of Death",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "David Park Barnitz",
 "poet_slug": "david-park-barnitz",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "The Book of Jade",
 "book_slug": "the-book-of-jade",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 41,
 "container": "Part II",
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1901,
  "venue": "The Book of Jade (1901)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/bookofjade00gautiala"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/david-park-barnitz_the-book-of-jade",
  "file": "part-2.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46827",
   "https://archive.org/details/bookofjade00gautiala",
   "https://archive.org/details/sim_overland-monthly-and-out-west-magazine_1901-01_37_1"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 14,
  "n_stanzas": 4,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 48,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "Adorned daggers, ruby-hilted swords;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Huge mortal serpents in gold volumes roll’d;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "All-holy poisons in wrought cups of gold;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Unfailing crucifixes of strong cords;",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Mortal baptismal waters without fords,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Wherein lie death’s communicants untold⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which of these instruments blessed and old,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Is meetest for life’s purple-robed lords?",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Ye that commune in death’s ciborium,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of all the vessels in his sacristy",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which will ye choose to make of you a clod⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Sharp swords, bright lightnings, orient opium?⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "All these, brave souls, are of one sanctity;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "All ways are good whereby ye pass to God.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}