Does anyone know who wrote this piece of doggerel ?

Mabel Collins?

Just a guess.

Is is anonymous as far as I can find.

Have you ever heard this piece before ; I think I picked it up around 1943 when I was in the navy .



ote="TTH"]Is is anonymous as far as I can find.[/quote]

Hi eldertoad
I haven't ever heard it and and doing a quick search I found the piece in Literature with unknown author. Sorry

Upon the rock yet uncreate,
Amid a Chans inchoate,
An uncreated Being sate-
Beneath him Rock,
Above Him Cloud,
And the Cloud was Rock,
And the Rock was Cloud.

The Cloud began to take the Form,
The Rock soon growing moist and warm,
As though a something would be Born-
A form Chaotic, vast and vague,
Which issued in the Cosmic Egg.

Then the Being uncreate
Upon the Egg did incubate,
And thus became the Incubator;
And of the Egg did Alligate.
And thus became the Alligator;
And the Incubator was the Potentate,
But the Alligator was the Potentator.

From The Bizarre Notes and Queries in History, Folk-lore, Mathematics, Mysticism, Art, Science, Etc., January, 1890.

Merci,bien, Francis . Can you tell me what is the reference to "Chans"
in the second line . I always thought it read "Amid a chaos inchoate " .
I have no idea where I picked up this bit of doggerel , but I have been
toting it around in the back of my tiny toad-like mind for over 60 years .
It is truly quite amazing that you were able to find a reference .

It's a typo. Everywhere else I find a chaos.


I've seen this poem quoted as "Anonymous" in "Parnassus, selected poems" by Ralph Waldo Emerson..

You know , years ago I made up a title for this didy .

I called it " GENESIS UNHINGED "