A Creed Poem by John Masefield

This creed is cruel pernicious nonsense dressed up in excellent verse. It reminds me of Plato's ill-considered dictum that women are the reincarnation of cowardly men. What survives of us is in those we leave behind - and that should be our goal: to leave them with the benefit of our having lived. Not long ago an English football manager was sacked for suggesting that crippled people are people whose previous lives were in some way not up to scratch.

i grow so weary.. when ones lack faith.. forced then must give another.. and with your chains.. i pull my brother as his sister wails. when you kill a child of their's... Be it Muslim, Cristian know some will.. While Buddha lays reclined.... And creed may share his meal...iip

I am a Buddhist, and this poem perfectly expresses my beliefs. I would love to find out how it was that he was exposed to such 'Eastern' religious ideas. Does anybody know?

great poem, thank you. :) love it

This is Indian philosophy...and I can relate to it but do not subscribe to it

A creed by john Masefield is supporting philosophy of Hinduism! It is a nice composition to read!

The link to rebirth lays deeper than religious assumtions and can barely be expressed out of eastern custom&culture, which is often synonymous to Bhudism. The word is 'moksh' a sanskrit word for destiny or I say, to fit in the precise slot of a jigsaw puzzle. And so long as one doesn't fit in there, one's supposed to be stuck in the laybrinth of rebirth and death...which is tediously an Hindu ideology, mistaken for Bhudist wisdom_ as Bhudisim is an unparalled pathway of Hinduism, generated to the west by english imperialists from Afganistan, Srilanka, India, Bangladesh and China.

I don't know, or should say, believe in rebirths... But I know 1 thing for sure... If I do something wrong, I have to face the same(multiplied by 10) ... In this very birth.. So be it the instance of rebirth..or else.. The magnet of sin always attracts sorrow.. Isn't it! !

It is akin to hindu mythology which may have influenced the poet.

Marvellous poem. I like it.