
SHAPES OF CLAY - By Ambrose Bierce - Author Of "In The Midst Of Life," "Can Such Things Be?" "Black Beetles In Amber," And "Fantastic Fables" - 1903
DEDICATION.
PREFACE.
SHAPES OF CLAY
THE PASSING SHOW.
ELIXER VITAE.
CONVALESCENT.
AT THE CLOSE OF THE CANVASS.
NOVUM ORGANUM.
GEOTHEOS.
A vivid, dream‑like panorama opens the collection, where towering palaces and golden domes loom over a restless multitude, while darker, somber spires hint at the inevitable passage of time. The poet moves between awe of human ambition and a quiet meditation on mortality, letting the city’s glittering façades converse with the hidden, stone‑bound homes of the dead. Through this contrast, readers glimpse a world where grandeur and fragility coexist, prompting both wonder and a subtle, unsettling introspection.
The verses that follow were originally scattered across newspapers, now gathered and reshaped into a single, unapologetically candid voice. The author defends the right to preserve even the most contentious pieces, arguing that satire and criticism belong to the public sphere despite potential offense. Listeners will be drawn into a tapestry of humor, seriousness, and sentiment, each poem inviting them to discern its tone and contemplate the delicate balance between creation and decay.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (268K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Etext produced by Rick Niles, Kat Jeter, John Hagerson and PG Distributed Proofreaders HTML file produced by David Widger
Release date
Jun 1, 2004
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1842–1913
Best known for The Devil’s Dictionary and unforgettable tales of war and terror, this sharp-tongued American writer turned bitterness, irony, and dark humor into an art form. His life ended in one of literature’s great mysteries after he vanished in Mexico in late 1913.
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