From the “Afterword” to Romanzero (1851)

Summary

Lying on one's deathbed, one becomes quite soft-hearted and sentimental and wants to make peace with God and world. I admit it, I have scratched many, bitten many, and was no lamb. But believe me, those much-praised gentle lambs would have behaved less meekly if they had had the teeth and paws of a tiger. I can at least be proud that I have only seldom made use of these weapons I was born with. Now that I myself have relied upon the mercy of God, I have granted amnesty to all of my enemies; a number of beautiful poems aimed at very high and very low personages were thus not included in the current collection. Poems which contained any sort of insinuations against God Almighty, I have given over to the flames with anxious zeal. Better for the verses to burn than the versifier. Yes, I have made peace with both the Creation and the Creator, to the great annoyance of my enlightened friends who have criticized me for falling back into the old superstitions, as they have liked to call my return home to God. Others, in their intolerance used even choicer expressions. The whole High Clergy of atheism has pronounced its anathema on me, and there are fanatic priests of unbelief who would gladly put me on the rack to get me to confess my heresies. Fortunately, the only means of torture at their disposal are their writings. But I will gladly confess everything without any torture.