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What if this present were the world's last night?
Mark in my heart, O soul, where thou dost dwell,
The picture of Christ crucified, and tell
Whether that countenance can thee affright,
Tears in his eyes quench the amazing light,
Blood fills his frowns, which from his pierced head fell.
And can that tongue adjudge thee unto hell,
Which prayed forgiveness for his foes' fierce spite?
No, no; but as in my idolatry
I said to all my profane mistresses,
Beauty, of pity, foulness only is
A sign of rigour: so I say to thee,
To wicked spirits are horrid shapes assigned,
This beauteous form assures a piteous mind.
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Copyright © 2003-2008 Gunnar Bengtsson, Poetry Connection. All Rights Reserved.
There is an ambiguity in this poem, possibly due to uncertain punctuation. "tell," at the end of the third line, governs the following subordinate clause, beginning with "whether," making it a question. As here punctuated, the "tell" also governs lines 5 and 6, making a threefold question governed by the verb "tell."
Some versions punctuate with a semi-colon at the end of the fourth line, in which case lines 5 and 6 become statements rather than questions.
It seems to me that it can be interpreted either way, but that how one reads that punctuation makes a big difference in the interpretation.