Poetry · Chapter
CCXXXIX explained
A brief reflection on the Ten Commandments, suggesting that the absence of explicit prohibitions does not prevent one from committing sins not listed.
What happens
A brief reflection on the Ten Commandments, suggesting that the absence of explicit prohibitions does not prevent one from committing sins not listed.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker’s obsessive pursuit of the divine rose fragrance…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Corruption
The stanza implies a loophole in moral law, highlighting the hypocrisy of exploiting unlisted sins.
Key passages
“There are but ten Commandments, true, But that’s no hardship, friend, to you; The sins whereof no line is writ You’re not commanded to commit.”
Though there are only ten commandments, that is no burden for you, because you are not commanded to avoid sins that are not written down.
The speaker sarcastically notes that the absence of a written prohibition on certain sins gives license to commit them.
