# A Spade explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

## What happens

The chapter uses the image of a spade that turned the first sod for the Central Pacific Railroad as a symbol of corruption and ruin. It reflects on the blood, tears, and moral decay associated with the railroad's construction, envisioning a procession of corrupt judges, bribed legislators, and sycophantic scribes, ultimately portraying the spade as a devil's lance surrounded by the ghosts of murdered virtues.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The spade is depicted as a tool of corruption, stained with blood and tears, and linked to a procession of corrupt judges, bribed legislators, and sycophantic scribes, exposing the moral decay behind the railroad's construction.

### Political Satire

The poem satirizes the political and legal figures involved in the railroad's development, portraying them as gold-greedy, bribe-taking, and complicit in the exploitation of the people.

## Key lines

> Precursor of our woes, historic spade, What dismal records burn upon thy blade!

The spade that began the railroad is a harbinger of suffering, its blade scarred with terrible history.

_The speaker addresses the spade as a symbol of the railroad's destructive legacy._

> Upon thy handle sanguinary bands Reveal the clutching of thine owner’s hands When first he wielded thee with vigor brave To cut a sod and dig a people’s grave

The bloodstains on the handle show how the owner's grip, once bold, turned the first shovel into a grave for the people.

_The act of breaking ground for the railroad is reframed as digging a mass grave for those exploited._

> Within thee, as within a magic glass, I seem to see a foul procession pass⁠— Judges with ermine dragging in the mud And spotted here and there with guiltless blood; Gold-greedy legislators jingling bribes; Kept editors and sycophantic scribes; Liars in swarms and plunderers in tribes!

In the spade's surface, like a mirror, I see a parade of corrupt judges, bribe-taking lawmakers, bought journalists, and thieves.

_The spade reflects a vision of systemic corruption involving the judiciary, legislature, and press._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters/a-spade
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_se/chapters