What term is preferred when we talk about Man being created. I read in a poem written by Coventry Patmore the word 'clay':
Than I whom Thou hast moulded from the clay,
But I've read the words "soil" and "dust" too.
According to Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_of_life_from_clay]
So which is the latest used term?
a. soil
b. dust
c. clay
d. earth
Obviously the poem you refer to is based on the biblical account of creation from the book of Genesis.
The bible was written in a number of ancient languages - specifically, Genesis was written in Hebrew - and subsequently translated into modern languages, including English.
Translations of the bible have changed over the years for a number of reasons. Improved understanding of the ancient languages by language scholars has allowed for a more accurate translation, particularly of idiomatic language. Also, as modern language has changed, revisions try to render the meaning of the original language into something that is understandable by people today. Your biblical quotation appears to come from the original King James Version, which is written in early modern English with all the "thees" and "thous" and is not easily understood today.
So, bible translations in English do render words and expressions differently. The Hebrew word at Genesis 2:7 (‘ā·p̄ār) is literally rendered "dust". Scholars understand that this idiomatically means the earth's soil, because the entire phrase used is "‘ā·p̄ār min- hā·’ă·ḏā·māh" (dust of the ground). You can understand why some modern translators may not use "dust", because in modern use this tends to refer to an unwanted buildup of waste-matter, not soil. Some bible translations have therefore rendered it "clay", or have specified "dust from the ground".
As the poem quoted from the King James version, there would be no reason to change it just because later translations of the bible into English use a different word.
Wikipedia lists 450 different English translations of the Bible, so there is really no single "current" term. Some 'reference' Bibles exist that include study notes explaining certain idiomatic terms and alternate renderings of words, and these can help give a more rounded understanding of the meaning and why the translators chose a particular rendering.
