SCHILLER'S DYING VISION
("Many things are growing clearer.")
IAS the light beyond draws nearer,Streaming from the farther shore,Many things are growing clearerI but dimly guessed before,—How those legends quaint and oldenVeiled a truth beyond their ken,In their tales of ages golden,When immortals walked with men:How, in symbol and in shadow,Light through darkness dimly broke,Poesy illumed the meadow,And the woodland's music woke;And the spirits, softly sighingThrough the forest, in the stream,On the wind's swift pinions flying,Were not all an idle dream!Now I see how Faith immortalOft hath worn a fable's guise,While she lingered at the portalOf unfathomed mysteries;—How the vague, half-conscious dreamingsOf earth's artless, questioning youthWere but iridescent gleamingsFrom the inmost heart of Truth.How the clear Hellenic visionRead the soul in Nature's face,And the gods of her traditionMade the earth their dwelling place,—Throned on peaks of hoary mountains,Walking earth in form divine,While, in spray of silvery fountains,Naiads' gleaming tresses shine!Dryads, in the forest-shadow,Whispered light at eve and dawn,And the fairies, on the meadow,Danced a measure with the Faun:Radiant forms to earth descendingIn the moonlight, with the dew,—Earthly grace with heavenly blending,—Shone before the poet's view.II'Tis a truth profound that dwellethIn these bright and broken gleamsOf the glory that excellethNoblest poet's fairest dreams!For, with eyes no longer holden,We may trace a presence brightIn the sunset's radiance golden,In the dawn's pale rosy light;In the beauty round us glowing,And in Nature's wondrous course,We may trace, with surer knowing,Her eternal spring and source;And, still more, the deathless storyThrough the ages we may read,How infinite Love and GloryBent themselves to human need,—How the asphodel foreverFades before the amaranth bright—Light hath touched the Stygian river,Dawn the Acherontian night!—For we hear a voice supernalTell us Pluto's reign is o'er,And the rays of Love eternalLight our path for evermore!Love and Hope and Truth and DutyGuide the upward-striving soul,Still evolving higher beautyAs the ages onward roll;Till the light of consecrationGlorify earth's radiant clod,And Life's highest Incarnation—God in man—draw man to God!
IAS the light beyond draws nearer,Streaming from the farther shore,Many things are growing clearerI but dimly guessed before,—How those legends quaint and oldenVeiled a truth beyond their ken,In their tales of ages golden,When immortals walked with men:How, in symbol and in shadow,Light through darkness dimly broke,Poesy illumed the meadow,And the woodland's music woke;And the spirits, softly sighingThrough the forest, in the stream,On the wind's swift pinions flying,Were not all an idle dream!Now I see how Faith immortalOft hath worn a fable's guise,While she lingered at the portalOf unfathomed mysteries;—How the vague, half-conscious dreamingsOf earth's artless, questioning youthWere but iridescent gleamingsFrom the inmost heart of Truth.How the clear Hellenic visionRead the soul in Nature's face,And the gods of her traditionMade the earth their dwelling place,—Throned on peaks of hoary mountains,Walking earth in form divine,While, in spray of silvery fountains,Naiads' gleaming tresses shine!Dryads, in the forest-shadow,Whispered light at eve and dawn,And the fairies, on the meadow,Danced a measure with the Faun:Radiant forms to earth descendingIn the moonlight, with the dew,—Earthly grace with heavenly blending,—Shone before the poet's view.II'Tis a truth profound that dwellethIn these bright and broken gleamsOf the glory that excellethNoblest poet's fairest dreams!For, with eyes no longer holden,We may trace a presence brightIn the sunset's radiance golden,In the dawn's pale rosy light;In the beauty round us glowing,And in Nature's wondrous course,We may trace, with surer knowing,Her eternal spring and source;And, still more, the deathless storyThrough the ages we may read,How infinite Love and GloryBent themselves to human need,—How the asphodel foreverFades before the amaranth bright—Light hath touched the Stygian river,Dawn the Acherontian night!—For we hear a voice supernalTell us Pluto's reign is o'er,And the rays of Love eternalLight our path for evermore!Love and Hope and Truth and DutyGuide the upward-striving soul,Still evolving higher beautyAs the ages onward roll;Till the light of consecrationGlorify earth's radiant clod,And Life's highest Incarnation—God in man—draw man to God!
IAS the light beyond draws nearer,Streaming from the farther shore,Many things are growing clearerI but dimly guessed before,—How those legends quaint and oldenVeiled a truth beyond their ken,In their tales of ages golden,When immortals walked with men:
I
AS the light beyond draws nearer,
Streaming from the farther shore,
Many things are growing clearer
I but dimly guessed before,—
How those legends quaint and olden
Veiled a truth beyond their ken,
In their tales of ages golden,
When immortals walked with men:
How, in symbol and in shadow,Light through darkness dimly broke,Poesy illumed the meadow,And the woodland's music woke;And the spirits, softly sighingThrough the forest, in the stream,On the wind's swift pinions flying,Were not all an idle dream!
How, in symbol and in shadow,
Light through darkness dimly broke,
Poesy illumed the meadow,
And the woodland's music woke;
And the spirits, softly sighing
Through the forest, in the stream,
On the wind's swift pinions flying,
Were not all an idle dream!
Now I see how Faith immortalOft hath worn a fable's guise,While she lingered at the portalOf unfathomed mysteries;—How the vague, half-conscious dreamingsOf earth's artless, questioning youthWere but iridescent gleamingsFrom the inmost heart of Truth.
Now I see how Faith immortal
Oft hath worn a fable's guise,
While she lingered at the portal
Of unfathomed mysteries;—
How the vague, half-conscious dreamings
Of earth's artless, questioning youth
Were but iridescent gleamings
From the inmost heart of Truth.
How the clear Hellenic visionRead the soul in Nature's face,And the gods of her traditionMade the earth their dwelling place,—Throned on peaks of hoary mountains,Walking earth in form divine,While, in spray of silvery fountains,Naiads' gleaming tresses shine!
How the clear Hellenic vision
Read the soul in Nature's face,
And the gods of her tradition
Made the earth their dwelling place,—
Throned on peaks of hoary mountains,
Walking earth in form divine,
While, in spray of silvery fountains,
Naiads' gleaming tresses shine!
Dryads, in the forest-shadow,Whispered light at eve and dawn,And the fairies, on the meadow,Danced a measure with the Faun:Radiant forms to earth descendingIn the moonlight, with the dew,—Earthly grace with heavenly blending,—Shone before the poet's view.
Dryads, in the forest-shadow,
Whispered light at eve and dawn,
And the fairies, on the meadow,
Danced a measure with the Faun:
Radiant forms to earth descending
In the moonlight, with the dew,—
Earthly grace with heavenly blending,—
Shone before the poet's view.
II'Tis a truth profound that dwellethIn these bright and broken gleamsOf the glory that excellethNoblest poet's fairest dreams!For, with eyes no longer holden,We may trace a presence brightIn the sunset's radiance golden,In the dawn's pale rosy light;
II
'Tis a truth profound that dwelleth
In these bright and broken gleams
Of the glory that excelleth
Noblest poet's fairest dreams!
For, with eyes no longer holden,
We may trace a presence bright
In the sunset's radiance golden,
In the dawn's pale rosy light;
In the beauty round us glowing,And in Nature's wondrous course,We may trace, with surer knowing,Her eternal spring and source;And, still more, the deathless storyThrough the ages we may read,How infinite Love and GloryBent themselves to human need,—
In the beauty round us glowing,
And in Nature's wondrous course,
We may trace, with surer knowing,
Her eternal spring and source;
And, still more, the deathless story
Through the ages we may read,
How infinite Love and Glory
Bent themselves to human need,—
How the asphodel foreverFades before the amaranth bright—Light hath touched the Stygian river,Dawn the Acherontian night!—For we hear a voice supernalTell us Pluto's reign is o'er,And the rays of Love eternalLight our path for evermore!
How the asphodel forever
Fades before the amaranth bright—
Light hath touched the Stygian river,
Dawn the Acherontian night!—
For we hear a voice supernal
Tell us Pluto's reign is o'er,
And the rays of Love eternal
Light our path for evermore!
Love and Hope and Truth and DutyGuide the upward-striving soul,Still evolving higher beautyAs the ages onward roll;Till the light of consecrationGlorify earth's radiant clod,And Life's highest Incarnation—God in man—draw man to God!
Love and Hope and Truth and Duty
Guide the upward-striving soul,
Still evolving higher beauty
As the ages onward roll;
Till the light of consecration
Glorify earth's radiant clod,
And Life's highest Incarnation—
God in man—draw man to God!