THE LONG QUEST
“Has the longest prayer of man been answered to thee, Stranger, and hast thou thy friend?â€â€”Amiel’s Journal.
“Has the longest prayer of man been answered to thee, Stranger, and hast thou thy friend?â€
—Amiel’s Journal.
Friend, I have found thee not; I have not heardThy voice, nor touched thy hand, nor seen thine eyesGrow clear with that great speech which needs not words:Yet do I seek thee—asking of the stars,Low-swung across this desert sky of mine,If anywhere they shine on one who goesSwift-footed to like end on kindred road.Yet do I seek thee—asking of the wind,Old Master-Singer, singing down the world,Mingling all music in his endless song,If he has caught some word, some tone, of thineTo stir my silence like a trumpet call.I seek thee where the tall pines laugh and leanAgainst the sun, against the storm and cloud;For thou art strong like them and swift to joy;Strong to endure; deep-rooted into life;And glad of earth as of the blue above.I seek thee where the patient grasses goAcross the hills; their patience is as thine;Thy quiet surety that Life’s barrens yetShall blossom; yet shall yield their fruit and seed;Not less, nor less approved, measured at last,Than lavish harvests won by lighter toil.I seek thee where the wild floods whirl and swingThrough riven cañons, mad to reach the sea;As some great soul that dares to know the all—The worst, the best, the farthest bound of life;Holding the pain and passion little priceFor one strong leap beyond the utmost verge,One mighty hail across the infinite.Friend, friend, I seek thee; holding that high questBetter than all earth’s finding. Go thy waySwift and unhindered under thine own star;Along whatever way thy feet must takePast high and higher, on to higher yet;On to the farthest peak thine eyes can see;—I seek thee, seek thee; call to thee “God speed!â€Go thou, nor wait—sure that somewhere I come.