THE MORAL
The youth cried in anguish: "God,My life is bowed down beneathIts woe! I am no mere clod—There's fire in my blood and breath."You, Who made me of flesh, not stone,Of quivering tissues—dareYou leave me to face aloneA grief past my strength to bear?"Life might be veriest heaven,Life can be veriest hell—InYourhands rests what is given.God, I hold You responsible!"Then the man who was growing greyObserved: "In an idle moodGod blew bubbles one dayAnd loosed the glistening broodOn the welkin, one by one—Myriads of worlds they sped:There were planets and moon and sun,And one was the globe we tread."Then the Spirit that Nullifies,Men term Death, asked: "How long?" (One fearsGod shrugged.) "While I blink my eyes—Shall we say a billion years?"*****The youth on the fable broke,And scorn in his accents ran:"What is all this to me? I spokeTo God ofMyself, old man."
The youth cried in anguish: "God,My life is bowed down beneathIts woe! I am no mere clod—There's fire in my blood and breath."You, Who made me of flesh, not stone,Of quivering tissues—dareYou leave me to face aloneA grief past my strength to bear?"Life might be veriest heaven,Life can be veriest hell—InYourhands rests what is given.God, I hold You responsible!"Then the man who was growing greyObserved: "In an idle moodGod blew bubbles one dayAnd loosed the glistening broodOn the welkin, one by one—Myriads of worlds they sped:There were planets and moon and sun,And one was the globe we tread."Then the Spirit that Nullifies,Men term Death, asked: "How long?" (One fearsGod shrugged.) "While I blink my eyes—Shall we say a billion years?"*****The youth on the fable broke,And scorn in his accents ran:"What is all this to me? I spokeTo God ofMyself, old man."
The youth cried in anguish: "God,My life is bowed down beneathIts woe! I am no mere clod—There's fire in my blood and breath.
The youth cried in anguish: "God,
My life is bowed down beneath
Its woe! I am no mere clod—
There's fire in my blood and breath.
"You, Who made me of flesh, not stone,Of quivering tissues—dareYou leave me to face aloneA grief past my strength to bear?
"You, Who made me of flesh, not stone,
Of quivering tissues—dare
You leave me to face alone
A grief past my strength to bear?
"Life might be veriest heaven,Life can be veriest hell—InYourhands rests what is given.God, I hold You responsible!"
"Life might be veriest heaven,
Life can be veriest hell—
InYourhands rests what is given.
God, I hold You responsible!"
Then the man who was growing greyObserved: "In an idle moodGod blew bubbles one dayAnd loosed the glistening brood
Then the man who was growing grey
Observed: "In an idle mood
God blew bubbles one day
And loosed the glistening brood
On the welkin, one by one—Myriads of worlds they sped:There were planets and moon and sun,And one was the globe we tread."
On the welkin, one by one—
Myriads of worlds they sped:
There were planets and moon and sun,
And one was the globe we tread."
Then the Spirit that Nullifies,Men term Death, asked: "How long?" (One fearsGod shrugged.) "While I blink my eyes—Shall we say a billion years?"
Then the Spirit that Nullifies,
Men term Death, asked: "How long?" (One fears
God shrugged.) "While I blink my eyes—
Shall we say a billion years?"
*****
The youth on the fable broke,And scorn in his accents ran:"What is all this to me? I spokeTo God ofMyself, old man."
The youth on the fable broke,
And scorn in his accents ran:
"What is all this to me? I spoke
To God ofMyself, old man."