From the throng’d and thick world under,I arise with step of thunder.Through the mantle of my fire,Through my flaming locks of hair,Glows the form that all desire,But more bright than they can bear;For although I make men see,None can dare to gaze on me.Whether I rise in fire or blood,Mortals hail me lord or god.Then, before my battling knees,Bubbling boil the surging seas,And the clouds are writhing brentBy my fiery chastisement.With my right hand held on high,I let Life, the Angel, fly;With my left, I grip and quellDeath, the Old Man, drag’d from hell.But ye men, who bow so lowAt my gorgeous orient, knowThat for ever in chains I go.I am lord for I am slave;Conqueror because I save;Master for I must obey;God because I burn away.Though my lordly planets pace,Peers before my sovran face,In them every grain of sandGoverns me with like command.So within my empery,Only he who serves is freeAnd shall win the victory.The Boy awakes
From the throng’d and thick world under,
I arise with step of thunder.
Through the mantle of my fire,
Through my flaming locks of hair,
Glows the form that all desire,
But more bright than they can bear;
For although I make men see,
None can dare to gaze on me.
Whether I rise in fire or blood,
Mortals hail me lord or god.
Then, before my battling knees,
Bubbling boil the surging seas,
And the clouds are writhing brent
By my fiery chastisement.
With my right hand held on high,
I let Life, the Angel, fly;
With my left, I grip and quell
Death, the Old Man, drag’d from hell.
But ye men, who bow so low
At my gorgeous orient, know
That for ever in chains I go.
I am lord for I am slave;
Conqueror because I save;
Master for I must obey;
God because I burn away.
Though my lordly planets pace,
Peers before my sovran face,
In them every grain of sand
Governs me with like command.
So within my empery,
Only he who serves is free
And shall win the victory.
The Boy awakes
PHILOSOPHIES
By SIR RONALD ROSS
Third Impression.2s.net.
“It is fitting that in this, our great journal, there should be recognition of another to whom must be given the double laurel of science and poetry.”—Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, inJournal of the American Medical Association.
“Sir Ronald Ross’s little book, ‘Philosophies,’ has never received much attention in the press, but it contains some of the best of contemporary verse.”—Solomon Eagle, inThe New Statesman.
“To the man of science, no song of triumph could be nobler. . . . The poet of science has here given us one of the rarest gifts in literature.”—The Nation.
“Yes, the thunder and the fire have filled his lips with flame, and his little book is an event in the development of English Poetry.”—Sir Edward Russell, inThe Liverpool Daily Post.
“First and last the work of a poet. . . . Cannot for a moment be considered as a bye-product of a mind engaged with science. . . . The quality of the poetry will be already evident from the few quotations given; its austere distinction, its freedom from mere ornament, its closeness to the large imagination beneath it. . . . Professor Ross can shape his morality into great and statuesque imagination. . . . Readers must be left to find out for themselves the grave thought, concise yet dignified phrasing and tremendous tropical imagery of ‘In Exile.’”—Mr. Lascelles Abercrombie, inThe Liverpool Courier.
“I read it (In Exile) aloud last night to my wife. We think that it is byfar the most splendid poem of modern times. It is magnificent. It moved us both very deeply. I know nothing like it. . . . I am very proud to have my name in the preface of a book that seems to me the only living book of poems published in this land in my generation. Your ‘Philosophies’ will, I feel sure, alter the direction of intellectual energy throughout the land. They are full of the most wise and splendid poetry.”—Mr. John Masefield.
Fables(250 copies privately printed)5/-net.
“He is a poet and not a mere satirist.”—Sir Edward Russell.
“It is distinguished, it is deft, it is always rich, it is often beautiful, and the veins of its orthodox figures are filled with colours so fine that they become wholly vital and romantic.”—The lateMr. Dixon Scott.
The Setting Sun1/6net.
A satire on the state of Britain before the war.
LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE ST., W.1
PRINTED BY
HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,
LONDON AND AYLESBURY,
ENGLAND.
Transcriber’s Notes:
Punctuation has been corrected without note. Other errors have been corrected as noted below:
Page 18, As venemous-narrow’d as a ==> Asvenomous-narrow’d as aPage 19, You are at tremble. ==> You areatremble.Page 70, is by ar the most ==> is byfarthe most
Page 18, As venemous-narrow’d as a ==> Asvenomous-narrow’d as a
Page 19, You are at tremble. ==> You areatremble.
Page 70, is by ar the most ==> is byfarthe most