THE HUMAN ABSTRACTPity would be no moreIf we did not make somebody poor,And Mercy no more could beIf all were as happy as we.And mutual fear brings Peace,Till the selfish loves increase;Then Cruelty knits a snare,And spreads his baits with care.He sits down with holy fears,And waters the ground with tears;Then Humility takes its rootUnderneath his foot.Soon spreads the dismal shadeOf Mystery over his head,And the caterpillar and flyFeed on the Mystery.And it bears the fruit of Deceit,Ruddy and sweet to eat,And the raven his nest has madeIn its thickest shade.The gods of the earth and seaSought through nature to find this tree,But their search was all in vain:There grows one in the human Brain.Illustration:
Pity would be no moreIf we did not make somebody poor,And Mercy no more could beIf all were as happy as we.
And mutual fear brings Peace,Till the selfish loves increase;Then Cruelty knits a snare,And spreads his baits with care.
He sits down with holy fears,And waters the ground with tears;Then Humility takes its rootUnderneath his foot.
Soon spreads the dismal shadeOf Mystery over his head,And the caterpillar and flyFeed on the Mystery.
And it bears the fruit of Deceit,Ruddy and sweet to eat,And the raven his nest has madeIn its thickest shade.
The gods of the earth and seaSought through nature to find this tree,But their search was all in vain:There grows one in the human Brain.
Illustration: