THE HIGHER PANTHEISM. THE sun, the moon, the stars, the seas, the hills and the plains Are not these, O Soul, the Vision of Him who reigns? Is not the Vision He tho' He be not that which He seems? Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams? Earth, these solid stars, this weight of body and limb, Are they not sign and symbol of thy division from Him? Dark is the world to thee : thyself art the reason why; For is He not all but thou, that hast power to feel 'I am I?' Glory about thee, without thee; and thou fulfillest thy doom, Making Him broken gleams, and a stifled splendour and gloom. Speak to Him thou for He hears, and Spirit with Spirit can meet Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hånds and feet. God is law, say the wise; O Soul, and let us rejoice, For if Ho thunder by law the thunder is yet His voice. Law is God, say some: no God at all, says the fool; For all we have power to see is a straight staff bent in a pool; And the ear of man cannot hear, and the eye of man cannot see; But if we could see and hear, this Vision-were it not He ? 204 FLOWER in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies ;- I should know what God and man is. The King was shaken with holy fear; 'The Gods,' he said, 'would have chosen well; Yet both are near, and both are dear, And which the dearest I cannot tell!' But the Priest was happy, His victim won : 'We have his dearest, His only son!' VI. The rites prepared, the victim bared, The knife uprising toward the blow, To the altar-stone she sprang alone, 'Mc, not my darling, no!' He caught her away with a sudden cry ; And shrieking 'I am his dearest, I I am his dearest !' rush'd on the knife. |