When the unknown shall be known;
When the unseen shall be seen;
When thou art strong, and loud, and arisen,
O Soul, within thy prison,
And the old enchantments flown,
And men’s eyes clear and keen,
Till they see beyond the grave,—
Till they pierce beneath the flesh,—
Till the weaker at death no longer
Are fain of the word of the stronger;—
“Be brave, my brother, be brave;
Thy day beginneth afresh!”
When good is worn of all,
Deemed priceless as though rare;
When evil has lain forsaken,
Thrown down long since untaken,
Its strength become so small,
It is not worth men’s wear;
When the body all work has done,
And the mind all wisdom learnt,
And found their labour and learning
But as toil that brings no earning,
In the face of the full fair sun
But as needless lanterns burnt;
When thou, O Soul, art found
Beneath thy lowly guise;
When men have proclaimed thee royal,
And to thee, and none other, loyal,
Have made thy power to abound
Till all alike are wise.
But this is not yet; and now
The god lies bound in us;
Still, searching the dusky portal
Cloven through all things mortal,
His white and prostrate brow
We may discover thus.
Are we not each a lamp
Of frail and earthen form,
Wherein a spark doth shelter
Beyond the tempest’s pelter,
Lightening the chill and damp,
Swinging through night and storm?
We know that clouded light
Is as the light of stars,
And though the bowl be broken,
This is our sign and token,
That flame by mutual might
Shall climb their shining cars.