Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE ETERNAL QUESTION, by IYDA REBECCA HIRSH


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE ETERNAL QUESTION, by                    
First Line: How long, o father, must we wait
Last Line: Your fruit of knowledge taste?
Subject(s): Knowledge


How long, O Father, must we wait
Before we know the truth?
When will your secret so profound
Unfold itself to youth?

Since first the dawn of light gleamed forth
Man strove to fathom love.
And striving has passed from the earth
To unknown realms above.

If love and passion walk the paths
Of similar design
Then why is love so glorified
And passion less divine?

Are love and God synonymous
And faith the stepping-stone
Upon which mortals rise to heights
Of heaven's mighty throne?

Is love such fragile happiness
We dare not breathe aloud,
Lest some sinister thought arise
Its crystal depth to cloud?

Perhaps the ancient Hindu priests
The gate of heaven bought
With their renunciation
And hours of silent thought.

How long, O Father, must we wait
Who come in breathless haste,
To learn your deepest secret
Your fruit of knowledge taste?





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