THE wisest man could ask no more of Fate Than to be simple, modest, manly, true, Safe from the Many, honored by the Few; To count as naught in World, or Church, or State, But inwardly in secret to be great; To feel mysterious Nature ever new; To touch, if not to grasp, her endless clew, And learn by each discovery how to wait. He widened knowledge and escaped the praise; He wisely taught, because more wise to learn; He toiled for Science, not to draw men's gaze, But for her lore of self-denial stern. That such a man could spring from our decays Fans the soul's nobler faith until it burn. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CALLING DREAMS by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON FRAGMENT THIRTY-SIX by HILDA DOOLITTLE ODES II, 14 by QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS TO - (3) by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY MY FORMER LIFE by CHARLES BAUDELAIRE PSALM 33. EXULTATE JUSTI by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE |