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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE by LEWIS MORRIS (1833-1907)

First Line: OH, IF WE HAD BUT EYES TO SEE
Last Line: AND IGNORANCE INDEED IS BLEST!
Subject(s): KNOWLEDGE;

OH, if we had but eyes to see
The glory which around us lies,
To read the secrets of the earth,
And know the splendours of the skies;

And if we had but ears to hear
The psalm of life which upward rolls
From desert tent and city street,
From every meeting-place of souls;

And if we had but tongues to tell
The dumb thoughts that shall ne'er be heard,
The inarticulate prayers which rise
From hearts by passionate yearnings stirred, --

Our souls would parch, like Semele's,
When her dread Lord blazed forth confessed.
Ah, sometimes too much knowledge blights,
And ignorance indeed is blest!



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