O World, Thou Choosest Not

O World, Thou Choosest Not


(George Santayana)



O World, thou choosest not the better part!
It's not wisdom to be only wise-
and on the inward vision close the eyes,
But it is wisdom to believe the heart.
Columbus found a world, and had no chart,
Save one that faith deciphered in the skies;
To trust the soul's invincible surmise,
Was all his science and his only art,
Our knowledge is a torch of smoky pine,
That lights the pathway but one step ahead,
Across a void of mystery and dread.
Bid, then, the tender light of faith to shine,
By which alone the mortal heart is lead,
Unto the thinking of the thought divine.