Religion

The Higher Pantheism

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1809–1892

From The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse, ed. D. H. S. Nicholson and A. H. E. Lee (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1917)

Religion

The sun, the moon, the stars, the seas, the hills and the plains —
Are not these, O Soul, the Vision of Him who reigns?
Is not the Vision He? tho' He be not that which He seems?
Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?

Earth, these solid stars, this weight of body and limb,
Are they not sign and symbol of thy division from Him?
Dark is the world to thee: thyself art the reason why;
For is He not all but thou, that hast power to feel ll am P?

Glory about thee, without thee; and thou fulfillest thy doom,
Making Him broken gleams, and a stifled splendour and gloom.
Speak to Him thou for He hears, and Spirit with Spirit can meet —
Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.

God is law, say the wise; O Soul, and let us rejoice,
For if He thunder by law the thunder is yet His voice.
Law is God, say some: no God at all, says the fool;
For all we have power to see is a straight staff bent in a pool;

And the ear of man cannot hear, and the eye of man can not see;
But if we could see and hear, this Vision — were it not He?

MLA

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord. “The Higher Pantheism.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/tennyson/303/.

Chicago

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord. “The Higher Pantheism.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/tennyson/303/.

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