Part III

Where might have roamed the man's wakeful soul?
What path to find had been the thinker's goal?
His mind is soaring in the high,
Where in delusive dreams to fly
The demigods and lunatics try.

Just like a bird breaks from her shell,

On wings arises high in air:
So did he cast off and dispel

His woeful sorrow and his care.
The mortal man in him was dead.
The citizen in him instead

Had come to life.
Whose heart for wife
And children sweet

With love replete
Had been a few moments ago,
Hath now a ;heart with love aglow
For all humanity; who held
The three dear ones that with him dwelled

In his loving embrace,

Loves now the human race.
His soul's wings soared far up on high,
Whence like a dot upon an "r"
Earth seemed to be. When in the vast
Immensity his soul flew past,
The stars ' light flickered as when breath
A candle's light encountereth.

It flew and flew;
A million miles and more afar
Is in the sky star from the star,

Yet through the blue
Vast space it flew, and as the horse
Which through a forest takes its course
Leaveth behind the countless trees,
So did his soul pass by with ease
And leave behind the countless stars.

It meets naught which its bold flight bars.
And when a myriad stars it passed
And left behind and when at last
It reached, — was it the world's end?
No! When it was given to him to stand
In the centre of the universe .
At last to hold with Him converse
Whose glance to worlds brings death or life,
Whose power's proclaimed by tempests' strife,
By myriad orbs which round Him course,
Whose wondrous wisdom and whose force
The wisest mind can never trace:
The soul, surcharged; lit up by Grace
Divine, laved in His glorious light, —
Just as is the white swan's delight
To dip into the waters of the lake, —
"Hail Thee! Almighty God!" it spake,
"A grain of sand, Lord, made by thee,
I come full of humility
To kneel here in Thy saintly shrine.
Oh pray, believe that I am Thine,
And Thine alone! I don't complain.
The dread fate that Thou didst ordain
For me is hard, I bless Thee e'en, I know
By it to be Thy chosen one.
O, God! The human race upon
The earth has turned its face from Thee,
Degenerates, and slaves to be

Prefers to manhood proud and free.

The parent of all sin and vice
Is serfdom. Men will idolise
Men, and by bending neck and knee
Before a man, defy but Thee.
This cannot ever continue thus,
Thou shalt yet reign Most Glorious!
One life, Lord, Thou hast given me, —
I ask not what reward shall be, —
If any, — mine, the meanest man
Will for his pay do all he can;
I want no pay, I hope for none,
I faithfully my work "have done
.Till now and shall hereafter do,
Ah well! I shall receive my due!
A rich reward, for can there be
Reward more rich than feel that free
My fellow men became through me!
For I still love my fellow man,
Though sin still holds him in its ban.
O Lord, O God! Pray give me strength
That I accomplish my intent.
Man must be free! That is my plan."

Thus spoke the soul, and from the dome

Of heaven high it flew back home,
Into that dismal, dreary room,
Back to the soulless mani to whom
It brought back consciousness. — He stirred.
Was it a dream? What had occurred?
He felt all chilled, yet from his brow
The burning sweat-drops roll, and how
A — weary, sleepy is he now! —
He .must' have been awake before. —
And to the mattress on the floor
He drags himself and goes to sleep.
And there he lies upon that heap
Of straw, who but a while ago
In (heaven had been. — On cushions fine
Humanity's hangmen recline;
The world's benefactor he i, j
Upon the floor asleep we see.
And lo! The flick'ring lamp once more
Flares up and then its sick and sore
Life dies. And just as secrets told
By lip to lip will quick unfold:
Thus cleared the night. The early dawn —
The merry garden maid,— had drawn
Bright roses with the hue of bloom
On wall and window of that room.
The first rays of the rising sun
Fell on the sleepers forehead, spun
A wreath of gold around 'his brow,
And then it seemed Great God, that Thou
Hadst with these rays just kissed Thy son.