 | The poetical works of Sir William Jones |  |
THE CONCLUDING SENTENCE OF BERKLEY'S SIRIS, IMITATED.
Before thy mystic altar, heav'nly Truth,I kneel in manhood, as I knelt in youth:
Thus let me kneel, till this dull form decay,
And life's last shade be brighten'd by thy ray:
Then shall my soul, now lost in clouds below,
Soar without bound, without consuming glow .
These lines were written by Sir William Jones in Berkley's Siris; they are, in fact, a beautiful version of the last sentence of the Siris, amplified and adapted to himself; ‘He that would make a real progress in knowledge, must dedicate his age as well as youth, the latter growth as well as the first fruits, at the altar of Truth.’
| The poetical works of Sir William Jones | |