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I.

Like him who glancing at the sun's full splendour
Is by that lightning-ringed blue disc half-blinded,
Then Ranolf, by the greatness of his theme
So dazzled, told the Maiden simple-minded
Whose thirsting eyes, with looks how rapt and tender
Drank fawn-like at his voice's cheery stream,
Of one Great Spirit ubiquitous;—for ever
Unknown;—invisible—intangible—
Inaudible; whose nature none can tell;
Subtler than Thought in essence; and yet never
To be disproved—discarded—disavowed;
Educing Good with infinite endeavour
From Evil for some mystic end allowed;
Whose work, Mankind, would be a cheat detected,
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A palpable abortion and confusion
(Truly an inconceivable conclusion!)
If not in some serener Sphere perfected:
For He was good—all Life and time proclaimed it,
Where Good was ever in the slow ascendant;
And that blind bias (Conscience as we named it)—
Towards what seems good and better—though dependent
On other powers, for knowledge, be it granted,
Of what is good and better,—was implanted
Within our brain at first, and could not be
Belied or outraged by Himself who framed it;
So must the Evil and the wrong be righted
In some great World of bliss we could not see,
Where suffering innocence would be requited,
And ties of rent affections reunited.
And this, which Reason pleaded for,—the best
And brightest of that Spirit's emanations—
Souls in their very structure revelations
Of his high nature on their own impressed,
Had felt and died for; on the facts insisting
Their souls were forced and fashioned to attest—
The certain Life immortal, to remove
And remedy all mortal woes existing;
And that supreme predominance of Love!
And therefore they who most their Souls may nourish
On Love, and hearken to his high decreeing,
Doing all right and every wrong repressing,
With pure self-sacrifice for others' blessing—
Must be the least unlike that Power supernal—
Most with that Will in their poor way agreeing;
Must be the fittest to survive and flourish
In that transcendant Sphere of Life eternal—
Of ever blest and beatific Being.
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