 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
Nature Intelligible
Thou art not, as the Hindoos say,
A vain illusion to the sight;
That doth the mind of man betray,
Whilst thou his senses dost delight.
A vain illusion to the sight;
That doth the mind of man betray,
Whilst thou his senses dost delight.
No wildering maze, without a plan,
In Nature doth her votary find;
But glorious mansion built for man,
The work of One, Eternal Mind!
In Nature doth her votary find;
But glorious mansion built for man,
The work of One, Eternal Mind!
Floor above floor, thy strata rise,
Height above height, thy mountains stand;
Like pillars of the vaulted sky,
O'erlooking far the sea and land.
Height above height, thy mountains stand;
Like pillars of the vaulted sky,
O'erlooking far the sea and land.
In smallest thing, in leaf, or fly,
How finished, perfect every part!
And, hidden from the curious eye,
Are forms and hues of wondrous art.
How finished, perfect every part!
And, hidden from the curious eye,
Are forms and hues of wondrous art.
303
From lowest fossil in its bed,
Onward Creative Thought proceeds,
Through beast and bird, to man their head,
And upward to his Maker leads.
Onward Creative Thought proceeds,
Through beast and bird, to man their head,
And upward to his Maker leads.
Summer and Autumn, Winter, Spring,
Each season of the varied year,
Doth each for us a lesson bring,
If we but turn the listening ear.
Each season of the varied year,
Doth each for us a lesson bring,
If we but turn the listening ear.
Awake, O man! and face to face
With Nature stand, a living soul;
And every word and letter trace,
Written on her mysterious scroll.
With Nature stand, a living soul;
And every word and letter trace,
Written on her mysterious scroll.
And humbly rise, from earthly things,
To Revelation's truth sublime;
Which from the same Great Being springs,
Who built the world of space and time.
To Revelation's truth sublime;
Which from the same Great Being springs,
Who built the world of space and time.
Poem No. 660; c. 3 January 1857
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