 | Jones Very : The Complete Poems |  |
Untimely Arguments
Thou arguest wisely, with profoundest skill,Forgetful that the world doth onward move;
That, swifter than thy thought, the active will
Doth all thy arguments but useless prove.
He, who on shipboard has outsailed his foe,
Cares not for lessons in the sailing art;
The other may the science better know,
But he has gained, e'en at the first, the start.
'Tis not the time for speech, or calm debate,
When, like the waves, event event succeeds;
Thy reasonings may be good, but come too late,
To serve man's good, or check his evil deeds;
Already doth the event the case decide,
And faithful from the faithless too divide.
Poem No. 658; c. 11 June 1864
| Jones Very : The Complete Poems | |