 | Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature |  |
93
IARCHUS AND HIS RINGS.
The clamorous people throng about my porch
To purchase rings, which they believe I weld
In holy fire, and steep in essences,
And permeate with virtuous healing powers
Known but to gods in Heaven, and me on Earth.
I cannot cure them of their ignorance,
But twine it into Knowledge of mine own
For their behoof.—I smile, and give them rings
And good advice. Th' advice restores the sick
If duly followed; but the rings alone
Receive the praises of the multitude,
That loves to be deceived, adores a lie,
Doats on the incredible, and scorns the truth.
To purchase rings, which they believe I weld
In holy fire, and steep in essences,
And permeate with virtuous healing powers
Known but to gods in Heaven, and me on Earth.
I cannot cure them of their ignorance,
But twine it into Knowledge of mine own
For their behoof.—I smile, and give them rings
And good advice. Th' advice restores the sick
If duly followed; but the rings alone
Receive the praises of the multitude,
That loves to be deceived, adores a lie,
Doats on the incredible, and scorns the truth.
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But you, my sons, know better. Lo! the rings,
The five gold rings, that worn with trusting faith,
Preserve the freshness and the flower of Youth
Better than balsam or medicament
That Chiron ever plucked, or Hermes knew!
Three for the left hand for the body's health,
Two for the right, for healing of the soul;—
Learn ye their attributes and faculties,
And teach them to the crowd; so shall ye be,
As I have been, the ministers of Hope,
The kind physicians, the unfailing friends,
Of wayworn men who've missed the road to health
And withered ere their time, like smutted corn.
The five gold rings, that worn with trusting faith,
Preserve the freshness and the flower of Youth
Better than balsam or medicament
That Chiron ever plucked, or Hermes knew!
Three for the left hand for the body's health,
Two for the right, for healing of the soul;—
Learn ye their attributes and faculties,
And teach them to the crowd; so shall ye be,
As I have been, the ministers of Hope,
The kind physicians, the unfailing friends,
Of wayworn men who've missed the road to health
And withered ere their time, like smutted corn.
Who wears the first, must keep his body pure,
From toe to crown, by daily dalliance
With cleansing waters, Heaven's most precious gift,
A duty and a luxury both in one.
Who wears the second must avoid excess
In every appetite: in food and drink,
In passion, in desire, in toil, in sleep.
Who wears the third must train himself to use
All faculties the bounteous gods bestow:
Must teach his eyes to see, his ears to hear,
His hands to toil, his feet to run and leap,
His lungs to breathe the invigorating air;
Must train his head to think, his heart to feel,
And exercise each power of life and limb
To full efficiency, nor overstretch
Even by a hair the tension of the string,
Lest it should jar and snap. Who wears the three
Shall be a perfect man, except in soul:
A physical noble—safe from all but Time,
And accident, and chastening of the gods.
From toe to crown, by daily dalliance
With cleansing waters, Heaven's most precious gift,
A duty and a luxury both in one.
Who wears the second must avoid excess
In every appetite: in food and drink,
In passion, in desire, in toil, in sleep.
95
All faculties the bounteous gods bestow:
Must teach his eyes to see, his ears to hear,
His hands to toil, his feet to run and leap,
His lungs to breathe the invigorating air;
Must train his head to think, his heart to feel,
And exercise each power of life and limb
To full efficiency, nor overstretch
Even by a hair the tension of the string,
Lest it should jar and snap. Who wears the three
Shall be a perfect man, except in soul:
A physical noble—safe from all but Time,
And accident, and chastening of the gods.
But for the mental health and purity
These not suffice. The right hand rings must aid
The perfect work, and crown the King of men.
Who wears the first must love all human kind,
And feed his spirit with all charities
And chaste affections; must be faithful friend
And joyous comrade; must be loving sire
And tender husband; must with filial care
Cherish the old, the suffering, and the poor;
And so comport himself, that men shall say,
In evil times when griefs oppress the state,
This is the model of a citizen,
Whose hand shall aid or guide the Commonwealth;
Whose patriotic heart and fruitful brain
Shall goad to action and inspire success.
Who wears the second must with humble heart
And fervent faith commend himself to God—
God of all gods, Creator of the world,
Who gave the Universe its shape and law,
And makes obedience its own recompense,
Crime its own penalty, and needs no praise
Of idle words, being most glorified
By Labour, and submission to His laws,
The melodies and harmonies of Time,
And choral anthem of Eternity.
These not suffice. The right hand rings must aid
The perfect work, and crown the King of men.
Who wears the first must love all human kind,
And feed his spirit with all charities
And chaste affections; must be faithful friend
And joyous comrade; must be loving sire
96
Cherish the old, the suffering, and the poor;
And so comport himself, that men shall say,
In evil times when griefs oppress the state,
This is the model of a citizen,
Whose hand shall aid or guide the Commonwealth;
Whose patriotic heart and fruitful brain
Shall goad to action and inspire success.
Who wears the second must with humble heart
And fervent faith commend himself to God—
God of all gods, Creator of the world,
Who gave the Universe its shape and law,
And makes obedience its own recompense,
Crime its own penalty, and needs no praise
Of idle words, being most glorified
By Labour, and submission to His laws,
The melodies and harmonies of Time,
And choral anthem of Eternity.
Who wears these earthly, yet most heavenly rings,
Pure without taint or dross, and duly serves
The invisible spirits that within them dwell,
Need no physician more. The golden age,
Departed from the world, revives in him,
And all the physics and the essences
The Earth affords are futile to exalt
His good to betterness. And when at last
Death lays his finger on that honoured head,
He lays it gently, like a tender friend
That would console and cheer. Life's heavenly flame,
Freed by the touch, mounts cheerily to Heaven,
Made one with God, for ever and evermore.
Pure without taint or dross, and duly serves
97
Need no physician more. The golden age,
Departed from the world, revives in him,
And all the physics and the essences
The Earth affords are futile to exalt
His good to betterness. And when at last
Death lays his finger on that honoured head,
He lays it gently, like a tender friend
That would console and cheer. Life's heavenly flame,
Freed by the touch, mounts cheerily to Heaven,
Made one with God, for ever and evermore.
| Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature | |