THE wisest man could ask no more of Fate Than to be simple, modest, manly, true, Safe from the Many, honored by the Few; To count as naught in World, or Church, or State, But inwardly in secret to be great; To feel mysterious Nature ever new; To touch, if not to grasp, her endless clew, And learn by each discovery how to wait. He widened knowledge and escaped the praise; He wisely taught, because more wise to learn; He toiled for Science, not to draw men's gaze, But for her lore of self-denial stern. That such a man could spring from our decays Fans the soul's nobler faith until it burn. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO-MORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY by EDGAR LEE MASTERS WINTRY WEATHER by DAVID GRAY (1838-1861) TRAVEL by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON MASQUE AT THE MARRIAGE OF THE LORD HAYES: SONG OF THE TRANSFORMATION by THOMAS CAMPION THE STUPID OLD BODY by EDWARD CARPENTER BLANK MISGIVINGS OF A CREATURE MOVING ABOUT IN WORLDS NOT REALIZED: 5 by ARTHUR HUGH CLOUGH |