The Hymn Of Man

I was,

And I am.

So shall I be to the end of time,

For I am without end.

I have cleft the vast spaces of the infinite,

Taken flight in the world of fantasy, and drawn

To the circle of light on high.

Yet behold me a captive of matter.

I have hearkened to the teachings of Confucius,

And listened to the wisdom of Brahma, and sat Beside the Buddha beneath the tree of knowledge.

Behold me now contending with ignorance

Unbelieving.

I was upon Sinai when the Lord showed

To Moses.

By the Jordan I beheld the

Miracles.

In Medina I heard the words of the Apostle of Arabia.

Behold me now a prisoner of doubt.

I have seen Babylon's strength and Egypt's

And the greatness of Greece.

My eyes cease

Upon the smallness and poverty of their works.

I have sat with the witch of Endor and the

Of Assyria and the prophets of Palestine, and I

Not to chant the truth.

I have learned the wisdom that descended on India, and gained mastery over poetry that

From the Arabian's heart, and hearkened to the Music of people from the West.

Yet am I blind and see not; my ears are

And I do not hear.

I have borne the harshness of insatiable Conquerors, and felt the oppression of tyrants and thebondage of the powerful.

Yet am I strong to do battle with the days.

All this have I heard and seen, and I am yet

Child.

In truth shall I hear and see the deeds

Youth, and grow old and attain perfection and Return to God.

I was,

And I am.

So shall I be to the end of time,

For I am without end.

This poem is spiritual and philosophical in its content.