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HOPE evermore and believe, O man, for e’en as thy thought So are the things that thou see’st; e’en as thy hope and belief. Cowardly art thou and timid? they rise to provoke thee against them, Hast thou courage? enough, see them exulting to yield. Yea, the rough rock, the dull earth, the wild sea’s furying waters (Violent say’st thou and hard, mighty thou think’st to destroy), All with ineffable longing are waiting their Invader, All, with one varying voice, call to him, Come and subdue; Still for their Conqueror call, and, but for the joy of being conquered (Rapture they will not forego), dare to resist and rebel; Still, when resisting and raging, in soft undervoice say unto him, Fear not, retire not, O man; hope evermore and believe. Go from the east to the west, as the sun and the stars direct thee, Go with the girdle of man, go and encompass the earth. Not for the gain of the gold; for the getting, the hoarding, the having, But for the joy of the deed; but for the Duty to do. Go with the spiritual life, the higher volition and action, With the great girdle of God, go and encompass the earth.
Go; say not in thy heart, And what then were it accomplished, |