Poems, Chiefly Philosophical

PHILOSOPHUS AND PHILARGYRUS.

PHILOSOPHUS.

TREÁSURES of únsunned gold !

PHILARGYRUS.

Where? where? Oh, whére? Show me the place; I 'll dig and with thee sháre.

PHILOSOPHUS.

Here, read this book; Gods, that the precious prize Should lié till now unspied by mortal eyes!

PHILARGYRUS.

No word of it hére; in vain through all the book,
From leaf to leáf, from page to páge, I look.

PHILOSOPHUS.

Why, it ’s in every page and every line;
Each word 's a signpost pointing to the mine.

PHILARGYRUS.

I don't like ríddles and still less like jokes.

PHILOSOPHUS.
My mine of gold you take then for a hoax;
And so it is, if, to a man of sense,
Between a mine of gold, real difference,
Ånd the high lésson this book's leáves unfold:
Hów to live happy without mine of gold.

CARLSRUHE, Jan, 27, 1856.

CICERO.

How good must be the author of all goodness!

CESAR.

And oh, how green the sówer of all gráss!

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There is no trúth but móral truth, th' accordance
Óf the expression with the inward thought;
And of that truth there 's from its very nature
No júdge but one — the utterer himself.
Essential truth, th' accordance of th' expression
With the thing's sélf, varies with every judgment,
John's júdgment finding perfect accord there
Where William's finds but discord, or at best
Áccord imperfect; and not John's alone
But William's júdgment too gainsaying Hugh's,
Hugh's Edward's, Edward's Joseph's, and so on,
Ón without end as long as there 's a júdgment.

Go tó! go tó! then, thoú that seek'st essential,
Absolute truth; thou hast it at this moment;
Nay, hadst it when an infant, when a boy,
As súre as thou shalt have it at fourscore;
Nor to thy júdgment of fourscóre shall seem
One whít more false the judgment of the boy,
Than to the bóy the judgment of fourscóre.

To eách age, sex and circumstance and station
Its own particular judgment how accord
Thing and expression; and that judgment 's truth
Truth to the individual and the measure
By whích, and which alone, he estimates,
Or cán by possibility éstimate,
The truth or falsehood of his neighbour's judgment.

Go, reader, then, and to thy moral truth
Tenácious clíng, as to thy dear Palladium,
Thy honor, sacred duty and thy God,
And when men talk to thee of truth essential
Ask them what is it, where is it to be found;
And if they tell thee, here or there or yonder,
Awáy in the pursuit, and thou shalt never
From that day forward want a pleasant pástime,
A gáme for ever right before thee flying,
For ever near, but never, never caught.

CARLSRUHE, Febr. 5, 1856.

TO MY LOST ONE. *

As long as I had thee, thou dearly loved flower,
The year was to mé sweet spring, súmmer, and aútumn;
As soon as thou droopedst and wítheredst away,
Ah! then came the cold frozen winter and stórm.

CARLSRUHE, Jan. 14, 1856.

* See page 181 of this volume and DIRGE FOR THE XIII. DEC. MDCCCLII. in My Book.

CORRIGENDA.

Page 14.
Page 98.

Line 7 from bottom, instead of delirium read Delirium

Last line, instead of East. read west. Page 118. Last line, after that and after advancement supply comma. Page 149. First and second line, instead of Éven read Even Page 173. Line 3 from bottom, dele comma. Page 197. Line 2 from top, after sún and after sets supply comma. Page 204. Line 9 from top, after play est supply comma. Page 237. Line 9 from bottom, instead of future, read future;

Dresden, printed by C. C. MEINHOLD AND Sons.

CONTENTS.

[Titles are printed in capital letters, first lines in ordinary type.]

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