Farewell happy fields, Where joy forever dwells: Hail, horrors, hail.
Then wilt thou not be loath To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess A Paradise within thee, happier far.
So shall the world go on, To good malignant, to bad men benign, Under her own weight groaning.
Ah, why should all mankind For one man’s fault, be condemned, If guiltless?
So hand in hand they passed, the loveliest pair that ever since in love’s embraces met – Adam, the goodliest man of men since born his sons; the fairest of her daughters Eve.
And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.
I sung of Chaos and Eternal Night, Taught by the heav’nly Muse to venture down The dark descent, and up to reascend...
Is it true, O Christ in heaven, that the highest suffer the most? That the strongest wander furthest and most hopelessly are lost? That the mark of rank in nature is capacity for pain? That the anguish of the singer makes the sweetness of the strain?
For so I created them free and free they must remain.
Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell.
Our cure, to be no more; sad cure!
They also serve who only stand and wait.
Love-quarrels oft in pleasing concord end.
Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God’s image, but thee who destroys a good book, kills reason its self.
The superior man acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity and many deeds of the past, in order to strengthen his character thereby.
For what can war, but endless war, still breed?
When complaints are freely heard, deeply considered and speedily reformed, then is the utmost bound of civil liberty attained that wise men look for.
And to the faithful: death, the gate of life.
He that has light within his own clear breast May sit in the centre, and enjoy bright day: But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts Benighted walks under the mid-day sun; Himself his own dungeon.
Farewell Hope, and with Hope farewell Fear.