Inheritor

Say not the gods are cruel,Since man himself is kind—Man, who could give no tendernessIf, impotent and blind,He stretched appealing hands on highNo tenderness to find,—

Who, wakened to compassion,No longer stands apart,Careless of others' suffering,But, rather, shares the smart,Because of pity drawn from outThe Universal Heart,—

Who feels within him glowingA spark that dares aspire,Flame-like, unto supernal things,With never-quenched desire,And knows that Heaven bestowed on himA spark of its own fire!