The Human Abstract

Pity would be no moreIf we did not make somebody Poor;And Mercy no more could beIf all were as happy as we.

And mutual fear brings peace,Till the selfish loves increase:Then Cruelty knits a snare,And spreads his baits with care.

He sits down with holy fears,And waters the ground with tears;Then Humility takes its rootUnderneath his foot.

Soon spreads the dismal shadeOf Mystery over his head;And the Catterpillar and FlyFeed on the Mystery.

And it bears the fruit of Deceit,Ruddy and sweet to eat;And the Raven his nest has madeIn its thickest shade.

The Gods of the earth and seaSought thro' Nature to find this Tree;But their search was all in vain:There grows one in the Human Brain.