2. ‘The wings of Fancy are but frail, And Virtue’s without Wisdom weak; Better than Falsehood’s flowery vale, The Truth, however bleak. Tho’ she may bless not nor redeem, The Truth is true, and reigns supreme.’ 1. ‘Not all, but few, can plead and prove And crown their brows with Truth and pass; Their little labours cannot move The mountain’s mighty mass. To man in vain the Truth appeals, Or Heav’n ordains, or Art reveals.’ 2. ‘So self-consuming thought. But see The standards of Advance unfurl’d; The buds are breaking on the lea, And Spring strikes thro’ the world. Tho’ we may never reach the Peak, God gave this great commandment, Seek.’ . . . . . The ponderous bolts of Night were drawn; The pale Day peer’d thro’ cloudy bars; The Wind awoke; the sword of Dawn Flasht thro’ the flying Stars; The new-born Sun-Star smote the Gloom: The Desert burst in endless Bloom. Bangalore, 1890. * * * * * THOUGHT AND ACTION The Angel of the Left Hand spake. His speech Fell as when on some shuddering arctic beach The icy Northern creeps from reach to reach And curdles motion and with thrilling spell Fixes the falling ripple. ‘Peace and quell,’ He said, ‘the action not maturèd well. What scorn to build with labour, round on round, And lay the costly marbles, when ’tis found The whole design at last inapt, unsound! Beware the bitter moment when awake We view the mischief that our visions make— The good things broken in a mad mistake. But rather use the thought that is divine; And know that every moment of design Will save an hour of action, point for line. And leave to others loss or victory; And like the stars of heaven seek to be The wise man’s compass but beyond the sea.’ Then He upon the Right. His words came forth Like the full Southern blowing to the north. ‘The time is come,’ he said, ‘to try thy worth. For when Thought’s wasted candles wane and wink, And meditations like the planets sink, The sun of Action rushes from the brink. Stand not for ever in the towers of Thought To watch the watery dawning waste to nought The distant stars deluding darkness brought. Not timorous weak persuasion, but the brand Of Action—not discussion, but command— Can rouse the ranks of God and storm the land, Where men who know the day still doze again; Not walls of dust can dam th’ outrageous main, Nor mitigation seize the world and reign. Fear not. Unsheath the naked falchion. Try The end. For in the end, who dares deny, The utter truth shall slay the utter lie.’ Bangalore, 1890-3. * * * * *