And one made answer, "Shall the mighty God Talk with a man of wooden beams and bars? No, thou mad preacher, no. If He, Eterne, Be ordering of His far infinitudes, And darkness cloud a world, it is but chance, As if the shadow of His hand had fallen On one that He forgot, and troubled it." Then said the Master, "Yet,--who told thee so?" And from his daïs the feigning serpent hissed: "Preacher, the light within, it was that shined, And told him so. The pious will have dread Him to declare such as ye rashly told. The course of God is one. It likes not us To think of Him as being acquaint with change: It were beneath Him. Nay, the finished earth Is left to her great masters. They must rule; They do; and I have set myself between,-- A visible thing for worship, sith His face (For He is hard) He showeth not to men. Yea, I have set myself 'twixt God and man, To be interpreter, and teach mankind A pious lesson by my piety, He loveth not, nor hateth, nor desires,-- It were beneath Him." And the Master said, "Thou liest. Thou wouldst lie away the world, If He, whom thou hast dared speak against, Would suffer it." "I may not chide with thee," It answered, "NOW; but if there come such time As thou hast prophesied, as I now reign In all men's sight, shall my dominion then Reach to be mighty in their souls. Thou too Shalt feel it, prophet." And he lowered his head. Then quoth the Leader of the young men: "Sir, We scorn you not; speak further; yet our thought First answer. Not but by a miracle Can this thing be. The fashion of the world We heretofore have never known to change; And will God change it now?" He then replied: "What is thy thought? THERE is NO MIRACLE? There is a great one, which thou hast not read. And never shalt escape. Thyself, O man, Thou art the miracle. Lo, if thou sayest, 'I am one, and fashioned like the gracious world, Red clay is all my make, myself, my whole, And not my habitation,' then thy sleep Shall give thee wings to play among the rays O' the morning. If thy thought be, 'I am one,-- A spirit among spirits,--and the world A dream my spirit dreameth of, my dream Being all,' the dominating mountains strong Shall not for that forbear to take thy breath, And rage with all their winds, and beat thee back, And beat thee down when thou wouldst set thy feet Upon their awful crests. Ay, thou thyself, Being in the world and of the world, thyself Hast breathed in breath from Him that made the world. Thou dost inherit, as thy Maker's son, That which He is, and that which He hath made: Thou art thy Father's copy of Himself,-- THOU art thy FATHER'S MIRACLE. Behold He buildeth up the stars in companies; He made for them a law. To man He said, 'Freely I give thee freedom.' What remains? O, it remains, if thou, the image of God, Wilt reason well, that thou shalt know His ways; But first thou must be loyal,--love, O man,