And this became at last the city's call. He had now reached the age of thirty years, And found a Dream of Life and a solution For slavery of soul and even all Miseries that flow from things material. To free the world was his soul's resolution. But his family had great fears For him, knowing the evil Which might befall him, seeing that the light Of his own dream had blinded his mind's eyes. They could not tell but what he had a devil. But still in their tears despite, And warnings he departed with replies That when a man's genius calls him He must obey no matter what befalls him. What he had in his mind was growth Of soul by watching, And the creation of eyes Over your mind's eyes to supervise A clear activity and to ward off sloth. What he had in his mind was scotching And killing the snake of Hatred and stripping the glove From the hand of Hypocrisy and quenching the fire Of Falsehood and Unbrotherly Desire.-- What he had in his mind was simply Love. And it was strange he preached the sword and force To establish Love, but it was not strange, Since he did this, his life took on a change. And what he taught seems muddled at its source With moralizing and with moral strife. For morals are merely the Truth diluted And sweetened up and suited To the business and bread of Life. And now this City was just what you'd find A city anywhere, A turmoil and a Vanity Fair, A sort of heaven and a sort of Tophet. There were so many leaders of his kind The city didn't care For one additional prophet. He said some extravagant things And planted a few stings Under the rich man's hide. And one of the sensational newspapers Gave him a line or two for cutting capers In front of the Palace of Justice and the Church. But all of the first grade people took the other side Of the street when they saw him coming With a rag tag crowd singing and humming, And curious boys and men up in a perch Of a tree or window taking the spectacle in, And the Corybantic din Of a Salvation Army as it were. And whatever he dreamed when he lived in a little town The intelligent people ignored him, and this is the stir And the only stir he made in the city. But there was a certain sinister Fellow who came to him hearing of his renown And said "You can be Mayor of this city, We need a man like you for Mayor." And others said "You'd make a lawyer or a politician, Look how the people follow you; Why don't you hire out as a special writer, You could become a business man, a rhetorician, You could become a player, You can grow rich. There's nothing for a fighter, Fighting as you are, but to end in ruin." But he turned from them on his way pursuing The dream he had in view.