Thus marshalled in the masque! Myself, the while, As one of you, am witness, shrink or smile At my own showing! Next age--what's to do? The men and women stationed hitherto Will I unstation, good and bad, conduct Each nature to its farthest, or obstruct At soonest, in the world: light, thwarted, breaks A limpid purity to rainbow flakes, Or shadow, massed, freezes to gloom: behold How such, with fit assistance to unfold, Or obstacles to crush them, disengage Their forms, love, hate, hope, fear, peace make, war wage, In presence of you all! Myself, implied Superior now, as, by the platform's side, I bade them do and suffer,--would last content The world ... no--that's too far! I circumvent A few, my masque contented, and to these Offer unveil the last of mysteries-- Man's inmost life shall have yet freer play: Once more I cast external things away, And natures composite, so decompose That" ... Why, he writes _Sordello!_ "How I rose, And how have you advanced! since evermore Yourselves effect what I was fain before Effect, what I supplied yourselves suggest, What I leave bare yourselves can now invest. How we attain to talk as brothers talk, In half-words, call things by half-names, no balk From discontinuing old aids. To-day Takes in account the work of Yesterday: Has not the world a Past now, its adept Consults ere he dispense with or accept New aids? a single touch more may enhance, A touch less turned to insignificance Those structures' symmetry the past has strewed The world with, once so bare. Leave the mere rude [Sidenote: Who turns in due course synthetist.] Explicit details! 't is but brother's speech, We need, speech where an accent's change gives each The other's soul--no speech to understand By former audience: need was then to expand, Expatiate--hardly were we brothers! true-- Nor I lament my small remove from you, Nor reconstruct what stands already. Ends Accomplished turn to means: my art intends New structure from the ancient: as they changed The spoils of every clime at Venice, ranged The horned and snouted Libyan god, upright As in his desert, by some simple bright Clay cinerary pitcher--Thebes as Rome, Athens as Byzant rifled, till their Dome From earth's reputed consummations razed A seal, the all-transmuting Triad blazed Above. Ah, whose that fortune? Ne'ertheless E'en he must stoop contented to express No tithe of what's to say--the vehicle Never sufficient: but his work is still For faces like the faces that select [Sidenote: This for one day: now, serve as Guelf!] The single service I am bound effect,-- That bid me cast aside such fancies, bow Taurello to the Guelf cause, disallow