The Glebe 1914/04 (Vol. 2, No. 1): CollectsTraubel, Horace
General
The Glebe 1914/04 (Vol. 2, No. 1): Collects
Traubel, Horace
American essays -- 20th century; Literature, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals
matter which way you go you may keep your face to the sun. East or west
or north or south or up or down or across it is all the same. You may
keep your face to the sun. Your face shining with a light all its own.
Your face baffling all rivalries of solar glory. You who ride to death
may ride to life. You may turn your back to the sun. But the sun never
turns its back to you. You may turn your back to the soul. The soul
never turns its back to you. You may scorn the sentiment of man. You may
make light of the romance of lovers. You may look with disdain upon the
ignorant and the stupid. You may take care of yourself at the expense of
others. You may postpone or destroy the impulse to give. Your life may
be a life of seizure and appropriation. May ride shod rough over the
crowd. May accept every advantage of position. Every advantage of
culture. Not acquiescing in the general liberties. Flourishing your
gifts like clubs. Demanding awe and worship. Quoting your money or your
genius as evidence of your superiority. Standing aside when the people
invite you to serve. Pulling back when the people try to go on. Being
satisfied with your surplus when the people have too little to eat and
too little to wear. This may be your burden. This may be your bloodred
sin. This may be your rack. You may shrink from the sun. Your face may
turn the other way. May prefer the darkness of possession to the light
of atonement. Your eyes may be weak. May not be able to stand the
sunbeams. May take no sun in and have no sun to give out. Your eyes may
endure tyranny but not endure freedom. May endure seeing labor suffer
but not endure seeing labor enfranchised. May endure their inheritance
but not endure their vista. This is the tragedy of the pilgrim. He
passes across the earth. The path is often dark and uncertain. Often he
has to feel, because he cannot see, his way through. Then he is driven
back upon his conclusions. What are his conclusions? Conclusions of
triumph or conclusions of disaster? Conclusions for one or conclusions
for all? Conclusions of property or conclusions of the soul? In the
eclipse of reason all depends upon the conclusions. In the disappearance
of all you have seen all depends upon the appearance of what you have
not seen. What are your conclusions? When all resource gives out. When
the road seems to end. When faculty and vision have lost the impulse of
appeal. Then all depends upon the conclusion. The conclusion to abandon
all gobetweens and trust yourself to the soul. The conclusion to refuse
all preferments and trust yourself to the people. The conclusion to face
the sun even if it blind you. The conclusion to meet sun with sun. The
splendid sun sufficing for the love of the body with the sun more
splendid sufficing for the love of the spirit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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