Classic Poem

I

The Man who Loved the Names of Things
Went forth beneath the skies,
And named all things thaThe beheld,
And people called him wise.
An unseen presence walked with him
Forever by his side,
The wedded mistress of his soul, —
For Knowledge was his bride;
She named the flowers, the weeds, the trees,
And all the growths of all the seas.

She told him all the rocks by name,
The winds and whence they blew;
She told him how the seas were formed,
And how the mountains grew;
She numbered all the stars for him
And all the rounded skies
Were mapped and charted for the gaze
Of his devouring eyes.
Thus, taught by her, he taught the crowd;
They praised — and he was very proud.

II

The Man who Loved the Soul of Things
Went forth serene and glad,
And mused upon the mighty world,
And people called him mad.
An unseen presence walked with him
Forever by his side,
The wedded mistress of his soul, —
For Wisdom was his bride.
She showed him all this mighty frame,
And bade him feel — but named no name.

She stood with him upon the hills
Ringed by the azure sky,
And shamed his lowly thought with stars,
And bade it climb as high.
And all the birds he could not name,
The nameless stars that roll,
The unnamed blossoms at his feet,
Talked with him soul to soul;
He heard the Nameless Glory speak
In silence — and was very meek.