That Nature lends such evil dreams?
So careful of the type she seems,
So careless of the single life; . . .
So careful of the type?" but no.
From scarped cliff and quarried stone
She cries, "A thousand types are gone:
I care for nothing, all shall go.
"Thou makest thine appeal to me:
I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more." And he, shall he,
Man, her last work, who seem'd so fair,
Such splendid purpose in his eyes,
Who roll'd the psalm to wintry skies,
Who built him fanes of fruitless prayer,
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation's final law --
Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shriek'd against his creed --
Who loved, who suffer'd countless ills,
Who battled for the True, the Just,
Be blown about the desert dust,
Or seal'd within the iron hills?
No more? A monster then, a dream,
A discord. Dragons of the prime,
That tare each other in their slime,
Were mellow music match'd with him.
O life as futile, then, as frail!
O for thy voice to soothe and bless!
What hope of answer, or redress?
Behind the veil, behind the veil."
-from parts LV and LVI, "In Memorium: A. H. H.", Alfred Tennyson, 1850.
Nature is not kind, but rather cruel in its workings ..... Watterson could not have said it better:
Here is another C&H masterpiece:
2 comments:
You mentioned geekiness in a previous post. This is not geekiness, it is branching out and getting stuck in only one particular area of study. Good post, I especially like the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. They have always been good.
"Because out there he's gone. But he's not gone inside me."
Classic
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