Poor Human Nature is a book-huge Book!
As broad and mighty are its pages all,
As vast, well-deep the wisdom it contains,-
Frail Nature's Book of Follies without end!
This book is ope to every eye of man;
But men have met me in the walks of life
Who have made Art and Science all their own,
And think themselves the Magi of the world,
That scarcely read its Preface while they live!
Sage Wisdom's babes shall grow up Folly's men,
When, with a bat-like blindness of the soul,
They will not see a mid-day sun that shines
To turn their night of Nature into day,-
Poor Human Nature's Bible will not read-
That book of frailties by Human Nature
Penn'd out and printed plain upon all flesh;
A revelation, truthfully revealing
To man, that night of all enigmas-MAN!
We must look into self to-know ourselves;
This one truth missed, what is there else to know
Save God, and nothingness of all beside?
For this, our mother Eve all Eden gave,
And her bright crown of Immortality.
Men that cat up this book, alone are wise;