For Tony Frazer, after Emerson
Knowledge is difficult to achieve
& unsatisfying once possessed –
Utterance is enough in heaven, yet
In this world, only mind is known,
& the only economy of time
Is saying & doing nothing untrue
To the self, to live wholly within,
Possess no sacred law but Nature
& perceive one's commissions
Coeval with the eldest of causes.
Knowledge is difficult to achieve
& unsatisfying once possessed –
Utterance is enough in heaven, yet
In this world, only mind is known,
& the only economy of time
Is saying & doing nothing untrue
To the self, to live wholly within,
Possess no sacred law but Nature
& perceive one's commissions
Coeval with the eldest of causes.