The Hermit
I went to the hermit
on top of the hill,
saying, “I seek for peace”:
and he said, “Go
to the battle’s noise
to the clamour
and fear
and strife,
for only the peace
that can stand its strain
will stay with you
throughout your life.
I went to the hermit
on top of the hill
asking, “Where shall I find joy?”
and he said, “Go.
First learn to weep,
let your heart be pierced
by life’s thorns,
and amid your tears
find that ray of light
that cannot be doused
by life’s storms.
I went to the hermit
on top of the hill
saying, “I want to be free”:
and he said, “Go,
let yourself be chained
let them tie you foot and hand:
for the spirit that soars
from a dungeon cell
will never be bound by man.
I went to a cross
on top of a hill
saying, “Saviour, teach me to love.”
And He said, “Go
to the gutters and streets
to the lepers and beggars and whores,
then to those who will curse you
and spit in your face,
who will pierce your hands and your heart:
for the love that can stand the stench and the filth,
that can love through the hatred and sneers,
the kind of love with which I have love you
will stand past a million years.
