60. Auguries of Innocence

TO see a World in a grain of sand,

And a Heaven in a wild flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,

And Eternity in an hour.…

The bat that flits at close of eve

Has left the brain that won’t believe.

The owl that calls upon the night

Speaks the unbeliever’s fright.…

Joy and woe are woven fine,

A clothing for the soul divine;

Under every grief and pine

Runs a joy with silken twine.…

Every tear from every eye

Becomes a babe in Eternity.…

The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar

Are waves that beat on Heaven’s shore.…

He who doubts from what he sees

Will ne’er believe, do what you please.

If the Sun and Moon should doubt,

They’d immediately go out.…

God appears, and God is Light,

To those poor souls who dwell in Night;

But does a Human Form display

To those who dwell in realms of Day.