Page:Collected poems Robinson, Edwin Arlington.djvu/231

 "Stumble at first? I may do that; And I may grope, and hate the night; But there's a guidance for the man Who stumbles upward for the light, "And I shall have it all from her, The foam-born child of innocence. I feel you smiling while I speak, But that's of little consequence; "For when we learn that we may find The truth where others miss the mark, What is it worth for us to know That friends are smiling in the dark? "Could we but share the lonely pride Of knowing, all would then be well; But knowledge often writes itself In flaming words we cannot spell. "And I, who have my work to do, Look forward; and I dare to see, Far stretching and all mountainous, God's pathway through the gloom for me." I found so little to say then That I said nothing. "Say good-night," Said Vanderberg; "and when we meet To-morrow, tell me I was right. "Forget the dozen other things That you have not the faith to say; For now I know as well as you That you are glad to go away."