Page:Ephemera, Greek prose poems (IA ephemeragreek00buckrich).pdf/34



They asked: —What seekest thou?

And the old man answered: —I seek for Truth.

—I seek for Truth—all other desires are long since dead. For many years, in far lands, before strange gods, my fruitless quest has drawn me on. But in the sanctuaries all is vanity, all is lust for temporal power, all is profaned by the impious hand of man.

—Many have asked: What seekest thou? And at my answer some have laughed while others have eagerly revealed strange phantoms which they worshiped—satisfied. But in the sanctuaries all is vanity, all is lust for temporal power, all is profaned by the impious hand of man.

Those gathered around him as he spoke, laughed also. But one, standing alone, said gently:

—O friend who seekest vainly, not in shadowy temples but among the fields, beneath outspreading trees, upon the bosom of the waters, lies the occult heart of thy desire. For Truth, alone, does not exist. Seek Beauty if thou desirest peace.