Page:The ascent of man by Blind, Mathilde.djvu/72



life, O Man, in this brief moment lies:
 * Time's narrow bridge whereon we darkling stand,
 * With an infinitude on either hand

Receding luminously from our eyes. Lo, there thy Past's forsaken Paradise
 * Subsideth like some visionary strand,
 * While glimmering faint, the Future's promised land,

Illusive from the abyss, seems fain to rise.

This hour alone Hope's broken pledges mar,
 * And Joy now gleams before, now in our rear,

Like mirage mocking in some waste afar.
 * Dissolving into air as we draw near.
 * Beyond our steps the path is sunny-clear,

The shadow lying only where we are.