Rabbi Ben Ezra

　　by Robert Browning

　　 Grow old along with me！

　　 The best is yet to be，

　　 The last of life， for which the first was made：

　　 Our times are in His hand

　　 Who saith， 'A whole I planned，

　　 Youth shows but half； trust God： see all， nor be afraid！'

　　 Not that， amassing flowers，

　　 Youth sighed， 'Which rose make ours，

　　 Which lily leave and then as best recall？'

　　 Not that， admiring stars，

　　 It yearned， 'Nor Jove， nor Mars；

　　 Mine be some figured flame which blends， transcends them all！'

　　 Not for such hopes and fears

　　 Annulling youth's brief years，

　　 Do I remonstrate： folly wide the mark！

　　 Rather I prize the doubt

　　 Low kinds exist without，

　　 Finished and finite clods， untroubled by a spark.

　　 Poor vaunt of life indeed，

　　 Were man but formed to feed

　　 On joy， to solely seek and find and feast；

　　 Such feasting ended， then

　　 As sure an end to men；

　　 Irks care the crop-full bird？ Frets doubt the maw-crammed beast？

　　 Rejoice we are allied

　　 To That which doth provide

　　 And not partake， effect and not receive！

　　 A spark disturbs our clod；

　　 Nearer we hold of God

　　 Who gives， than of His tribes that take， I must believe.

　　 Then， welcome each rebuff

　　 That turns earth's smoothness rough，

　　 Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand but go！

　　 Be our joys three-parts pain！

　　 Strive， and hold cheap the strain；

　　 Learn， nor account the pang； dare， never grudge the throe！

　　 For thence，-a paradox

　　 Which comforts while it mocks，

　　 Shall life succeed in that it seems to fail：

　　 What I aspired to be，

　　 And was not， comforts me：

　　 A brute I might have been， but would not sink i' the scale.

　　 What is he but a brute

　　 Whose flesh has soul to suit，

　　 Whose spirit works lest arms and legs want play？

　　 To man， propose this test

　　 Thy body at its best，

　　 How far can that project thy soul on its lone way？

　　 Yet gifts should prove their use：

　　 I own the Past profuse

　　 Of power each side， perfection every turn：

　　 Eyes， ears took in their dole，

　　 Brain treasured up the whole；

　　 Should not the heart beat once 'How good to live and learn'？

　　 Not once beat 'Praise be thine！

　　 I see the whole design，

　　 I， who saw power， see now love perfect too：

　　 Perfect I call thy plan：

　　 Thanks that I was a man！

　　 Maker， remake， complete，-I trust what Thou shalt do！'

　　 For pleasant is this flesh；

　　 Our soul， in its rose-mesh

　　 Pulled ever to the earth， still yearns for rest：

　　 Would we some prize might hold

　　 To match those manifold

　　 Possessions of the brute，-gain most， as we did best！

　　 Let us not always say，

　　 'Spite of this flesh to-day

　　 I strove， made head， gained ground upon the whole！'

　　 As the bird wings and sings，

　　 Let us cry， 'All good things

　　 Are ours， nor soul helps flesh more， now， than flesh helps soul！'

　　 Therefore I summon age

　　 To grant youth's heritage，

　　 Life's struggle having so far reached its term：

　　 Thence shall I pass， approved

　　 A man， for aye removed

　　 From the developed brute； a god though in the germ.

　　 And I shall thereupon

　　 Take rest， ere I be gone

　　 Once more on my adventure brave and new：

　　 Fearless and unperplexed，

　　 When I wage battle next，

　　 What weapons to select， what armour to indue.

　　 Youth ended， I shall try

　　 My gain or loss thereby；

　　 Leave the fire ashes， what survives is gold：

　　 And I shall weigh the same，

　　 Give life its praise or blame：

　　 Young， all lay in dispute； I shall know， being old.

　　 For， note when evening shuts，

　　 A certain moment cuts

　　 The deed off， calls the glory from the grey：

　　 A whisper from the west

　　 Shoots-'Add this to the rest，

　　 Take it and try its worth： here dies another day.'

　　 So， still within this life，

　　 Though lifted o'er its strife，

　　 Let me discern， compare， pronounce at last，

　　 'This rage was right i' the main，

　　 That acquiescence vain：

　　 The Future I may face now I have proved the Past.'

　　 For more is not reserved

　　 To man， with soul just nerved

　　 To act to-morrow what he learns to-day：

　　 Here， work enough to watch

　　 The Master work， and catch

　　 Hints of the proper craft， tricks of the tool's true play.

　　 As it was better， youth

　　 Should strive， through acts uncouth，

　　 Toward making， than repose on aught found made：

　　 So， better， age， exempt

　　 From strife， should know， than tempt

　　 Further. Thou waitedst age： wait death nor be afraid！

　　 Enough now， if the Right

　　 And Good and Infinite

　　 Be named here， as thou callest thy hand thine own，

　　 With knowledge absolute，

　　 Subject to no dispute

　　 From fools that crowded youth， nor let thee feel alone.

　　 Be there， for once and all，

　　 Severed great minds from small，

　　 Announced to each his station in the Past！

　　 Was I， the world arraigned，

　　 Were they， my soul disdained，

　　 Right？ Let age speak the truth and give us peace at last！

　　 Now， who shall arbitrate？

　　 Ten men love what I hate，

　　 Shun what I follow， slight what I receive；

　　 Ten， who in ears and eyes

　　 Match me： we all surmise，

　　 They， this thing， and I， that： whom shall my soul believe？

　　 Not on the vulgar mass

　　 Called 'work'， must sentence pass，

　　 Things done， that took the eye and had the price；

　　 O'er which， from level stand，

　　 The low world laid its hand，

　　 Found straightway to its mind， could value in a trice：

　　 But all， the world's coarse thumb

　　 And finger failed to plumb，

　　 So passed in making up the main account；

　　 All instinct immature，

　　 All purposes unsure，

　　 That weighed not as his work， yet swelled the man's amount：

　　 Thoughts hardly to be packed

　　 Into a narrow act，

　　 Fancies that broke through language and escaped；

　　 All I could never be，

　　 All， men ignored in me，

　　 This， I was worth to God， whose wheel the pitcher shaped.

　　 Ay， note that Potter's wheel，

　　 That metaphor！ and feel

　　 Why time spins fast， why passive lies our clay，-

　　 Thou， to whom fools propound，

　　 When the wine makes its round，

　　 'Since life fleets， all is change； the Past gone， seize to-day！'

　　 Fool！ All that is， at all，

　　 Lasts ever， past recall；

　　 Earth changes， but thy soul and God stand sure：

　　 What entered into thee，

　　 That was， is， and shall be：

　　 Time's wheel runs back or stops： Potter and clay endure.

　　 He fixed thee mid this dance

　　 Of plastic circumstance，

　　 This Present， thou， forsooth， wouldst fain arrest：

　　 Machinery just meant

　　 To give thy souls its bent，

　　 Try thee and turn thee forth， sufficiently impressed.

　　 What though the earlier grooves

　　 Which ran the laughing loves

　　 Around thy base， no longer pause and press？

　　 What though about thy rim，

　　 Skull-things in order grim

　　 Grow out， in graver mood， obey the sterner stress？

　　 Look not thou down but up！

　　 To uses of a cup，

　　 The festal board， lamp's flash， and trumpet's peal，

　　 The new wine's foaming flow，

　　 The Master's lips a-glow！

　　 Thou， heaven's consummate cup， what need'st thou with earth's wheel？

　　 But I need， now as then，

　　 Thee， God， who mouldest men；

　　 And since， not even while the whirl was worst，

　　 Did I-to the wheel of life

　　 With shapes and colours rife，

　　 Bound dizzily，-mistake my end， to slake Thy thirst：

　　 So， take and use Thy work，

　　 Amend what flaws may lurk，

　　 What strain o' the stuff， what warpings past the aim！

　　 My times be in Thy hand！

　　 Perfect the cup as planned！

　　 Let age approve of youth， and death complete the same！

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