I stood musing in a black world, 
Not knowing where to direct my feet. 
And I saw the quick stream of men 
Pouring ceaselessly, 
Filled with eager faces, 
A torrent of desire. 
I called to them, 
"Where do you go? What do you see?" 
A thousand voices called to me. 
A thousand fingers pointed. 
"Look! look! There!" 

I know not of it. 
But, lo! In the far sky shone a radiance 
Ineffable, divine -- 
A vision painted upon a pall; 
And sometimes it was, 
And sometimes it was not. 
I hesitated. 
Then from the stream 
Came roaring voices, 
Impatient: 
"Look! look! There!" 

So again I saw, 
And leaped, unhesitant, 
And struggled and fumed 
With outspread clutching fingers. 
The hard hills tore my flesh; 
The ways bit my feet. 
At last I looked again. 
No radiance in the far sky, 
Ineffable, divine; 
No vision painted upon a pall; 
And always my eyes ached for the light. 
Then I cried in despair, 
"I see nothing! Oh, where do I go?" 
The torrent turned again its faces: 
"Look! look! There!" 

And at the blindness of my spirit 
They screamed, 
"Fool! fool! fool!"