Sonnet III

George Santayana 1863 (Madrid) – 1952 (Rome)



O world, thou choosest not the better part!
It is not wisdom to be only wise,
And on the inward vision close the eyes,
But it is wisdom to believe the heart.
Columbus found a world, and had no chart,
Save one that faith deciphered in the skies;
To trust the soul's invincible surmise
Was all his science and his only art.

Our knowledge is a torch of smoky pine
That lights the pathway but one step ahead
Across a void of mystery and dread.
Bid, then, the tender light of faith to shine
By which alone the mortal heart is led
Unto the thinking of the thought divine.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

33 sec read
97

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBA CDDCDC
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 560
Words 111
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 6

George Santayana

Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás, known as George Santayana, was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. more…

All George Santayana poems | George Santayana Books

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