souvenirs

We know not what lies in us, till we
seek ;
Men dive for pearls – they are
not found on shore,
The hillsides most unpromising
and bleak
Do sometimes hide the ore.

Go, dive in the vast ocean of thy mind,
O man! far down below the noisy waves,
Down in the depths and silence thou mayst find
Rare pearls and coral caves.

Sink thou a shaft into the mine of thought ;
Be patient, like the seekers after gold ;
Under the rocks and rubbish lieth what
May bring thee wealth untold.

Reflected from the vastly Infinite,
However dulled by earth, each human mind
Holds somewhere gems of beauty and of light
Which, seeking, thou shalt find.

POEMS OF CHEER, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 1909, London