Reflection

“All Faith is false, all Faith is true: Truth is the shattered mirror strown
In myriad bits; while each believes his little bit the whole to own.

What is the Truth? was askt of yore. Reply all object Truth is one
As twain of halves aye makes a whole; the moral Truth for all is none.

As palace mirror’d in the stream, as vapour mingled with the skies,
So weaves the brain of mortal man the tangled web of Truth and Lies.

What see we here? Forms, nothing more! Forms fill the brightest, strongest eye,
We know not substance; ‘mid the shades shadows ourselves we live and die.

“Faith mountains move” I hear: I see the practice of the world unheed
The foolish vaunt, the blatant boast that serves our vanity to feed.

“Faith stands unmoved”; and why? Because man’s silly fancies still remain,
And will remain till wiser man the day-dreams of his youth disdain.

“‘Tis blessed to believe”; you say: The saying may be true enow
And it can add to Life a light: — only remains to show us how.

With God’s foreknowledge man’s free will! what monster-growth of human brain,
What powers of light shall ever pierce this puzzle dense with words inane?

“Be ye Good Boys, go seek for Heav’en, come pay the priest that holds the key;”
So spake, and speaks, and aye shall speak the last to enter Heaven, — he.

Yes Truth may be, but ’tis not Here; mankind must seek and find it There,
But Where nor I nor you can tell, nor aught earth-mother ever bare.

Enough to think that Truth can be: come sit we where the roses glow,
Indeed he knows not how to know who knows not also how to ‘unknow.'”

~Sir Richard Francis Burton a.k.a Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî from The Kasidah