Reason Use It Divine Matters

Some blind themselves, ’cause possibly they may

Be led by others a right way;

They build on sands, which if unmov’d they find,

‘T is but because there was no wind.

Less hard ‘t is, not to err ourselves, than know

If our forefathers err’d or no.

When we trust men concerning God, we then

Trust not God concerning men.

Visions and inspirations some expect

Their course here to direct;

Like senseless chemists their own wealth destroy,

Imaginary gold t’ enjoy.

So stars appear to drop to us from sky,

And gild the passage as they fly:

But when they fall, and meet th’opposing ground,

What but a sordid slime is found?

Sometimes their fancies they ‘bove reason set,

And fast, that they may dream of meat;

Sometimes ill spirits their sickly souls delude,

And bastard forms obtrude:

So Endor’s wretched sorceress, although

She Saul through his disguise did know,

Yet, when the devil comes up disguis’d, she cries,

” Behold! the Gods arise.”

In vain, alas! these outward hopes are try’d;

Reason within’s our only guide;

Reason, which (God be prais’d!) still walks, for all

Its old original fall:

And, since itself the boundless Godhead join’d

With a reasonable mind,

It plainly shows that mysteries divine

May with our reason join.

The holy book, like the eighth sphere, does shine

With thousand lights of truth divine:

So numberless the stars, that to the eye

It makes but all one galaxy.

Yet Reason must assist too; for, in seas

So vast and dangerous as these,

Our course by stars above we cannot know,

Without the compass too below.

Though Reason cannot through Faith’s mysteries see,

It sees that there and such they be;

Leads to heaven’s door, and there does humbly keep,

And there through chinks and key-holes peep;

Though it, like Moses, by a sad command,

Must not come in to th’ Holy Land,

Yet thither it infallibly does guide,

And from afar ‘t is all descry’d.

Poetry Monster – Home

A few random poems:

External links

Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus

Talking Writing Monster’s Page –

Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh

Poems in English 

• Юлиан Анисимов – Круглогодие by Поэзия На Русском
• Юлиан Анисимов – Камнем сгрудилась комната by Поэзия На Русском
• Юлиан Анисимов – Из Рильке by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Земляника by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Здравствуй, Пушкин by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Я отюдова уйду by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Хорошая девочка Лида by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Вот опять ты мне вспомнилась, мама by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – В защиту домино by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Три витязя by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Стихи, написанные в псковской гостинице by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Стихи, написанные на почте by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Шинель by Поэзия На Русском
• Ярослав Смеляков – Русский язык by Поэзия На Русском
• Юлия Друнина – Геологиня by Юлия Друнина
• Юлия Друнина – Есть время любить by Юлия Друнина
• Юлия Друнина – Есть праздники, что навсегда с тобой by Юлия Друнина
• Юлия Друнина – Елка by Юлия Друнина
• Юлия Друнина – Два вечера by Юлия Друнина
• Юлия Друнина – Другу by Юлия Друнина

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

Dealing Monster

Doska or the Board – write anything

Search engines:

Yandex – the best search engine for searches in Russian (and the best overall image search engine, in any language, anywhere)

Qwant – the best search engine for searches in French, German as well as Romance and Germanic languages.

Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees

Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.

Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.

 

Parallel Translations of Poetry

Poems by Author and Category

The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works