Iii

Thou seemest inexhaustible, O sea! And infinite of nature; yet I know That by divine permission could we go Within thy sealed and silent deeps, and be Of all thy glooms and treasuries made free, The soul at last each marvel would outgrow, Till each were vain as festal fires that glow Beneath the stars’ immortal scrutiny.

And were all alien worlds and suns laid bare Till Mystery their secret should declare, The finite soon its utmost would impart, And sun nor world at last have power to thrill Man’s wayward and insatiable heart, Which God and all His truth alone can fill.