l^-4 Colonel Sir Ronald Ross [June 4, 



Life. 



From birth to death the life of man 



Is infinite on the earth, 

 To know and do that which he can 



And be what he is worth. 



Our mortal life, however wrought, 



Eternity is indeed ; 

 For every moment brings a thought, 



And every thought's a deed. 



And that is so much infinite 



Which may be divided much ; 

 And if we live with might and mirth 



Our human life is such. 



For him who has not might and mirth 



That which is not now is never ; 

 And he who can live well on earth 



Does live in heaven for ever. 



World-Song. 



O Vision inviolate, O Splendour supernal, 



We stand in Thy white light like lamps alit in day ; 



Before Thee, Omnipotent, in sight of Thy glory, 

 Our countenance is withered like stars in the sun. 



Before Thee our Symphonies are still'd into silence ; 



Thy wisdom we wot not nor ever shall we know ; 

 But from Thy high throne, O God, Thy voice and Thy 

 thunder 



In utterance reiterate give glory and strength. 



These songs are the integrations of my philosophy, which is, I 

 hope, both true and useful. My integrations of human life and 

 character, however, are contained in a romance, " The Revels of 

 Orsera," commenced thirty years ago, and just published (as my other 

 literary efforts have been) by Mr. Murray. In this I have tried to 

 analyse character into its constituent elements, and to set forth each 

 element by itself in apposition. I will leave you to disentangle that 

 simplification ! I add (as another advertisement) that I hope soon 

 to publish some of my verses in phonetic spelling, because I think 

 that our present spelling does not adequately render the rich and 

 varied euphony of our language.* 



Seven years ago, on the Greek Easter Sunday, I was in the Valley 

 of the Muses, on Mount Helicon, and saw the ruins of the Temple of 

 the Muses there. Beside us ran Hippocrene, the fountain which 



* But I cannot explain in this lecture my ideals regarding artistry, as 

 distinct from art. 



