by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744)
Of Man and the Universe See original
Language: English
The great directing Mind of all ordains. All are but parts of one stupendous whole, Whose body nature is, and God the soul; That, chang'd thro' all, and yet in all the same, Great in the earth, as in th' aethereal frame, Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees, Lives thro' all life, extends to all extent, Spreads undivided, operates unspent; Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal parts, As full, as perfect, in a hair as heart; The great directing Mind of all ordains. ... Cease then, nor order imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame. Know thy own point: this kind, this due degree Of blindness, weakness, Heav'n bestows on thee. Submit. In this, or any other sphere, Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear: Safe in the hand of one disposing power, Or in the natal, or the mortal hour. All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good. The great directing Mind of all ordains. ...
Composition:
- Set to music by Murray Adaskin (1906 - 2002), "Of Man and the Universe", 1967
Text Authorship:
- by Alexander Pope (1688 - 1744), no title, taken from the end of "An Essay on Man".
Go to the general single-text view
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 29
Word count: 229