On a Grey Thread/Youth

​

Youth

I must go down,Down, down,Below the crusts of things,Under the shadows,Into thought-haunted placesWhere few go;Where the road is brokenAnd travelled by monsters,Truths with hard sphinx-faces.
I must go downInto the caves of life,Into the darknesses,Deep, deep,Below the good of things,Below the evil of things,Where the calm roots of wisdom creep.
I must tunnelUnder the bloom of dreams,Under the frame-work of fancies,Tunnel alone.What if I shatter frail things,Break delicate flowers of mythTimorous dreamers have sown?
​
I must go downBelow narrow roads men have made,Below bridging lies men have built,Into the caverns of truth.I know pain is waiting thereEager to break me,But I am strong.I have faith in my youth.
Living is crusted with lies.I want life naked,Laughing and young.Not fettered, not tamed,But life unashamed,With the cry of Desire on her tongue.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.