Quote#Nature
Oh, where is man—
Quote byHartley Coleridge · 1796–1849
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Prometheus, Sylphs.
English (original)
Oh, where is man— That mortal god, that hath no mortal kin Or like on earth? Shall Nature's orator— The interpreter of all her mystic strains — Shall he be mute in Nature's jubilee?
— Hartley Coleridge
More from Hartley Coleridge
She is not fair to outward view As many maidens be; Her loveliness I never knew Until she smiled on me: Oh! then I saw her eye was bright, A well of love, a spring of light.
Her very frowns are fairer far Than smiles of other maidens are.
On this hapless earth There ’s small sincerity of mirth, And laughter oft is but an art To drown the outcry of the heart.
Great poet, 'twas thy art To know thyself, and in thyself to be Whate'er Love, Hate, Ambition, Destiny, Or the firm, fatal purpose of the Heart Can make of Man. Yet thou wert still the same, Serene of thought, unhurt by thy own flame.
The soul of man is larger than the sky, Deeper than ocean, or the abysmal dark Of the unfathomed center.
Rising now, anon descending, Swift and bright as shooting stars, Thus we travel glad and free.