“ A man saw a ball of gold in the sky;
He climbed for it,
And eventually he achieved it--
It was clay.
Now this is the strange part:
When the man went to the earth
And looked again,
Lo, there was the ball of gold. ”

“ At last he cried thus:
"There is nothing,--
"No life,
"No joy,
"No pain,--
"There is nothing save opinion,
"And opinion be damned."
XLIX
I stood musing in a black world,
Not knowing where to direct my feet.
And I saw the quick stream of men
Pouring ceaselessly,
Filled with eager faces,
A torrent of desire.
I called to them,
"Where do you go? What do you see?"
A thousand voices called to me.
A thousand fingers pointed.
"Look! Look! There!"
I know not of it.
But, lo! in the far sky shone a radiance
Ineffable, divine,--
A vision painted upon a pall ”

“ Why do you strive for greatness, fool?
Go pluck a bough and wear it.
It is as sufficing.
My lord, there are certain barbarians
Who tilt their noses
As if the stars were flowers,
And thy servant is lost among their shoe-buckles. ”