Poems (Cromwell)/Handicapped
HANDICAPPED
'Tis in a measure easy not to plan
But simply to lie still and brave all day
A single discipline. I've put away
Ambition. From a straight, a narrow span
Of life, a lofty quietude I scan,
And an unclouded beauty I survey.
My hands are idle, but my thoughts can weigh
And prove what has been true since earth began.
By suffering released from self-endeavour,
I view reality, that rainbow skein
That is like sunlight and the sombre rain.
Although my body must lie still forever,
With vigorous will out of myself I lean
And gather what my body has not seen.
But simply to lie still and brave all day
A single discipline. I've put away
Ambition. From a straight, a narrow span
Of life, a lofty quietude I scan,
And an unclouded beauty I survey.
My hands are idle, but my thoughts can weigh
And prove what has been true since earth began.
By suffering released from self-endeavour,
I view reality, that rainbow skein
That is like sunlight and the sombre rain.
Although my body must lie still forever,
With vigorous will out of myself I lean
And gather what my body has not seen.