The Poetical Works of William Motherwell/Life

by William Motherwell

For works with similar titles, see Life.

Life.

 

O Life! what is thy quest?—What owns this world
Of stalking shadows, fleeting phantasies,
Enjoyments substanceless—to wed the mind
To its still querulous, ever-faltering mate—
Or crib the pinion of the aspiring soul
(Upborne ever by the mystical)
To a poor nook of this sin-stricken earth,
Or sterile point of time?—The Universe,
My spirit, is thy birth-right—and thy term
Of occupance, thou river, limitless—
Eternity!