184
THE STAR IN THE WEST
The essential
soul of dung
That lived and stung ;
That spoke : no word
that living head may hear !
Last , a dark woman
pressed
The world unto her breast ,
Soothed
and caressed
With evil words
and kisses of the mouth of Sin .?
On we must press , undaunted
, against
all
odds and
numbers
,
as
in
the spiritual
journey
towards
the
Supreme
of
“
The Ultimate
Voyage
,
”
struggling with
the cold wet horrors of life
:
with
my sword
Trenchant
,
that tore their scaly essences
Like Lucian's sailor writhing
in
the clutch
Of those witch
-
vines--
I
slashed
about
like light
,
And noises horrible
of death devoured
That hateful
suction
of
their clinging arms
And wash
of
slippery
bellies
.
.
>
3
»
5
Life
is
a
boiling cauldron
of
purposes
,
actions
,
and
desires
.
At
one moment
all
pessimistic
with the
“
toad
spotted
dew
of
Reality
,
at
the next
all
full
-
hearted
optimism
,
“
Yet
I
believe what e'er we
do
is
best for
me and
best for you
”
;4
then
as
stoical
as
Marcus
,
“
I
conquer
,
and most silently await the
end
.
All phases
of
thought are crowded
on
our minds
as
we read through these slight volumes
.
And what
is
the goal
of
this
“
Ultimate
Voyage
?
”
A
deep
and
tearless
sadness
,
a
growing
wonder
of
how
such
luxury
,
such
wealth
,
such
satiety
can exist
cheek
by
1
The Temple
of
the Holy Ghost
,
vol
.
i,
p
198
.
?
Mysteries
:
Lyrical and Dramatic
,
vol
.
i,
p
.
97
.
3
The Temple
of
the Holy Ghost
,
vol
.
i,
p
.
178
.
4
The Sword
of
Song
,
vol
.
ii,
p
.
155
.
Songs
of
the Spirit
,
vol
.
p
.
52
.
5