The Sword of Song

THE SWORD OF SONG 28 You know for me the soul is nought36 Save a mere phantom in the thought, That thought itself impermanent, Save as a casual element With such another may combine To form now water and now wine ; The element itself may be Changeless to all eternity, But compounds ever fluctuate With time or space or various state. (Ask chemists else !) So I must claim Spirit and matter are the same37 Or else the prey of putrefaction. This matters to the present action Little or nothing. Here’s your theories ! Think if you like : I find it wearies ! It matters little whether we With Fichte and the Brahmins preach That Ego-Atman sole must be ; With Schelling and the Buddha own No-Ego-Skandhas are alone ; With Hegel and the—Christian ? teach That which compels, includes, absorbs Both mighty unrevolving orbs In one informing masterless Master-idea of consciousness— All differences as these indeed Are chess play, conjuring. “Proceed !” Nay ! I’ll go back. The exposition Above, has points. But simple fission Has reproduced a different bliss, At last a heterogenesis ! The metaphysics of these verses Is perfectly absurd. My curse is No sooner in an iron word I formulate my thought than I Perceive the same to be absurd (Tannhäuser). So for this, Sir, why ! Your metaphysics in your teeth ! Confer A. Crowley, “Berashith.” But hear ! The Christian is a Dualist ; 230 235 240 245 250 255 260 265 Recapitulation of principal cos- mic theories. Bard check- mates himself. Consciousness and Christi- anity. Dhyana and Hinduism. Sammasa- madhi and Buddhism.