POEMS OF GOETHE
213
Tread the enduring
Firm-seated earth;
Aiming no further, than
The oak or the vine to compare!
What doth distinguish
Gods from mankind?
This! Multitudinous
Billows roll ever
Before the immortals,
An infinite stream.
We by a billow
Are lifted—a billow
Engulfs us—we sink,
And are heard of no more.
A little round
Encircles our life,
And races unnumbered
Extend through the ages,
Linked by existence's
Infinite chain.
THE GODLIKE.
Noble be man,
Helpful and good!
For that alone
Distinguisheth him
From all the beings
Unto us known.
Hail to the beings,
Unknown and glorious,
Whom we forebode!
