Do not seek present fault in past greatness Condemning yesterday men with morrow crimes The sift of time works in unfathomable wonder Leaving only truth grains of real substance Do not discard these foods for thoughts For being misshapen and the occasional spots For they were gold among ashes and dust And the learnt, and healed is never without scars
II. On the Embellishing of Poetry
Don't dread or torment yourself if you fear Your words aren't decorated enough For one day only truth will remain And truth never hides, but bares itself plain If you dress your poetry overabundant, shimmer and gleam It might just be overlooked, the soul underneath And be discarded as earthly things Obscured by the camouflage of timely beings
III. On the Timelessness of Simple Words
Gaze from below, the tomes of giant How plainly they walk in the clouds At most a dress or cling shimmering humbly And never so full of jewels and gold lest they Fall from the heavens Bearing the weight of earthly greed.
Learn from your scars, lest you envy flesh unmarked.