Here and Now

"Here and Now"

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919)

Here, in the heart of the world,
Here, in the noise and the din,
Here, where our spirits were hurled
To battle with sorrow and sin,
This is the place and the spot
For knowledge of infinite things;
This is the kingdom where Thought
Can conquer the prowess of kings.

Wait for no heavenly life,
Seek for no temple alone;
Here, in the midst of the strife,
Know what the sages have known.
See what the Perfect Ones saw—
God in the depth of each soul,
God as the light and the law,
God as beginning and goal.

Earth is one chamber of Heaven,
Death is no grander than birth.
Joy in the life that was given,
Strive for perfection on earth. 
Here, in the turmoil and roar,
Show what it is to be calm;
Show how the spirit can soar
And bring back its healing and balm.

Stand not aloof nor apart,
Plunge in the thick of the fight.
There in the street and the mart,
That is the place to do right.
Not in some cloister or cave,
Not in some kingdom above,
Here, on this side of the grave,
Here, should we labor and love.

The Winds of Fate

"The Winds of Fate"
Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1916) 

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the self-same winds that blow;
   'Tis the set of the sails
   And not the gales
That tells them the way to go. 

Like the winds of the sea are the winds of fate
As we voyage along through life;
   'Tis the set of the soul
   That decides its goal
And not the calm or the strife.