Thy Ship

Hadst thou a ship, in whose vast hold lay stored     The priceless riches of all climes and lands,     Say, wouldst thou let it float upon the seas     Unpiloted, of fickle winds the sport,     And of wild waves and hidden rocks the prey?     Thine is that ship; and in its depths concealed     Lies all the wealth of this vast universe -     Yea, lies some part of God's omnipotence     The legacy divine of every soul.     Thy will, O man, thy will is that great ship,     And yet behold it drifting here and there -     One moment lying motionless in port,     Then on high seas by sudden impulse flung,     Then drying on the sands, and yet again     Sent forth on idle quests to no-man's land     To carry nothing and to nothing bring;     Till worn and fretted by the aimless strife     And buffeted by vacillating winds     It founders on a rock, or springs aleak     With all its unused treasures in the hold.     Go save thy ship, thou sluggard; take the wheel     And steer to knowledge, glory and success.     Great mariners have made the pathway plain     For thee to follow; hold thou to the course     Of Concentration Channel, and all things     Shall come in answer to thy swerveless wish     As comes the needle to the magnet's call,     Or sunlight to the prisoned blade of grass     That yearns all winter for the kiss of spring.