Invisible, as Music -
But positive, as Sound -
It beckons, and it baffles -
Philosophy—don't know
And through a Riddle, at the last -
Sagacity, must go -
To guess it, puzzles scholars -
To gain it, Men have borne
Contempt of Generations
And Crucifixion, shown
Faith slips—and laughs, and rallies -
Blushes, if any see -
Plucks at a twig of Evidence -
And asks a Vane, the way -
Much Gesture, from the Pulpit -
Strong Hallelujahs roll -
The fragility is developed and doubt is encompassed in this line. “Plucks at a twig of Evidence” brings to mind “clutching at straws”. This may have seemed shockingly dismissive in an age where religious belief was almost universal and taken for granted.
This World is not Conclusion