Singing the Living Tradition ‎#341

341. O World, Thou Choosest Not the Better Part

1 O world, thou choosest not the better part!
It is not wisdom to be only wise,
and on the inward vision close the eyes,
but it is wisdom to believe the heart.
To trust the soul’s invincible surmise
is all of science and our only art.

2 Our knowledge is a torch of smoky pine
that lights the pathway but one step ahead
across a void of mystery and dread.
Bid, then, the tender light of faith to shine
by which alone the mortal heart is led
unto the thinking of the thought divine.

Text Information

• First Line: O world, thou choosest not the better part!
• Title: O World, Thou Choosest Not the Better Part
• Author: George Santayana, 1863-1952
• Meter: 10.10.10.10.10.10.
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1993
• Topic: Humanist Teachings: Insight and Wisdom; Reason and Science; Spirituality and Spiritual Growth

Tune Information

• Name: SONG 1
• Composer: Orlando Gibbons, 1583-1625
• Harmonizer: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958
• Meter: 10.10.10.10.10.10.
• Key: F Major or modal
• Copyright: Harm. used by perm. of Oxford University Press