If he does not arrive at contemplation,

if his soul does not achieve awareness of that life that is beyond,

if the soul does into feel a rapture within it like that of the lover come to rest in his love,

if, because of his closeness to The One, he receives its true light--his whole soul made luminous–

but is still weighted down and his vision frustrated,

if he does not rise alone

but still carries within him something alien to the One,

if he is not yet sufficiently unified,

if he has not yet risen far but is still at a distance

either because of the obstacles of which we have just spoken or because of the lack of such instruction

as would have given him direction and faith in the existence of things beyond,

he has no one to blame but himself

and must try to become pure by detaching himself from everything. (78-79)

Hum 110 | Reed Classics | Reed Library | Reed | Perseus