I caught a flash of truth one day­—
How daring ignorance can be!­—
And shut it up within my heart,
A flame that danced and sang for me.

It scorched hypocrisy and sham
And from earth bondage set me free;
Its beauty searched my trembling soul
And bared my inner self to me.

In spite the pain, I loved the flame
Which woke within my hungry heart
Ten thousand songs I cannot sing­—
Too subtle for my broken art.

And, wretched I, devoid of shame,
Reach out my bony hand for toll
To let the gazing public see
The fleeting shadows of my soul.

And while they gaze, they call for songs
I pipe upon a broken reed,
For I must pipe to earn my bread­—
Mine is a hungry heart to feed.

The alms I gather as I pass
The flame consumes both night and day,
My heart gets little for its song
But feeds upon the ashes gray.

O flash of truth, O cleansing flame!
Thy burning cannot do me ill,
Though captive to thy mystic power,
I hold thee as a captive still.