Transcendence

A mystic spirit from his vision crept, And over chaos lover-like it hung, That forthwith humbled in its fury slept, And murmured fondly as the spirit sung A song unlike the trilling of a tongue, But harmony ineffable, divine, That loathing death still unto being clung, And force and matter wedded ceased to pine, But slept lulled by the bliss of amorous entwine.

Transcendent is the love that mortals know, When two fond dreamers swoon in soft caress, Adrift upon their dalliant passions flow, Like birds that float on zephyrs happiness, For theirs is ravishment, then God's scarce less, Their pulse shall quiver through a lengthened line, Creation's raptured touch they each possess, Which each doth worship at the other's shrine, She is a goddess chaste, and he a God divine.

But such is shadow of a taintless sun, Warm-veined grew chaos with the potent kiss, Throughout her vastness heated storm did run, Whose uncurbed lightning scathed with many a hiss, Arousing night in every vein to bliss, And dreams of morning dawning bold and fair, Awaking life dispelled her drowsiness, Such love had not been and it shall be ne'er, As gave the ages wings above this primal pair.

Not the soft-curtained love of nuptial bed, That yields the blushing maid a flitting night, But of the tigress in the jungle bred, Submitting fiercely to the lustful fight, Without the nuptial torches languorous light, But round them stealthy, dreamful silence drew The curtains of unbounded darkness tight, And each in madness to the other flew, With seething flaming lust in one hot fury grew.

Such an undertaking is outside my whole proposition and would demand qualifications to which I make no claim, for it is somewhat late on my part to serve another apprenticeship.

Special proficiency is not of course required to recognize in how many quarters the great vistas open, and I suppose that in such a connection the discourse would begin as this chapter begins that is to say, on the nature of God in the Transcendence.

I will reaffirm at the outset that I am concerned here, as I shall be concerned throughout, with an attempt to ascertain whether there is anything which leads to some central point of all; and I believe that we shall find it almost ready to our hands, as we did in discussing the nature of the secret doctrine.

This point will recur continually, and so shall I look to reach and find a culmination or term of quest, from which we shall be able to look back over the whole journey and survey it under one light.

Speaking generally of God in the Transcendence, we learn that the glory of the Holy One is so sublime and exalted so highly above all human understanding, that it remains eternally secret; no man can penetrate the depths of the divine wisdom.

The place of its exaltation is unknown to men and angels, and this is held to be intimated by the prophet when he said: Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place, or as the Zohar renders it, in the place wherein He resides.

I suppose that this may be regarded as a short introduction to the doctrine of the Infinite, as this finds expression in the Zohar under the name of Ein Sof, or the divine essence abiding in the simplicity and undifferentiation of perfect unity.