For I have seen it, weaved carefully
By your actions and inactions;
By the path you thread, and the ones you did not;
By the strength you spared to love, and the vigor you gave to hate
By the soul you failed to feed, and the books you failed to read,
I have seen them all, like one standing upon a cliff,With a hand to shield the eyes,
Looking at the offing, and at the same moment,
I am in the offing, looking at the man upon the cliff,
That I may lead you—for you are the man
Upon the cliff—beyond the mist-covered horizon;
For I have been there—inside your fears—and
They had led me towards the trap inside which they plot
To lead you, astray.
Let me lead you, for your very own leads you—astray.
I have been inside them, and I tell you—I swear to it even—
Fear has got all to do with it!
For until you, seizing your fears, and putting in its hands
A double-edged sword, push it towards a shiny mirror,
And sets it lose, pitting it against itself,
You shall remain forever bound upon the cliff,
With a hand to shield the eyes,
From the scorching sun, trying—no doubt
Without eureka—to behold this ship in the offing,
Sailing farther away beyond the mist-covered horizon.
Now tell me, how do you feel, that I
The Will-o’-the-wisp,
Should be your guide?