- Heaven is not reached at a single bound;
- But we build the ladder by which we rise
- From the lowly earth, to the vaulted skies,
- And we mount to its summit round by round.
- I count this thing to be grandly true:
- That a noble deed is a step toward God,
- Lifting the soul from the common clod
- To a purer air and a broader view.
- We rise by the things that are under feet;
- By what we have mastered of good and gain;
- By the pride deposed and the passion slain,
- And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.
- We hope, we aspire, we resolve, we trust,
- When the morning calls us to life and light,
- But our hearts grow weary, and, ere the night,
- Our lives are trailing the sordid dust.
- We hope, we resolve, we aspire, we pray,
- And we think that we mount the air on wings
- Beyond the recall of sensual things,
- While our feet still cling to the heavy clay.
- Wings for the angels, but feet for men!
- We may borrow the wings to find the way—
- We may hope, and resolve, and aspire, and pray;
- But our feet must rise, or we fall again.
- Only in dreams is a ladder thrown
- From the weary earth to the sapphire walls;
- But the dreams depart, and the vision falls,
- And the sleeper wakes on his pillow of stone.
- Heaven is not reached at a single bound;
- But we build the ladder by which we rise
- From the lowly earth, to the vaulted skies,
- And we mount to its summit, round by round.
Gradatim, with its accent on the first syllable, means
gradually, step by step.
Biography: Josiah Gilbert Holland