“Of nothing comes nothing: springs rise not aboveTheir source in the far-hidden heart of the mountains:Whence then have descended the Wisdom and LoveThat in man leap to light in intelligent fountains?”John Townsend Trowbridge The missing Leaf.
“If you will observe, it doesn’t takeA man of giant mould to makeA giant shadow on the wall;And he who in our daily sightSeems but a figure mean and small,Outlined in Fame’s illusive light,May stalk, a silhouette sublime,Across the canvas of his time.”John Townsend Trowbridge Authors’ Night.
“I keep some portion of my early gleam;Brokenly bright, like moonbeams on a river,It lights my life, a far illusive dream,Moves as I move, and leads me on forever.”John Townsend Trowbridge Twoscore and Ten.