The quest for knowledge
Far must thy researches go
Wouldst thou learn the world to know;
Thou must tempt the dark abyss
Wouldst thou prove what Being is.
Naught but firmness gains the prize,
Naught but fullness makes us wise,
Buried deep, truth e’er lies.
From a translation of The Proverbs of Confucius, by Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805), the German poet, historian, dramatist, and playwright.
