Do what we will, <br />One horror haunts us still, <br />And down the course where shines the goal <br />For the swift contest of the soul <br />A Spectre glides; where'er we set <br />Our footsteps, there will he be met, <br />Our guardian demon: grant us grace <br />To lift the veil that hides his face! <br /> <br />If once we dare <br />Those eyes beneath his hair, <br />If once that demon visage see, <br />His power is spent, he leaves us free; <br />But if we try to pass him by, <br />He'll seize our hand and presently <br />Will lead us to that land of dream <br />Where lost men grovel and blaspheme.<br /><br />Francis Burdett Thomas Coutts-Nevill<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-guardian-demon/
