John o' Dreams fled North, fled North, <br />Led by a certain star, <br />Till he came to peaks that he could not <br />climb, <br />So cold and high they are. <br /> <br />John o' Dreams fled East, fled East, <br />Till he came to the tomb of kings; <br />But all he heard was the tiger's cough, <br />And sough of the vulture's wings. <br /> <br />John o' Dreams fled South, fled South, <br />Till he saw strange orchids flare. <br />Shadows and music filled the night, <br />But they led not anywhere. <br /> <br />John o' Dreams fled West, fled West, <br />Till an ocean barred his way. <br />The word of the surf was great in his heart <br />But its meaning none could say. <br /> <br />Beneath, above, he could not go, <br />And there he dreamt was a goal. <br />'Let him alone!' the Sybil said. <br />'The man explores his soul.'<br /><br />George Sterling<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/ballad-of-the-seeker/
