And the boy took heart and smiled,
For the voice was tender and mild,
And then half sadly it said,
"Oh! ye who have called me the Master,
The Teller of Truth, and the Wise,
Oh! ye who have strayed in the dark
Give ear to my saying and mark,
For I give you a pearl of price,
"A dark saying, and a hard saying
To those who read it aright—