Astrid, to thee I give a strict command:
Keep close watch o’er this thunder-storm of souls
Till in the course of time the soul awakes
To find its cosmic midnight once again,
Then shall it see itself in other guise,
E’en in a picture of an olden time,
And know how strength for lofty spirit-flight
E’en from disaster may the soul’s wings gain.
A soul may never wish itself to fall;
Yet, when it falls it must a lesson learn.