And still more sharply would I emphasize

That all results in our soul-life, which seem

To spring forth from the influence of ideas,

Cannot in any wise decide for us

What actual worth of knowledge they conceal.

Whether there lives within our mode of thought,

Error or truth—’tis certain this alone

The verdict of true science can decide.

And no one would with honesty deny

That words, which are, in seeming only, clear,