The little man was above them at a bound.
His austerity, like an irresistible sledge-hammer, drove them lower and lower:
They dwindled while he soared.
THE MINER
Those on the top say they know you, Earth—they are liars.
You are my father, and the silence I work in is my mother.
Only the son knows his father.
We are alike—sweaty, inarticulate of soul, bending under thick knowledge.
I drink and shout with my brothers when above you—
Like most children we soon forget the parents of our souls.