Mount Derision

Deep within the spacious round
I saw a man and woman bound,
Middle to middle and knee to knee,
With a rusty iron chain,
Which when one or the other would flee
Drew them close together again:
This was on the Hill of Vision
Which the gods call Mount Derision.

There lay upon the ground a key
Which the couple did not see
Tho' with fury they were bowed;
And they struggled in the sun,
And each to the other shouted loud
An urgent business to be done
If the fruitful strife might cease
And they work together in peace.

Thought and Feeling, Brain and Heart,
These, which cannot work apart,
Were loving sister and kindly brother
Long ago till desire and strife
Chained the twain unto each other
As hated husband and hateful wife,
Who must suffer till they see
Love is crowned by liberty.

The Hill of Vision [1912]