What is God's symbol?

It seems to me a glorious truth

Its own supernal splendour casting,

That should be in the souls of youth,

And on men's standards everlasting―

That sacrifices absolute

Through noble striving and endeavour,

If you succeed not, yet bear fruit,

And live in other men forever.

For strength shall thus succeed to strength

Eternal though perpetuation―

And this must give to earth at length

A grander race in every nation.

And men must know that not in vain

Are aspiration and ambition,

For if not theirs in life the gain

The race will gather the fruition.

For life seems evermore today

An everlasting battle-column―

Presenting in its vast array

A glory beautiful but solemn―

And are we not on earth a band

Of warriors, each a struggling brother?

Then pass the torch from hand to hand,

This is the only life, no other.

Let none avow it cannot be,

You linger only at the portal―

The ages yet to come will see

The better manhood―the immortal.

Shall see all beings occupy

Their station true, their true position―

Living life gladly, gloriously,

Fulfilling God's eternal mission.

Make way the coming of the Truth!

What soul that lives, but will adore it?

What soul perennial in its youth

Will not live, hope and perish for it?

Why should you ever babble of

The life hereafter's compensation

Let us make here our heaven of love,

And man in man enshrine salvation!

All hopes ideal and sublime,

Which bring such mighty visions splendid

To aureole the brow of Time,

By these will you then be attended.

And you will speed as lightning speeds

And soar aloft on eagle pinions

While sowing Art's eternal seeds

O'er Nature's realms and vast dominions.

And Hate shall quench her burning brand.

And War destroy her avalanches―

And Peace shall bless each nation's land,

And bear aloft her olive-branches.

Crime, murder shall then be unknown,

Each race shall live its true condition―

Abolishing both king and throne,

And creeds of baser superstition.

True Brotherhood in Freedom's might,

Equality in man fraternal―

Love, Labour, Liberty and Right,

Shall aureole man's brows supernal.

A temple vast shall then be earth

And all the azure deeps above him―

And man, God's symbol since his birth,

Shall truly worship then and love Him.

—Lorenzo Sosso, Poems of Humanity and Abelard to Heloise