- description
- # THE ENTHUSIAST
## Overview
"THE ENTHUSIAST" is a chapter containing poetry, extracted from the file `john_marr_and_other_poems.txt`. It is part of the larger collection "John Marr and Other Poems" and falls within the "Melville Complete Works" collection. The chapter spans lines 1725 to 1760 of its source file.
## Context
This chapter is one of many poems included in the collection "[John Marr and Other Poems](arke:01KG8AJ5CWVMSM9AY2938E996H)". The collection itself was extracted from the file `[john_marr_and_other_poems.txt](arke:01KG89J19Y3FNVN5KWASY78BP4)` and is part of the comprehensive "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" archive. "THE ENTHUSIAST" follows the chapter titled "[ART](arke:01KG8AJH700C2BAJK2PTTSV5YF)" and precedes the chapter "[SHELLEY’S VISION](arke:01KG8AJH79GTN3SBA14MGCJGP3)".
## Contents
The text of "THE ENTHUSIAST" consists of a poem that begins with the epigraph, “Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him.” The poem explores themes of unwavering faith, courage in the face of adversity, and the importance of holding onto truth and light, even when surrounded by falsehood and doubt. It uses metaphors of burning boats and torches to emphasize the need for commitment and the severance of ties that hinder spiritual conviction.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:09.986Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- THE ENTHUSIAST
- end_line
- 1760
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:32.310Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 1725
- text
- THE ENTHUSIAST
_“Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him.”_
Shall hearts that beat no base retreat
In youth’s magnanimous years—
Ignoble hold it, if discreet
When interest tames to fears;
Shall spirits that worship light
Perfidious deem its sacred glow,
Recant, and trudge where worldlings go,
Conform and own them right?
Shall Time with creeping influence cold
Unnerve and cow? the heart
Pine for the heartless ones enrolled
With palterers of the mart?
Shall faith abjure her skies,
Or pale probation blench her down
To shrink from Truth so still, so lone
Mid loud gregarious lies?
Each burning boat in Caesar’s rear,
Flames—No return through me!
So put the torch to ties though dear,
If ties but tempters be.
Nor cringe if come the night:
Walk through the cloud to meet the pall,
Though light forsake thee, never fall
From fealty to light.
- title
- THE ENTHUSIAST