THE WAY-ITS AMBUSHES
Imagine not the way is easy; the way is long, arduous, dangerous, difficult.
At every step is an ambush, at every turn a pitfall. A thousand seen or unseen enemies will start up against thee, terrible in subtlety against
thy ignorance, formidable in power against thy weakness. And with pain thou hast destroyed them, others thousands
will surge up to take their place. Hell will vomit its hordes to oppose thee and enring and wound and menace; Heaven
will meet thee with its pitiless tests and its cold luminous denials. Thou shalt find thyself alone in thy anguish,
the demons furious in thy path, the Gods unwilling above thee. Ancient and powerful, cruel, unvanquished and close
and innumerable are the dark and dreadful Powers that profit by the reign of Night and Ignorance and would have
no change and are hostile. Aloof, slow to arrive, far-off and few and brief in their visits are the Bright Ones
who are willing or permitted to succour.
An inconsequence dogs every effort made,
And chaos waits on every cosmos formed:
In each success a seed of failure lurks.
He saw the doubtfulness of all things here,
The incertitude of man's proud confident thought,
The transience of the achievements of his force.