This dead of midnight is the noon of thought,
And Wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars.
At this still hour the self-collected soul
Turns inward, and beholds a stranger there
Of high descent, and more than mortal rank;
An embryo God; a spark of fire divine.
Bio: Roger Kimball, an American art critic and social commentator, is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and the publisher of Encounter Books.
