"Truth," said a traveller

"Truth," said a traveller by Stephen Crane

This poem was published in 1905 in the volume The Black Rider & Other Lines.

"Truth," said a traveller,
"Is a rock, a mighty fortress;
Often have I been to it,
Even to its highest tower,
From whence the world looks black."

"Truth," said a traveller,
"Is a breath, a wind,
A shadow, a phantom;
Long have I pursued it,
But never have I touched
The hem of its garment."

And I believed the second traveller;
For truth was to me
A breath, a wind,
A shadow, a phantom,
And never had I touched
The hem of its garment.

This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.