62 The Future Poetry
value to the word and the image, is needed for the expression
of the values of the spiritual, which will be one of the aims of a
supreme intuitive utterance. If the pursuit of the higher godheads
into their own sphere will be one of its endeavours, their return
upon the earth-life to transform our vision of it will be its other
side. If certain initial movements we can even now see in English
poetry outline and emphasise themselves in the future, this long
stream of strong creation and utterance may arrive at a point
where it will discover a supreme utility for all its past powers. It
may go deeper within itself and find and live in the greater spirit
which has till now only occasionally broken into its full native
utterance. Arriving at a more comprehensive spiritual motive it
may successfully interweave into it the conflicting lines of its
past forces. It may achieve clear and powerful forms of a new
intuitive utterance in which the Anglo-Celtic spirit will find its
highest harmonised and perfect self-expression. The Elizabethan
poet wrote in the spacious days of its first birth into greatness,
Or who can tell for what great work in hand
The greatness of our style is now ordained?
What powers it shall bring in, what spirits command?It has since brought in many powers, commanded many spirits;
but it may be that the richest powers, the highest and greatest
spirit yet remain to be found, brought in, commanded, put into
the service of the greatest work and achievement of which our
evolving humanity is capable.