The Bookworm and the Moth

I hear that in my library one night A bookworm spoke thus to a moth:

“I have long lodged in Sina’s tomes And have consumed much of Farabi’s manuscript.

But I have not learned anything About life’s mystery, And am just as much in the dark About it as before.”

The half burnt moth gave it a fine reply: “You will not find life’s mystery Explained in books.

However, here it is: What gives to life intensity Is ardency. It lends life wings With which to fly.”