quote · Legacy record
Flame of the spirit, and dust of the earth,— This is the making of man, This is his problem of birth; Born to all holiness, born to all crime, Heir of both worlds, on the long slope of time Climbing the path of God's plan; Dust of the earth in his error and fear, Weakness and malice and lust; Yet, quivering up from the dust, Flame of the spirit, unleaping and clear, Yearning to God, since from God is its birth— This is man's portion, to shape as he can, Flame of the spirit, and dust of the earth— This is the making of man.
Flame of the spirit, and dust of the earth,— This is the making of man, This is his problem of birth; Born to all holiness, born to all crime, Heir of both worlds, on the long slope of time Climbing the path of God's plan; Dust of the earth in his error and fear, Weakness and malice and lust; Yet, quivering up from the dust, Flame of the spirit, unleaping and clear, Yearning to God, since from God is its birth— This is man's portion, to shape as he can, Flame of the spirit, and dust of the earth— This is the making of man.
In print by 1911 AD · modern
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Priscilla Leonard
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1911 AD · modern
In print by 1911: recorded in The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- The Optimist’s Good Morning (1911) (1911 AD)
Complete signed selection 64; printed byline: Priscilla Leonard; Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1911; printed copyright 1907
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.