Did any of them ever really know you?
Did any of them ever wonder why?
You had to be so different; you wouldn’t play their game
The one to whom being certain meant much more than instant fame
Did any of them really understand you?
And did any of them ever even try?
Could anyone have ever really loved you?
And what was love to such a mind as yours?
Was there light outside the darkened rooms in which you played your part?
Were there more than cold equations in the chambers of your heart?
Could a life of dedication satisfy you?
Were you happy to be wed to such a cause?
And when the headline-seekers guessed the answer
Did you remain impartial; did you try?
Did you warm towards the wonder of the form that they unfurled?
That spiral of simplicity that opened up the world
Or did that moment finally reveal you?
Did a tear escape your scientific eye?
Now history records your contribution
As footnotes in the journals of the time
And those who stole the prizes they acknowledge you today
But reverence in retrospect is easy to display
To you whose life was taken by the mountain
That you had made it possible to climb |
