Fear not the fearful, but the ignorant

“Fear not the fearful, but the ignorant”
So often have I heard the wisdom of this phrase,
So often have the nobles pronounced its grace,
But never had its melody seduced my soul to dance,
Never had its renown colors been revealed to my sight,
For it was to me, just a canvas bleak as the wall its wedged onto,
A canvas that hasn’t yet felt the gentle strokes of a brush’s rise and fall.
Neither did this phrase furnish my wit, or withdraw my folly,
Just a silent entity, was it before the present day,
When a fearful ruler, my world did serve and praise,
Before the ignorant doomed that kingdom and proclaimed its stay.

So now I can hear that enchanting melody,
Now, its not just that bare canvas but the painting of the phrase, I see,
And it’s not the monarchs, to whom my breath belonged,
But the days of their rulings, that was the master of the art.

Now I know why fear is the eldest sibling,
Of love of hate, of bliss, forlorn,
 For without the touch of terror
The heart would to nothing surrender
And we would have a world devoid of character.

Fear had once been my foe, but now to its presence I salute
As for its qualities I am now barred to refute:

A nuisance it may be at times too many,
but isn’t it the fear of pain that generates our flinch from fire?
Isn’t it the fear of hell that restrains our yearn to murder?
Isn’t it the fear of disgrace that arouses our need to fetch for honor?
Isn’t the fear of moral agony, that helped abolish bigotry?
Isn’t it for fear of losing our earth we plant a tree?

But to the ignorant the touch of fire is always new,
The aftermath of sin is but an emblem of valor,
To the ignorant disgrace is but a trivial thought
Honor has space but only if it’s what power brought.

Fear not the fearful but the ignorant.  

Reviews

[A. Amos]

Isn’t it the fear of hell that restrains our yearn to murder?
Isn’t it the fear of disgrace that arouses our need to fetch for honor?
Isn’t the fear of moral agony, that helped abolish bigotry?
Isn’t it for fear of losing our earth we plant a tree?

Betty this is simply one interesting poem, your concept and efforts are very visible my friend. Good write

[SquinklaPsyOps]

You are right, the ignorants are a waste of time and with their stubborness they seem to not know the difference between right and wrong. The best thing is to not avoid the opportunity if they try to take advantage and immediately ignite them and send them to hell so their hair falls.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

very keen insight contained with this poem of scorching words.

what did FDR say?

"the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"

sometimes the ignorant heighten our senses to fear by alarming us before really knowing a situation.

nicely done here.

jacob

[Dye]

What a powerful ending to such a strong write. A very wise poem.

"But to the ignorant the touch of fire is always new,
The aftermath of sin is but an emblem of valor,
To the ignorant disgrace is but a trivial thought
Honor has space but only if it’s what power brought.

Fear not the fearful but the ignorant."

[Betty]

Thank you so much Dye.. I really do appreciate your visit and kind review :)

[david r. lessard]

Betty, Welcome to the site. I really enjoyed looking through your poetry. And the artwork is dazzling too!
Thanks for your kind comments on my poem, Awakening. God bless; keep up the wonderful writing.

[Betty]

Thank you David, i really am glad you enjoyed it :)

[Lydia Shutter]

What an insightful poem this is! Philosophical and wise. "Now I know why fear is the eldest sibling, Of love of hate, of bliss, forlorn, For without the touch of terror The heart would to nothing surrender
And we would have a world devoid of character." This stanza is absolutely brilliant. Your thoughts are logical making this poem well worth the read! Lydi**

[Betty]

What a wonderful review... Thank you so much for the kind comment Lydia :)

[ANTO]

Yes Betty, fear is indeed a vital part of living and learning and as FDR said,"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." which seems counter-intuitive but which is perfectly logical.
I wouldn't go as far as you have and honoured it (unless you were being ironic - I may have missed that) but I damn well respect fear.
A good well-thought out poem Betty and quite a unique subject matter too - bravo
X

[Betty]

Thank you so much Anto for the great review. I wasn’t actually trying to exalt fear, but trying to point out how those who are ignorant of fear are more destructive than those who are aware of its presence…… Either ways, poetry can be perceived as however the reader views It.