The Labour of Pain, pp. 444-445

Opening Remarks
Pain is often an effort of Nature to create something new against a resistance. The resistance of the passage to the new creation brings pain.

Hand of Nature sculpturing men
Pain is the hand of Nature sculpturing men
To greatness: an inspired labour chisels
With heavenly cruelty an unwilling mould.

Pain is the hand of Nature chiselling our hard resistant material to build it into some mould and figure of greatness. Since we do not yield easily, Nature, inspired by the impetus and the possibility concealed within her works as if in an uncaring manner to mould the hard clay.

The demiurges of the universe
Implacable in the passion of their will,
Lifting the hammers of titanic toil
The demiurges of the universe work;
They shape with giant strokes their own; their sons
Are marked with their enormous stamp of fire.
Although the shaping god’s tremendous touch
Is torture unbearable to mortal nerves,
The fiery spirit grows in strength within
And feels a joy in every titan pang.

The cosmic forces that are given the task of shaping our lives charged with their work hammer the world fiercely. Through their giant strokes they shape their special children who carry the stamp of their fire. Although we experience pain and torture in this tremendous touch meant to greaten us, yet the fiery spirit grows in strength and feels a joy in the titan pang.

Grandiose urge
He who would save himself lives bare and calm;
He who would save the race must share its pain:
This he shall know who obeys that grandiose urge.

This truth is recognised by those who obey the urge for greatness. He who wishes to save the world must be prepared must be prepared to stay bare and calm and share its pain.

Closing Remarks
This is the law of pain behind which is also the law of an intense love shaping us into divinity.