Analysis of Anthem

And how am I to seek the shrines?
The highest and most holy
Lie far beyond the litter
Of this gray retreating world.
Where hope to find the glitter
Of bright temples, unresigned
To let them fall or tarnish slowly,
Their banners still unfurled?

Howbeit, I am thrown among
Uncomprehending minds
To die or live as best I may,
Pursue the vision fair
Or dully root among the swine
Where unseen pearls are flung.
I know not yet where lies the way,
I know the way is there.

My credo, then, is this and only:
Seek a nobler vision,
Seek it, find it, live it, make it.
And once the task’s begun
Then never let my heart forsake it:
The journey long and lonely,
The pilgrimage, the soul’s decision,
The quest that’s never done.