The one swirled out of foam, the other mind;
The one disturbs the fish, like bright, lost jacks
Around flung testicles; the other takes
A scholarly approach, as is designed
By scrolls unrolled to myth. The cause of beauty
Is sex; the cause of wisdom is a thought
That shows the hallowed way it must be brought
Into the world. Athena has a duty,
But Aphrodite’s an opal of desire,
And though she’s born of sea, she makes a fire.
Athena is more cautious, purposeful;
She knows the impulse, yet she acts on rule.
One rises with a kiss, from fields of coral;
The other walks with armor and a moral.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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