This poem is about the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who was known as ‘the Obscure’ due to his complex and self-contradictory ideas. He was sometimes known as the ‘weeping philosopher,’ having a somewhat downbeat view of the universe.
Heraclitus spoke in quasi-riddles about the equivalence of opposites. His declaration that ‘the way up and the way down are the same’ confused people of his time, and many students since. He also said several times and in several ways that ‘you can’t step twice into the same river,’ which became a source of inspiration for other well known poets and poems.
The speaking voice of the poem is meant to sound a bit antique and high-brow; something like an ancient nobleman speaking with a peer. I kinda made up the part about Heraclitus evolving from wise counselor to street preacher.
The only real recorded works from Heraclitus were his ‘Fragments‘; which contain various big ideas but in a broken and jumbled style.