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POEMS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON POEMS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON LONDON HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, AMEN CORNER, E. G. NEW YORK 35 WEST 32ND STREET TORONTO f, 25-27 RICHMOND STREET WEST MELBOURNE CATHEDRAL BUILDINGS BOMBAY HORNBY ROAD 1914 CONTENTS FAOB THE SPHINX ........ 1 AND ALL ., ...... 8 --- --- ... 8 To RHEA .......... TE THE VISIT ......... 14 URIEL .......... 16 THE WORLD - SOUL ....... 18 ALPHONSO OF CASTILE . . . . . . .22 MlTHBIDATES ..... . . .25 To J. W .......... 27 FATE .......... 28 GUY .......... 30 TACT . ., ....... 32 33 . . . . . . 34 J OOD-BYE . i ...... 36 THE HtmOTE-BiffB ....... 39 BERRYING ......... 42 THE SNOW-STORM . ..... 43 WOODNOTES, I ........ 44 WOODNOTES, II ........ 60 MONADNOO ......... 63 FABLE ......... 77 ODE .......... 78 ASTRAEA ......... 83 ETIENNE DB LA BOECE ...... 84 StrtrM CTJIQUE ........ 85 GMPENSATION ........ 86 FORBEARANCE ........ 87 THE PARK ....... 88 FORERUNNERS ........ 89 SURSUM OORDA ........ 91 ODB TO BEAUTY ........ 92 GIVJB ALL TO LOVE ....... 96 To ELLEN AT THE SOUTH ...... 93 To EVA ....... . 100 vi CONTENTS PAGE THE AMULET ....... .101 THINE EYES STILL SEINED . . . . . . 102 EBOS ......... . 103 HEBMIONB ......... 104 INITIAL, DAEMONIC, AND CELESTIAL LOVE . . . 107 IHE APOLOGY ........ 121 MERLIN, I ......... 122 MEBLIN, II ......... 125 BACCHUS ......... 127 toss AND GAIN ........ 130 MEBOFS ......... 131 THE HOUSE ........ 132 SAADI ........ . .. 133 HOLIDAYS ......... 139 PAINTING AND SCULPTUBE . . . . . .140 FROM THE PERSIAN OF HAFIZ . . . .,141 QHASBLLE ......... 147 XENOPHANES . . . . . . . .149 THE DAYS RATION ....... 150 BLIGHT ......... 152 MUSKETAQUID . . . . . . . .155 DIRGE .......... 158 PHRENODY......... 160 MENT MAY-DAY ......... 171 THE ADIRONDACS ....... 193 OCCASIONAL AND MISCELLANEOUS PIECES HBRAHMA NEMESIS . . 7------.206 FATE 207 FREEDOM 208 ODE SUNG IN THE TOWN HALL, CONCORD, JULY 4, 1857 209 BOSTON HYMN 211 VOLUNTARIES 215 LOVB AND THOUGHT 220 COVERS PETITION 221 UNA 222 LETTERS . 223 RUBIES 224 MERLINS SONO . 225 HE TEST 226 SOLUTION 227 viii CONTENTS PAQB GIFTS 306 PIBOLES 307 INTELLECT 307 HB POET 308 UATUBB 309 . NOMINALIST AND REALIST 310 INDEX OF TITLES 311 INDEX 02-FIRST LINES 313 POEMS 1865 THE SPHINX THE Sphinx is drowsy, Her wings are furled Her ear is heavy, She broods on the world. Wholl tell me my secret, The ages have kept I waited the seer, While they slumbered and slept The fate of the man-child The meaning of man 10 Known fruit of the unknown Daedalian plan Out of sleeping a waking, Out of waking a sleep Life death overtaking Deep underneath deep Erect as a sunbeam, Upspringeth the palm The elephant browses, Undaunted and calm 20 In beautiful motion The thrush plies his wings Kind leaves of his covert, Your silence he sings. EMERSON B THE SPHINX The waves, unashamed, In difference sweet, Play glad with the breezes, Old playfellows meet The journeying atoms, Primordial wholes, 3 Firmly draw, firmly drive, By their animate poles. Sea, earth, air, sound, silence, Plant, quadruped, bird, By one music enchanted, One deity stirred, Each the other adorning, Accompany still Night veileth the morning, The vapour the hill. 40 The babe by its mother Lies bath d in joy Glide its hours uncounted, The sun is its toy Shines the peace of all being, Without cloud, in its eyes And the sun of the world In soft miniature lies. But man crouches and blushes, Absconds andconceals 50 He creepeth and peepeth, He palters and steals THE SPHINX 3 Infirm, melancholy, Jealous glancing around, An oaf, an accomplice, He poisons the ground...