Friday, July 22, 2016

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Give All to Love

Give all to love; 
Obey thy heart; 
Friends, kindred, days, 
Estate, good-fame, 
Plans, credit and the Muse,— 
Nothing refuse. 

’Tis a brave master; 
Let it have scope: 
Follow it utterly, 
Hope beyond hope: 
High and more high 
It dives into noon, 
With wing unspent, 
Untold intent: 
But it is a god, 
Knows its own path 
And the outlets of the sky. 

It was never for the mean; 
It requireth courage stout. 
Souls above doubt, 
Valor unbending, 
It will reward,— 
They shall return 
More than they were, 
And ever ascending. 

Leave all for love; 
Yet, hear me, yet, 
One word more thy heart behoved, 
One pulse more of firm endeavor,— 
Keep thee today, 
Tomorrow, forever, 
Free as an Arab 
Of thy beloved. 

Cling with life to the maid; 
But when the surprise, 
First vague shadow of surmise 
Flits across her bosom young, 
Of a joy apart from thee, 
Free be she, fancy-free; 
Nor thou detain her vesture’s hem, 
Nor the palest rose she flung 
From her summer diadem. 

Though thou loved her as thyself, 
As a self of purer clay, 
Though her parting dims the day, 
Stealing grace from all alive; 
Heartily know, 
When half-gods go,   
The gods arrive.


~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)



2 comments:

  1. Flit like a butterfly from flower to flower...

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's an awesome poem. Thank you for bringing it to us!

    ReplyDelete

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