5

Who has been wise, receives interest,

Savage, felon, President, judge,' farmer, sailor, mechanic, literat," young, old, it is the same,

The interest will come round-all will come round.

Singly, wholly, to affect now, affected their time, will forever affect all of the past, and all of the present, and all of

the future,

All the brave actions of war and peace,

All help given to relatives, strangers, the poor, old, sorrowful, young children, widows, the sick, and to shunn'd per

sons,

All furtherance of fugitives, and of the escape of slaves,

20

All self-denial that stood steady and aloof on wrecks, and saw others fill the seats of the boats,

All offering of substance or life for the good old cause, or for a friend's sake, or opinion's sake,

All pains of enthusiasts, scoff'd at by their neighbors,

All the limitless sweet love and precious suffering of mothers, All honest men baffled in strifes recorded or unrecorded,

All the grandeur and good of ancient nations whose fragments we inherit,

All the good of the dozens3 of ancient nations unknown to us by name, date, location,

All that was ever manfully begun, whether it succeeded or no, All suggestions of the divine mind of man, or the divinity of his mouth, or the shaping of his great hands;

All that is well thought or said this day on any part of the globe -or on any of the wandering stars, or on any of the fix'd stars, by those there as we are here;

30

All that is henceforth to be thought or done by you, whoever you are, or by any one;

These inure, have inured, shall inure, to the identities from which they sprang, or shall spring.

6

Did you guess anything lived only its moment?

The world does not so exist-no parts palpable or impalpable so

exist;

1 1856 adds "prostitute."

2 "literat" added in 1867.

3 1856 '60 '67. For "dozens" read "hundreds."

No consummation exists without being from some long previous consummation-and that from some other,

Without the farthest conceivable one coming a bit nearer the beginning than any.

7

Whatever satisfies Souls is true;

Prudence entirely' satisfies the craving and glut of Souls;
Itself only finally satisfies the Soul;

The Soul has that measureless pride which revolts from every lesson but its own.

Now I give you an inkling;

8

40

Now I breathe the word of the prudence that walks abreast with time, space, reality,

That answers the pride which refuses every lesson but its own.

What is prudence, is indivisible,

Declines to separate one part of life from every part,

Divides not the righteous from the unrighteous, or the living from the dead,

Matches every thought or act by its correlative,

Knows no possible forgiveness, or deputed atonement, Knows that the young man who composedly peril'd his life and lost it, has done exceedingly well for himself without doubt, That he who never peril'd his life, but retains it to old age in riches and ease, has probably achiev'd nothing for himself worth mentioning;

50

Knows that only that person has really learn'd, who has learn'd to prefer results,

Who favors Body and Soul the same,

Who perceives the indirect assuredly following the direct, Who in his spirit in any emergency whatever neither hurries or avoids death.

ALL IS TRUTH.

First published in 1860.

O ME, man of slack faith so long!

Standing aloof-denying portions so long ;"
Only aware to-day of compact, all-diffused truth;

1 "entirely added in 1860.

2 After line 2, 1860 reads "We with mole's eyes, unrisen to buoyancy and vision unfree."

Discovering to-day there is no lie, or form of lie, and can be none, but grows as inevitably upon itself as the truth does upon itself,

Or as any law of the earth, or any natural production of the earth does.

(This is curious, and may not be realized immediately-But it must be realized;

I feel in myself that I represent falsehoods equally with the rest, And that the universe does.)

Where has fail'd a perfect return, indifferent of lies or the

truth?

Is it upon the ground, or in water or fire? or in the spirit of man? or in the meat and blood?

ΙΟ

Meditating among liars, and retreating sternly into myself, I see that there are really no liars or lies after all,

And that nothing fails its perfect return-And that what are called lies are perfect returns,

And that each thing exactly represents itself, and what has preceded it,

And that the truth includes all, and is compact, just as much as space is compact,

And that there is no flaw or vacuum in the amount of the truth -but that all is truth without exception;

And henceforth I will go celebrate anything I see or am,
And sing and laugh, and deny nothing.

VOICES.

First published in 1860.

Now I make a leaf of Voices-for I have found nothing mightier

than they are,

And I have found that no word spoken, but is beautiful, in its

place.

O what is it in me that makes me tremble so at voices? Surely, whoever speaks to me in the right voice. him or her I shall follow,

As the water follows the moon, silently, with fluid steps, anywhere around the globe.

All waits for the right voices;'

Where is the practis'd and perfect organ? Where is the develop'd Soul?

For I see every word utter'd thence, has deeper, sweeter, new sounds, impossible on less terms.

I see brains and lips closed-tympans and temples unstruck, Until that comes which has the quality to strike and to unclose,

10

Until that comes which has the quality to bring forth what lies slumbering, forever ready, in all words.

MARCHES NOW THE WAR IS OVER.

AS I SAT ALONE BY BLUE ONTARIO'S SHORE.
First published in 1856, under title of "Poem of Many in One."

I2

As I sat alone, by blue Ontario's shore,

As I mused of these mighty days, and of peace return'd, and

the dead that return no more,

A Phantom, gigantic, superb, with stern visage, accosted me; Chant me the poem, it said, that comes from the soul of America— chant me the carol of victory;

And strike up the marches of Libertad-marches more powerful yet;3

And sing me before you go, the song of the throes of Democ

racy.

(Democracy the destin'd conqueror-yet treacherous lipsmiles everywhere,

And Death and infidelity at every step.)

1 1860 reads "Now I believe that all waits," etc.

2 Lines 1-8 added in "Songs Before Parting."

For lines 5 and 6, "Songs Before Parting" reads "Chant me a poem, it said, of the range of the high soul of the poets,

And chant of the welcome bards, that breathe but my native air—and invoke those bards."

Songs Before Parting." For "sing" reads "chant."

2

A Nation announcing itself,'

I myself make the only growth by which I can be appreciated,

I reject none, accept all, then reproduce all in my own forms.

A breed whose proof is in time and deeds;2

What we are, we are-nativity is answer enough to objections; We wield ourselves as a weapon is wielded,

We are powerful and tremendous in ourselves,

ΙΟ

We are executive in ourselves-We are sufficient in the variety of ourselves,

We are the most beautiful to ourselves, and in ourselves;

We stand self-pois'd in the middle, branching thence over the

world;

From Missouri, Nebraska, or Kansas, laughing attacks to scorn.3

Nothing is sinful to us outside of ourselves,

20

Whatever appears, whatever does not appear, we are beautiful or sinful in ourselves only.

(O mother! O sisters dear!

If we are lost, no victor else has destroy'd us;

It is by ourselves we go down to eternal night.)"

3

Have you thought there could be but a single Supreme? There can be any number of Supremes-One does not countervail another, any more than one eyesight countervails another, or one life countervails another.

All is eligible to all,

All is for individuals-All is for you,

No condition is prohibited-not God's, or any."

1 1860 adds "(many in one).” This line begins poem in 1856 '60.

2 1856 '60 read "A breed whose testimony is behavior."

3 Lines 18-19 added in "Songs Before Parting."

Lines 23-25 added in " Songs Before Parting."

5 1856 '60. After line 29 read "If one is lost you are inevitably lost."