Be simple and clear.—Be not occult.

True noble expanded American character is raised on a far more lasting and universal basis than that of any of the characters of of^the "gentlemen" of aristocratic life, or of novels, or [illegible] the European or Asiatic forms of society or government.—It is to be illimitably proud, independent, self‑possessed and generous and gentle.—It is to accept nothing except what is equally free and eligible to every body else.—It is to be poor, rather than rich—but to preferdeath sooner than any mean dependence.—Prudence is part of it, because prudence is the right arm of independence.

Every American young man should carry himself with the finished and haughty bearing of the greatest ruler and —for he is thea great ruler and —th the greatest.

Great latitude must be allowed to others

BringPlay your [muscle?], and it will be lithe as willow and [deletion, illegible]caoutchouc and strong as iron—I wish to see American you[th?] [even?] the workingmen, carry with a high horse

Where is the being of whom I am the inferior?—It is the

I never yet knew what it was to feel how it felt to_^^{think I} stood in the presence of my superior.—I could now abase myself if GodIf the presence of [Joh?] were God were made visible immediately before _^^me,I could not abase myself.—How do I know but I shall myself

I will not have^be the cart, nor the load on the cart, nor the horses that draw the cart; but I will be the pair of little^little hands that guide the cart.—

Different objects which decay, and [by?] the chemicals of nature, their bodies are

American under takes^receives recieves with calmness the spirit of the past

Bring all the art and science of the world, and baffle and humble it with one spear of grass

Liberty is not the end^fruition but the dawn of the morning of a nation.—The night has passed and the day appears when people walk abroad to do evil or to do good

Never speak of the soul as any thing but intrinsically great.—The adjective affixed to it must always testify greatness and immortaliy and purity.—

Dilation

I think the soul will never stop, or attain to any its growth beyond which it shall ^not go.no further.—_^^Then I have sometimes when [deletion, illegible] walked at night by the sea shore and looked up to^at the stars countless stars, and_^^{I have} asked of my soul whether it would be filled and satisfied when it was_^^{should
become} ~~the~~a god enfolding anall these, and open to the life and delight and knowledge of every thing in them or of them; and the answer was plain[er?] to my ear^methan^at the [deletion, illegible] breaking water on the sands at my feet; and it_^^{the answer} was, No, when I reach there, I shall want moreto go further still.—

I will not be a great philosopher, and found my school, and bring build it on^with iron pillars, and gather the young me around me, and make them my disciples, and found a^{that a} new _^^superior churches and politics.—_^^{shall come.—} But I will show every man,^[illegible]unhook the shopen the shutters and the window^sash and you shall stand at my side, and I will show^{hook my left[deletion,
illegible] arm around your waist till I point} you _^^to the road _^^along which leads to all the learning^knowledgeand truth and pleasure^{are the cities of all living} philosophy and all pleasure.—Not I or any^{—not
God—can
travel}it^{this road} for you.—It is not far, it is within reach^{the
stretch} of your arm^thumb; perhaps you shall find you are on it already, and did not know.—Perhaps you shall find it every where on^over the ocean and _^^over the land, when you once have the vision to behold it.—

I will not descend among professors and capitalists and good society—I will turn up the ends of my trowsers up around my boots, and in cuffs back from my wrists and go among^with the rough drivers and boatmen and men who^that catch fish or hoe corn,^{work in the field,} I know that they are sublime

[Begin Hashmark Section]

I am the poet of slaves

and of _^^themasters of slaves

I am the poet of the body

And I am

[End Hashmark Section]

I am the poet of the body

And I am the poet of the soul

The^{I go
with} the slaves _^^{of the earth} _{equally
with th}are mine, and

the masters are equally ^mine

And I will stand between

the masters and the slaves,

And I eEntering into both, andso that

both shall understand

me alike.

I am the poet of sStrength

and Hope

Swiftly pass I

Where is the house of

any one dying?

Thither I speed and raiseturn

the knob of the door,

Let ^AndLet tTthe physician and the

priest stand aside,_^^{timidly
withdraw,}

_^^That I seize on the despairer^{ghastly man}

and raise him with

resistless will,

O ghastly man!^despairer you

shall not diego down,

Here is my hand,^armsick

press your whole

weight upon me

In my^O_{Lo!
with}^With tremendous will^breath,

I force him to dilate,

I will not

[Begin Added Section]

Sleep! for I and they

stand guard

this night,

And when you rise

in the morning you

find that I told_th[e?] what I told you is so.

[End Added Section]

Doubt and fear

With Treading

Baffling doubt and

I will

takeDoubt shall not

Not doubt not fear not

death itself shall lay_{lay
finger [deletion, illegible] you
[deletion, illegible]}

[deletion, illegible] I am [deletion, illegible]

For I have said the word and

And you are [mine?]

And I [deletion, illegible] have him all

to myself

Every room of the^your house will^do

I fill with armed men

Lovers of me, [uses?] bafflers of

hell,

Keeping back

And while_[Th?]

Do^Have you supposed it beautiful

to be born?

I tell you it_^^{I know} it is more^{just
as}

beautiful to die;

For I take my death with the dying

And my birth with the newborn babe

I am the poet of sin,

For I do not believe in sin

In the silence ofand darkness

Among murderers and cannibals

and traders in slaves

Stepped my soulspirit with

light feet, and pried away

their^{their
heads} and [deletion, illegible]^made fissures

this [deletion, illegible],^{to
look
through}

And not in a single one^{And there like^{[deletion, illegible]} foetuses of
[twins?]}

of the earth^{there in every
brain}

saw truth and sympathy

lay folded,like _^^{the foetuses of}twins ^{in the womb}

Mute with bent necks,_^_{Waiting to be
born.—}

And one was sympathy and one was truth.

I am the poet of women as well

as men.

The woman is not the same^{less than the man} as

But she is not^neverless^{the
same,}

I remember I stood one Sunday

forenoon,

(The Peasemaker)

Strength

Where is one abortive, mangy,

cold ?

Starved of his masculine lustiness?

Loose^{Without core} ^Weakened in the knees, ^andwithout core?^{s[deletion,
illegible]es grit and} _{and
grit?}

Clutch fast to me, mymy

ungrown brother,

And^That I will infuse you

with ^{grit and} jets of [new?]^grit life

^{Iwillam not to be denied—I compel;}

*I have stars plenty and

to spare

And _^^ofwhatsoever I have I share^bestow

fully with^upon you.

And first I bestow of my love,

*It is quite indifferent to me who you are^are.

I were easy to be rich owning a dozen banks

But to be rich

I were easy to grant offices and favor his President

But to grand largess and fawn

It were easy to be beautiful with a fine complexion and regular features

But to be beautiful

it were easy tobeshine and attract attention in grand clothes

But to outshine in sixpenny muslin?

[Begin Hashmark Section]

One touch of a tug of

me hasmade^unhaltered all

myothersenses[deletion, illegible]

but feeling

That pleases the rest so

they ^have given ^[in?]to it[deletion, illegible] th[deletion, illegible]

in submission

They are all emulous

to swap themselves

off for what it can do,^{to them,}

Out with them fromtheir

shrouds!

The l[appets?] of God shall

not protect them

[End Hashmark Section]

Test of a poem

How far it wcanelevate enlarge^purify deepen, and make happy the _^^{attributes of the}body and soul of a man

* the people of this state shal instead of being ruled by the old complex laws, and the involved machinery of all governments hitherto, shall be ruled mainly by individual character and conviction.—The recognized character of the citizen shall be so pervaded by the best qualities of law and power that law and power shall be superseded from this government and transferred to the citizens

[Begin Hashmark Section]

Justice does not depend upon^{is not varied or tempered in} the passage of [deletion, illegible] laws by legislatures.—the legislatures cannot settle^alter it any more than they can settle love ^{or the
attraction of gravity,} or pride.—The quality of justice is in the soul.—It is immutable .... it remains through all times and nations and administrations .... it does not depend on majorities andand minorities .... Whoever violates it mayshall fallpays the penalty just as certainly as he who violates the attraction

[End hashmark Section]

of gravity .... whether a nation _^^{violates it}or an individual, it makes no difference.

The test of justice istThe consciousness ofanyindividuals is the test of justice.—What is mean or cruel for an individual is so for a nation.

I am not so anxious to give you the truth, But I am very anxious to see^have you understand that _^^alltruth and power are feeble to you except your own.—[For?]^{Can I beget} a child for you?

[Begin Hashmark Section]

This is the common air ....

it is for the heroes

and sages .... it is for

the workingmen and

farmers .... it is for the

wicked just the same

as the righteous.

I will not have a single

person left out .... I

will _^^havethe prostitute and

the thief invited .... I

will make no difference

between them and the rest

[End hashmark Section]

Let every thing be as free as possible.—There is always danger in constipation.—There is never danger in no constipation.—Let the schools and hospitals for the sick and idiots and the aged be perfectly free

No matter what stage of excellence and pr grandeur a nation has arrived to, it shall be but the start to further excellence and grandeur.—It shall enlarge the doors.—If it once settle down, placidly, content with what is, or with the past, it begins then to decay

There are [many?] pleasant

[illegible]man has not art enough to make the truth [deletion, illegible] repulsive—[deletion, illegible]nor of all the beautiful things of the universe is there any more beautiful than truth

In the earliest times (as we call them—though doubtless the term is wrong.) every thing written at all was poetry.—To write _^^[illegible]was a beautiful wonder.—Therefore, history, laws, religion, war, _^^wereall in the keeping of the poet.—He was literature.—it was nothing but poems. Though a division and subdivision of subjects has for many centuries been made since then, it still prevails as muchas in those early times, so called.—Every thing yet is made the subject of poetry—narrative, description, jokes, sermons, recipes, etc etc

Vast and tremendous is the scheme! It involves no less than constructing a statenation of nations.—astate whose integralstate whose grandeur and comprehensiveness of territory and people make the mightiest of the past almost insignificant—and could we imagine such a thing—let us suggest that before a manchild or womanchild was born it should be suggested that a human being could be born—imagine the world in its formation—the long rolling heaving cycles—can man appear here?—can the beautiful animalvegetable and animal life appear here?

site map