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 'tis a god,
Knows its own path,
And the outlets of the sky.
'Tis not for the mean,
It requireth courage stout,
Souls above doubt,
Valor unbending;
Such 'twill 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 to-day,
To-morrow, for ever,
Free as an Arab
Of thy beloved.
Cling with life to the maid;
But when the surprise,
Vague shadow of surmise,
Flits across her bosom young
Of a joy apart from thee,
Free be she, fancy-free,
Do not thou detain a hem,
Nor the palest rose she flung
From her summer diadem.
Though thou loved her as thyself,
As a self of purer clay,
Tho' her parting dims the day,
Stealing grace from all alive,
Heartily know,
When half-gods go,
The gods arrive.
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Comments
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"Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good fame,
Plans, credit, and the muse;
Nothing refuse."
Give all to love? why give all to love if one has trouble of loving? is love not just a feeling? or is it something more? it is a good poem and very open in my oppinion. but i find it hard to understand for i have trouble loving. -
From guest Ashley (contact)
Anyone know when this poem was written? Also when anoth poem of his, "The Past" was written? -
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Ashley,
The earliest reference I can find for this is 1846. It also appears in a book entitled "Early Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson" by Emerson published New York, Boston, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company: 1899.
As for "The Past" that seems to be roundabout the 1860's. I have it in the book “May-Day And Other Pieces” By Ralph Waldo Emerson from 1867
1867.
It is on our site at http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/8149-Ralph-Waldo-Emerson-The-Past
Oldpoetry Research Team
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Great
The poem has a convincing mood. Very simple rhyme but very deep and beautiful thought. The last few lines have magical effect.
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