Brahma

Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 (Boston) – 1882 (Concord)



If the red slayer think he slays,
Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.

Far or forgot to me is near;
Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.

They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.

The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven;
But thou, meek lover of the good!
Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

34 sec read
195

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXAX BCBC DADA XEXE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 535
Words 116
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. more…

All Ralph Waldo Emerson poems | Ralph Waldo Emerson Books

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