Merlin's Song

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



Of Merlin wise I learned a song,--
Sing it low or sing it loud,
It is mightier than the strong,
And punishes the proud.
I sing it to the surging crowd,--
Good men it will calm and cheer,
Bad men it will chain and cage.
In the heart of the music peals a strain
Which only angels hear;
Whether it waken joy or rage,
Hushed myriads hark in vain,
Yet they who hear it shed their age,
And take their youth again.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 22, 2023

25 sec read
692

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABBCDEFDEDG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 403
Words 86
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 13

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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