A Dull Uncertain Brain,

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



A dull uncertain brain,
But gifted yet to know
That God has cherubim who go
Singing an immortal strain,
Immortal here below.
I know the mighty bards,
I listen when they sing,
And now I know
The secret store
Which these explore
When they with torch of genius pierce
The tenfold clouds that cover
The riches of the universe
From God's adoring lover.
And if to me it is not given
To fetch one ingot thence
Of the unfading gold of Heaven
His merchants may dispense,
Yet well I know the royal mine,
And know the sparkle of its ore,
Know Heaven's truth from lies that shine--
Explored they teach us to explore.
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on April 25, 2023

34 sec read
17

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBABCDBEECFCFGCGCHEHE
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 583
Words 113
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 22

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

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