Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Major Poetry

336 Pages·2015·2.43 MB·English

by  Ralph Waldo Emerson

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

RALPH WALDO
EMERSON

the major poetry
P
Edited, with Introduction and Commentary, by
Albert J. von FrAnk
THE BELKNAP PRESS
Of HARvARD UNivERSity PRESS
Cambridge, Massachusetts
London, Eng land | 2015
Copyright © 2015 by the President and fellows of Harvard College
ALL RiGHtS RESERvED
Printed in the United States of America
first Printing
Additional copyright notices appear on pages 307–309, which constitute an extension
of the copyright page.
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n- Publication Data
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803–1882.
[Poems. Selections]
Ralph Waldo Emerson : the major poetry / edited, with introduction and
commentary by Albert J. von frank.
pages cm
includes bibliographical references and index.
iSBN 978- 0- 674- 04959- 8 (alk. paper)
i. von frank, Albert J., editor. ii. title.
PS1624.A1 2015
811¢.3—dc22 2014043588
ContentS
abbreviations ix
introduction xi
from Poems (1847)
The Sphinx 3
Each and All 8
The Prob lem 10
The Visit 13
Uriel 15
Alphonso of Castile 18
Mithridates 22
To J. W. 24
Hamatreya 26
Good- Bye 30
The Rhodora 32
The Humble-B ee 34
Berrying 37
The Snow- Storm 38
Woodnotes II 40
Monadnoc 51
Fable 64
vi | cONtENtS
Ode, Inscribed to W. H. Channing 65
Astræa 70
Étienne de la Boéce 72
Suum Cuique 74
Compensation 75
Forbearance 76
The Park 77
Forerunners 78
Give All to Love 80
Eros 83
Initial, Dæmonic, and Celestial Love 84
The Apology 97
Merlin I 98
Merlin II 101
Bacchus 103
The House 106
Ghaselle: From the Persian of Hafiz 107
Xenophanes 109
Blight 111
Musketaquid 114
Dirge 117
Threnody 120
Concord Hymn 129
from May- Day and Other Pieces (1867)
May- Day 133
The Adirondacs 152
Brahma 164
Freedom 166
Ode Sung in the Town Hall, Concord, July 4, 1857 168
Boston Hymn 170
cONtENtS | vii
Voluntaries 175
Love and Thought 181
Rubies 182
Merlin’s Song 183
The Romany Girl 185
Days 187
The Chartist’s Complaint 191
The Titmouse 193
Sea- Shore 197
Song of Nature 200
Two Rivers 204
Waldeinsamkeit 207
Terminus 209
The Past 211
S. H. 212
A. H. 213
“Suum Cuique” 214
Artist 215
Poet 216
Poet 217
Gardener 218
Forester 219
Northman 220
From Alcuin 221
Excelsior 222
Horoscope 223
Climacteric 224
Heri, Cras, Hodie 225
Pericles 226
Casella 227
Hafiz 228
Nature in Leasts 229
viii | cONtENtS
’ΑΔΑΚΡΥΝ ΝΕΜΟΝΤΑΙ ΑΙΩΝΑ 230
Song of Seid Nimetollah of Kuhistan 231
from Selected Poems (1876)
Cupido 235
Uncollected Poems
Silence 239
Grace 240
Nature 242
appendix: the ellen poems, 1828–1831 243
notes 261
works cited 295
further reading 301
acknowledgments 305
credits 307
index of titles and first lines 311
AbbrevIAtIonS
CEC The Correspondence of Emerson and Carlyle. Edited by Joseph
Slater. New york: Columbia University Press, 1964.
CS The Complete Sermons of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Edited by Albert
J. von frank, general editor; Ronald A. Bosco, Andrew H. Del-
banco, Wesley t. Mott, and teresa toulouse, editors. 4 vols. Co-
lumbia: University of Missouri, 1989–1992.
CW The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Edited by Alfred R.
ferguson, Robert E. Spiller, Joseph Slater, Douglas Emory Wil-
son, and Ronald A. Bosco, general editors; Robert E. Burkholder,
Jean ferguson Carr, Joel Myerson, Philip Nicoloff, Barbara L.
Packer, Albert J. von frank, Wallace E. Williams, and thomas
Wortham, editors. 10 vols. Cambridge, Mass.: the Belknap Press
of Harvard University Press, 1971–2013.
EL The Early Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1833–1842. Edited by
Stephen E. Whicher, Robert E. Spiller, and Wallace E. Williams. 3
vols. Cambridge, Mass.: the Belknap Press of Harvard University
Press, 1959–1972.
ETE The Letters of Ellen Tucker Emerson. Edited by Edith E. W. Gregg.
2 vols. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1982.
FuL The Letters of Margaret Fuller. Edited by Robert N. Hudspeth. 6
vols. ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1983–1999.
JMN The Journals and Miscellaneous Notebooks of Ralph Waldo Emer-
son. Edited by William H. Gilman and Ralph H. Orth, chief edi-
tors; Linda Allardt, Ronald A. Bosco, George P. Clark, Merrell R.
Davis, Harrison Hayford, David W. Hill, Glen M. Johnson, J. E.
Parsons, A. W. Plumstead, Merton M. Sealts, Jr., and Susan Sutton
Smith, editors; Ruth H. Bennett, associate editor. 16 vols. Cam-
bridge, Mass.: the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press,
1960–1982.
ix