POEM OF THE DAY -- "Give All To Love" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today's selection comes to us by way of our friend and fellow poet, Theron Kennedy.  Theron is extremely active in the Twitter arts community and can be found in a number of places, but notably @BigUrban.  Follow him and you'll get links to plenty of his new poetry as it's written!

Thanks, Theron!

By the way, Love this image of Ralph.  It's soft and accessible, unlike many of those tinny 1800's plate pieces.  Ralph looks like a cool guy.

Give All to Love

by Ralph Waldo Emerson


Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good-frame,
Plans, credit and the Muse,—
Nothing refuse.

’T is 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 it is a god,
Knows its own path
And the outlets of the sky.

It was never for the mean;
It requireth courage stout.
Souls above doubt,
Valor unbending,
It will 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, forever,
Free as an Arab
Of thy beloved.

Cling with life to the maid;
But when the surprise,
First vague shadow of surmise
Flits across her bosom young,
Of a joy apart from thee,
Free be she, fancy-free;
Nor thou detain her vesture’s hem,
Nor the palest rose she flung
From her summer diadem.

Though thou loved her as thyself,
As a self of purer clay,
Though her parting dims the day,
Stealing grace from all alive;
Heartily know,
When half-gods go,
The gods arrive.

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