I do not affirm that what you see beyond is futile, I do not advise

you to stop,

I do not say leadings you thought great are not great,

But I say that none lead to greater than these lead to.

6

Will you seek afar off? you surely come back at last,

In things best known to you finding the best, or as good as the

best,

In folks nearest to you finding the sweetest, strongest, lovingest, Happiness, knowledge, not in another place but this place, not

for another hour but this hour,

Man in the first you see or touch, always in friend, brother, nighest neighbor-woman in mother, sister, wife, The popular tastes and employments taking precedence in poems or anywhere,

You work women and workmen of these States having your

own divine and strong life,

And all else giving place to men and women like you.

When the psalm sings instead of the singer,

When the script preaches instead of the preacher,

When the pulpit descends and goes instead of the carver that

carved the supporting desk,

When I can touch the body of books by night or by day, and

when they touch my body back again,

When a university course convinces like a slumbering woman and child convince,

When the minted gold in the vault smiles like the night-watch

man's daughter,

When warrantee deeds loafe in chairs opposite and are my friendly

companions,

I intend to reach them my hand, and make as much of them as I do of men and women like

you

A SONG of the rolling earth, and of words according,

Were you thinking that those were the words, those upright

lines? those curves, angles, dots?

No, those are not the words, the substantial words are in the

ground and sea,

They are in the air, they are in you.

Were you thinking that those were the words, those delicious sounds out of your friends' mouths?

No, the real words are more delicious than they.

Human bodies are words, myriads of words,

(In the best poems re-appears the body, man's or woman's, wellshaped, natural, gay,

Every part able, active, receptive, without shame or the need of shame.)

Air, soil, water, fire-those are words,

I myself am a word with them—my qualities interpenetrate with theirs my name is nothing to them,

Though it were told in the three thousand languages, what would air, soil, water, fire, know of my name?

A healthy presence, a friendly or commanding gesture, are words, sayings, meanings,

The charms that go with the mere looks of some men and women, are sayings and meanings also.

The workmanship of souls is by those inaudible words of the earth, The masters know the earth's words and use them more than audible words.

Amelioration is one of the earth's words,

The earth neither lags nor hastens,

It has all attributes, growths, effects, latent in itself from the jump, It is not half beautiful only, defects and excrescences show just as much as perfections show.

The earth does not withhold, it is generous enough,

The truths of the earth continually wait, they are not so conceal'd

either,

They are calm, subtle, untransmissible by print,

[willingly,

They are imbued through all things conveying themselves Conveying a sentiment and invitation, I utter and utter,

I speak not, yet if you hear me not of what avail am I to you?

To bear, to better, lacking these of what avail am I?

(Accouche! accouchez!

Will you rot your own fruit in yourself there?

Will you squat and stifle there ?)

The earth does not argue,

Is not pathetic, has no arrangements,

Does not scream, haste, persuade, threaten, promise,
Makes no discriminations, has no conceivable failures,
Closes nothing, refuses nothing, shuts none out,

Of all the powers, objects, states, it notifies, shuts none out.

The earth does not exhibit itself nor refuse to exhibit itself, possesses still underneath,

Underneath the ostensible sounds, the august chorus of heroes,

the wail of slaves,

Persuasions of lovers, curses, gasps of the dying, laughter of young people, accents of bargainers,

Underneath these possessing words that never fail.

To her children the words of the eloquent dumb great mother never fail,

The true words do not fail, for motion does not fail and reflection

does not fail,

Also the day and night do not fail, and the voyage we pursue does not fail.

Of the interminable sisters,

Of the ceaseless cotillons of sisters,

Of the centripetal and centrifugal sisters, the elder and younger

sisters,

The beautiful sister we know dances on with the rest.

With her ample back towards every beholder,

With the fascinations of youth and the equal fascinations of age Sits she whom I too love like the rest, sits undisturb'd,