The sense of the world is short,
Long and various the report,—
To love and be beloved;
Men and gods have not outlearned it,
And how oft soe’er they’ve turned it,
‘Tis not to be improved.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem Eros

5 Comments

  1. P. Murphy says:

    Struck immediately by the use of the letters e-r-o-s in every line except the third where love appears twice. Pain seems to be taken to get the letters of his own entire name into the short poem(Emerson is Men eros anagram). However I am not sure there is otherwise anything significant or particularly rigorous in this exercise but it does explain the forced strangeness of the cute economy.

  2. Carrie Cooper says:

    I found this poem very economical…but quite banal. Tranquil in a way…very touching and somewhat…transative. You are an exquisite author of your soul. You are my hero. I LOVE YOU
    –Carrie Cooper

  3. kyle says:

    Ali

    this poem is describing how although, short and seemingly simple, love is thrown and miss used by men and gods as well. this poem is basically Eros, the god of love, teaching of his excistence and purpose.

  4. Ali says:

    I liked this poem very much…but I am not sure what it means. I like the wqay it was written.

  5. Adam says:

    I agree
    And will live so!

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