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December 22nd, 2009 - we have 234 poets, 8,023 poems and 18,103 comments.
Ralph Waldo Emerson - To J.W.

Set not thy foot on graves;
Hear what wine and roses say;
The mountain chase, the summer waves,
The crowded town, thy feet may well delay.

Set not thy foot on graves;
Nor seek to unwind the shroud
Which charitable time
And nature have allowed
To wrap the errors of a sage sublime.

Set not thy foot on graves;
Care not to strip the dead
Of his sad ornament;
His myrrh, and wine, and rings,
His sheet of lead,
And trophies buried;
Go get them where he earned them when alive,
As resolutely dig or dive.

Life is too short to waste
The critic bite or cynic bark,
Quarrel, or reprimand;
'Twill soon be dark;
Up! mind thine own aim, and
God speed the mark.

Added: Feb 21 2003 | Viewed: 2079 times | Comments and analysis of To J.W. by Ralph Waldo Emerson Comments (0)


To J.W. - Comments and Information

Poet: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Ralph Waldo Emerson Art)
Poem: To J.W.
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