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Brahma

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Topics: classic

If the red slayer think he slays,     Or if the slain think he is slain,     They know not well the subtle ways     I keep, and pass, and turn again.     Far or forgot to me is near;     Shadow and sunlight are the same;     The vanished gods to me appear;     And one to me are shame and fame.     They reckon ill who leave me out;     When me they fly, I am the wings;     I am the doubter and the doubt,     And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.     The strong gods pine for my abode,     And pine in vain the sacred Seven;     But thou, meek lover of the good!     Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.

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"If the red slayer think he slays,..."

"Brahma" is a quintessential example of Ralph Waldo Emerson's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If the red slayer think he slays,..." by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

About Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement. His poems—including "Brahma," "The Rhodora," and "Concord Hymn"—explore nature, self-reliance, and the oversoul.

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"One musician is sure,     His wisdom will not fail..."

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