The Poet (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Encyclopedia
"The Poet" is an essay by U.S.
writer Ralph Waldo Emerson
, written between 1841 and 1843 and published in his Essays: Second Series
in 1844. It is not about "men of poetical talents, or of industry and skill in meter, but of the true poet."
The final lines in the essay read as follows:
's collection of poems, Leaves of Grass
. After reading the essay, Whitman consciously set out to answer Emerson's call. When the book was first published, Whitman sent a copy to Emerson, whose letter in response helped launch the book to success. In that letter Emerson called the collection "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
, written between 1841 and 1843 and published in his Essays: Second Series
Essays: Second Series
Essays: Second Series is a series of essays written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1844, concerning transcendentalism. It is the second volume of Emerson's Essays, the first being Essays: First Series. The book included several notable essays by Emerson, including The Poet, Experience, and...
in 1844. It is not about "men of poetical talents, or of industry and skill in meter, but of the true poet."
Overview
In the essay, Emerson expresses the need for the United States to have its own new and unique poet to write about the new country's virtues and vices:- "Our logrolling, our stumps and their politics, our fisheries, our Negroes, and Indians, our boasts, and our repudiations, the wrath of rogues, and the pusillanimity of honest men, the northern trade, the southern planting, the western clearing, Oregon, and Texas, are yet unsung."
The final lines in the essay read as follows:
- "Wherever snow falls or water flows or birds fly, wherever day and night meet in twilight, wherever the blue heaven is hung by clouds or sown with stars, wherever are forms with transparent boundaries, wherever are outlets into celestial space, wherever is danger, and awe, and love, there is Beauty, plenteous as rain, shed for thee, and though thou shouldest walk the world over, thou shalt not be able to find a condition inopportune or ignoble."
Influence
The essay played an instrumental role in the 1855 appearance of the first edition of Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
's collection of poems, Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
. After reading the essay, Whitman consciously set out to answer Emerson's call. When the book was first published, Whitman sent a copy to Emerson, whose letter in response helped launch the book to success. In that letter Emerson called the collection "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom America has yet contributed".