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"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body." Walt Whitman
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The Old Astronomer to His Pupil Sarah Williams Reach me down my Tycho Brahe, I would know him when we meet, When I share my later science, sitting humbly at his feet; He may know the law of all things, yet be ignorant of how We are working to completion, working on from then to now. Pray remember that I leave you all my theory complete, Lacking only certain data for your adding, as is meet, And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true, And the obloquy of newness may fall bitterly on you. But, my pupil, as my pupil you have learned the worth of scorn, You have laughed with me at pity, we have joyed to be forlorn, What for us are all distractions of men's fellowship and smiles; What for us the Goddess Pleasure with her meretricious smiles! You may tell that German College that their honor comes too late, But they must not waste repentance on the grizzly savant's fate. Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night. What, my boy, you are not weeping? You should save your eyes for sight; You will need them, mine observer, yet for many another night. I leave none but you, my pupil, unto whom my plans are known. You "have none but me," you murmur, and I "leave you quite alone"? Well then, kiss me, -- since my mother left her blessing on my brow, There has been a something wanting in my nature until now; I can dimly comprehend it, -- that I might have been more kind, Might have cherished you more wisely, as the one I leave behind. I "have never failed in kindness"? No, we lived too high for strife, -- Calmest coldness was the error which has crept into our life; But your spirit is untainted, I can dedicate you still To the service of our science: you will further it? you will! There are certain calculations I should like to make with you, To be sure that your deductions will be logical and true; And remember, "Patience, Patience," is the watchword of a sage, Not to-day nor yet to-morrow can complete a perfect age. I have sworn, like Tycho Brahe, that a greater man may reap; But if none should do my reaping, 'twill disturb me in my sleep. So be careful and be faithful, though, like me, you leave no name; See, my boy, that nothing turn you to the mere pursuit of fame. I must say Good-bye, my pupil, for I cannot longer speak; Draw the curtain back for Venus, ere my vision grows too weak: It is strange the pearly planet should look red as fiery Mars, -- God will mercifully guide me on my way amongst the stars. So the question is, why did no one bring this masterpiece to my attention in the last 150 years or so? I especially like 'I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night', and the thought 'And remember men will scorn it, 'tis original and true' brought a wry smile of recognition. It is a poem which could be entitled 'The Old Biologist' with the substitution of a few names and words here and there - 'Reach me down my Charlie Darwin, I would know him when we meet'.
I know nothing of Sarah Williams other than her nationality (American) and her death so young (1837-1868), but ahhh, what a pleasure it has brought me, on yet another drought-ridden day, to discover a whole new poem.
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"You are a person of some interest,one comes to you and takes strange gain away." (Pound)
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