University of Virginia Library

31   Of mankind, the poet is the equable man,
Not in him, but off from him, things are grotesque,      eccentric, fail of their full returns,
Nothing out of its place is good, nothing in its place      is bad,
He bestows on every object or quality its fit propor-     tion, neither more nor less,
He is the arbiter of the diverse, he is the key,
He is the equalizer of his age and land,
He supplies what wants supplying — he checks what      wants checking,
In peace, out of him speaks the spirit of peace, large,      rich, thrifty, building populous towns, encour-     aging agriculture, arts, commerce, lighting the      study of man, the Soul, health, immortality,      government,
In war, he is the best backer of the war — he fetches      artillery as good as the engineer's — he can      make every word he speaks draw blood;
The years straying toward infidelity, he withholds by      his steady faith,
He is no arguer, he is judgment — (Nature accepts him      absolutely;)
He judges not as the judge judges, but as the sun      falling round a helpless thing;
As he sees the farthest, he has the most faith,
His thoughts are the hymns of the praise of things,
In the dispute on God and eternity he is silent,
He sees eternity less like a play with a prologue and      denouement,
He sees eternity in men and women — he does not see      men and women as dreams or dots.
32  For the great Idea, the idea of perfect and free      individuals,
For that idea, the bard walks in advance, leader of      leaders,
The attitude of him cheers up slaves, and horrifies      foreign despots.
33  Without extinction is Liberty! Without retrograde      is Equality!
They live in the feelings of young men, and the best      women,
Not for nothing have the indomitable heads of the      earth been always ready to fall for Liberty.