The creation is womanhood,

Have I not said that womanhood involves all?

Have I not told how the universe has nothing better than the best womanhood?

1. With antecedents,

With my fathers and mothers, and the accumulations of past ages,

With all which, had it not been, I would not now be here, as I am,

With Egypt, India, Phenicia, Greece, and Rome,

With the Celt, the Scandinavian, the Alb, and the Saxon,

With antique maritime ventures—with laws, artisanship, wars, and journeys,

With the poet, the skald, the saga, the myth, and the oracle,

With the sale of slaves—with enthusiasts—with the troubadour, the crusader, and the monk,

With those old continents whence we have come to this new continent,

With the fading kingdoms and kings over there,

With the fading religions and priests,

With the small shores we look back to, from our own large and present shores,