< Page:Leaves of Grass (1860).djvu
This page needs to be proofread.
424
Leaves of Grass.

I WILL take an egg out of the robin's nest in the

orchard,

I will take a branch of gooseberries from the old bush in the garden, and go and preach to the world ;

You shall see I will not meet a single heretic or scorner.

You shall see how I stump clergymen, and confound them,

You shall see me showing a scarlet tomato, and a white pebble from the beach.

Behavior — fresh, native, copious, each one for himself or herself.

Nature and the Soul expressed — America and free- dom expressed — In it the finest art,

In it pride, cleanliness, sympathy, to have their chance,

In it physique, intellect, faith — in it just as much as to manage an army or a city, or to write a book — perhaps more.

The youth, the laboring person, the poor person, rivalling all the rest — perhaps outdoing the rest.

The effects of the universe no greater than its ;

For there is nothing in the whole universe that can be more effective than a man's or woman's daily behavior can be.

In any position, in any one of These States.

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.