< Page:Leaves of Grass (1860).djvu
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446
Leaves of Grass.
29. The great masters and kosmos are well as they go — the heroes and good-doers are well,
- The known leaders and inventors, and the rich owners and pious and distinguished, may be well,
- But there is more account than that — there is strict account of all.
30. The interminable hordes of the ignorant and wicked are not nothing,
- The barbarians of Africa and Asia are not nothing,
- The common people of Europe are not nothing — the American aborigines are not nothing,
- The infected in the immigrant hospital are not nothing — the murderer or mean person is not nothing,
- The perpetual successions of shallow people are not nothing as they go,
- The lowest prostitute is not nothing — the mocker of religion is not nothing as he goes.
31. I shall go with the rest — we have satisfaction,
- I have dreamed that we are not to be changed so much, nor the law of us changed,
- I have dreamed that heroes and good-doers shall be under the present and past law,
- And that murderers, drunkards, liars, shall be under the present and past law,
- For I have dreamed that the law they are under now is enough.
32. And I have dreamed that the satisfaction is not so much changed, and that there is no life without satisfaction;
- What is the earth? what are body and Soul, without satisfaction?
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