Ralph Waldo Emerson is now remembered as one of the most important transcendental writers. Some of his best-known works are “Nature” and “Self-Reliance”. He was an important influence on poets including Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. His other writings spoke out prominently on slavery and national identity. Read more about Ralph Waldo Emerson.
‘Each and All’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson depicts nature as interconnected and dependent on all other living and non-living things. The poet uses a few clever examples to demonstrate why he sees the world this way.
Little thinks, in the field, yon red-cloaked clown,
Of thee from the hill-top looking down;
The heifer that lows in the upland farm,
Far-heard, lows not thine ear to charm;
‘Days’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a short allegorical poem reflecting on the passage of time and the expectations of humans that come and go with it. It is celebrated as one of the best transcendental poems of the 19th century.
Daughters of Time, the hypocritic Days,
Muffled and dumb like barefoot dervishes,
And marching single in an endless file,
Bring diadems and fagots in their hands.
Emerson composed ‘Boston Hymn’ in late 1862, just before the emancipation proclamation. Through this poem, Emerson warns Americans of their wrongs and gives them a chance to repent of all crimes against freedom.
‘Concord Hymn’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson describes the spirit which inhabited the “embattled farmers” at the start of the Revolutionary War.
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.
The American transcendentalist poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote this beautiful poem, ‘Hamatreya’. It explores the permanence of mother earth in comparison to the transience of human beings.
‘Teach me your mood, O patient stars!’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a beautiful short poem about the nature of life and death. The speaker addresses the stars and discusses their “mood.”
Teach me your mood, O patient stars!
Who climb each night the ancient sky,
Leaving on space no shade, no scars,
No trace of age, no fear to die.
‘The Mountain and the Squirrel’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks on the strengths and weaknesses of two quarrelling characters who are very different.
‘The Rhodora’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson describes the power of a rhododendron flower and its ability to outshine and the improve all the elements around it.
‘The River’ is a transcendental poem written by the famous American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. How the river helps the poet to meditate upon nature as a whole is the crux of the poem.
Within ‘Water,’ Emerson personifies the force, depicting it as having its own will and the ability to make choices for itself and for civilization.
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