Leaves of Grass (1856)
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| UNFOLDED only out of the folds of the
woman, man comes unfolded, and is always to come unfolded, |
| Unfolded only out of the superbest woman of the
earth is to come the superbest man of the earth, |
| Unfolded out of the friendliest woman is to come
the friendliest man, |
| Unfolded only out of the perfect body of a
woman, can a man be formed of perfect body, |
| Unfolded only out of the inimitable poem of
the woman can come the poems of man — only thence have my poems come, |
| Unfolded out of the strong and arrogant woman
I love, only thence can appear the strong and arrogant man I love, |
| Unfolded by brawny embraces from the well-
muscled woman I love, only thence come the brawny embraces of the man, |
| Unfolded out of the folds of the woman's brain,
come all the folds of the man's brain, duly obedient, |
)
|
| Unfolded out of the justice of the woman, all jus-
tice is unfolded, |
| Unfolded out of the sympathy of the woman is all
sympathy; |
| A man is a great thing upon the earth, and
through eternity—but every jot of the great- ness of man is unfolded out of woman, |
| First the man is shaped in the woman, he can
then be shaped in himself. |