May-Day - and Other Pieces by Ralph Waldo Emerson
page 48 of 121 (39%)
page 48 of 121 (39%)
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And ye shall succour men;
'T is nobleness to serve; Help them who cannot help again: Beware from right to swerve. I break your bonds and masterships, And I unchain the slave: Free be his heart and hand henceforth As wind and wandering wave. I cause from every creature His proper good to flow: As much as he is and doeth, So much he shall bestow. But laying hands on another To coin his labour and sweat, He goes in pawn to his victim For eternal years in debt. To-day unbind the captive, So only are ye unbound; Lift up a people from the dust, Trump of their rescue, sound! Pay ransom to the owner, And fill the bag to the brim. Who is the owner? The slave is owner, And ever was. Pay him. |
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