ome literary attainments, he
showed little promise of unusual ability during his years at Harvard. He
became pastor of the Second Church in Boston for a time and later settled
in Concord. He lectured extensively and wrote much, living a quiet,
isolated life.

The poems by Emerson are used by permission of, and by special
arrangement with, Houghton Mifflin Company, authorized publishers of his
works.

GOOD-BYE

"Good-Bye" was written in 1823 when Emerson, a young boy, was teaching in
Boston. It does not refer to his retirement to the country twelve years
later, but seems a kind of prophecy.

27. lore: learning.

28. sophist: a professed teacher of wisdom.

EACH AND ALL

26. noisome offensive.

THE PROBLEM

18. canticles: hymns belonging to church service.

19. The dome of St. Peter's was the largest in the world at the time of
its construction and was a great architectural achievement. Emerson
feels that it, like every other work that is worth-while, was the result
of a sincere heart.

20. groined: made the roofs inside the churches according to a
complicated, intersecting pattern.

28. Notice the figure of speech here. Is it effective?

39-40. All the mighty buildings of the world were made first in the
minds of the builder or architect, and then took form.

44. The Andes and Mt. Ararat are very ancient formations and belong to
Nature at her beginning on the earth. These great buildings are so in
keeping with Nature that she accepts them and forgets how modern they
are.

51. Pentecost: Whitsunday, when the descent of the Holy Spirit is
celebrated. Emerson says here that this spirit animates all beautiful
music and sincere preaching, as it does we do at our noblest.

65. Chrysostom, Augustine, and the more modern Taylor are all great
religious teachers of the world, and all urged men enter the service of
the church. Augustine: Saint Augustine, the great African bishop (354-
430). He was influential mainly through his numerous writings, which are
still read. His greatest work was his Confessions.

68. Taylor: Dr. Jeremy Taylor, English bishop and author (1613-1667).
One writer assigns to him "the good humour of gentleman, the eloquence of
an orator, the fancy of a poet, acuteness of a schoolman, the
profoundness of a philosopher, the wisdom of a chancellor, the sagacity
of a prophet, reason of an angel, and the piety of a saint." Why should
a man so endowed be compare