Ralph Waldo Emerson

Early Emerson Poems

  1. Home›
  2. Texts›
  3. Early Emerson Poems›

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a poet and essayist who was a central figure in the American Transcendentalist movement of the 19th century. He wrote a number of poems throughout his career that reflect his philosophical beliefs about the power and beauty of nature, the human soul, and the spiritual journey. In his poems, Emerson often employs vivid imagery and metaphors to explore themes of transcendence, individuality, and the connection between the self and the universe. Many of his poems, including "Concord Hymn" and "Each and All," celebrate the beauty and majesty of nature, while others, such as "Brahma" and "Hamatreya," delve into spiritual and philosophical questions about the meaning of existence. Despite his relatively small body of poetry, Emerson's verse is considered some of the most important and influential in American literary history.

List of Emerson Poems

A

Alphonso of Castile
The Amulet
The Apology
Astræ

B

Bacchus
The Bell
Berrying
Blight
Boston Hymn
Brahma

C

Celestial Love
Compensation
Concord Hymn

D

Dæmonic Love
The Day's Ration
Dirge

E

Each and All
Eros
Etienne de la Boéce

F

Fable
Fate
Forebearance
The Forerunners
From the Persian of Hafiz (1)
From the Persian of Hafiz (2)

G

Give All To Love
Good-by

H

Hamatreya

L

Loss and Gain

Life is a journey, not a destination.

M

Merlin I
Merlin II
Merops
Mithridates
Monadnoc
The Mountain and the Squirrel
Musketaquid

O

Ode I: Initial Love
Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing
Ode To Beauty

P

Painting and Sculpture
The Park
The Problem

R

The Rhodora

S

Saadi
The Snow-Storm
"Sursum Corda"
"Suum Cuique"

T

Tact
Terminus
Threnody
To Ellen, At the South
To Eva
To J.W.
To Rhea

W

Water
Wood Notes I
The World-Soul

V

The Visit

X

Xenophanes

Ralph Waldo EmersonDuring his life, Emerson wrote a dozen essays and delivered 1500+ public lectures spanning the United States. Emerson's writings focused mainly on subjects such as" individuality, freedom, the ability of mankind to realize almost anything, and the relationship between one's soul and the surrounding world.

His best-known addresses are The American Scholar (1837) and The Divinity School Address , which he delivered before the graduates of the Harvard Divinity School, shocking Boston's conservative clergymen with his descriptions of the divinity of man and the humanity of Jesus.

Emerson met William Wordsworth , Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Thomas Carlyle.

Picking just one poem as "the best" from the astute Ralph Waldo Emerson is not possible. Rather, here are three poems from Emerson which stand apart from the rest.
  1. The Rhodora - This is my favorite poem of Emerson and is also one of his most beloved poems, according to experts. However, while weaving imagery of the connection between man and nature in the poem, there is an underlying message about his relationship with his wife. See if you can spot it.
  2. The Bell - The poem highlights the recurring patterns of human life, using the bell as a symbol to denote the various pivotal moments we experience, ranging from joyous to sorrowful occasions.
  3. The Snow Storm - is a celebration of nature's transformative power, particularly the beauty and artistry of a snowstorm. The poem portrays the storm as an artist that, in its fierce creativity, transforms the landscape into a winter wonderland. Emerson delves into the theme of nature's majesty, depicting how it crafts intricate, transient masterpieces, contrasting the environment's stillness with nature's active hand.
The beauty is its own excuse for Being