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.

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