Leaves of Grass (1867)

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BEGINNERS.

How they are provided for upon the earth, (appearing
         at intervals;)
How dear and dreadful they are to the earth;
How they inure to themselves as much as to any—
         What a paradox appears, their age;
How people respond to them, yet know them not;
How there is something relentless in their fate, all
         times;
How all times mischoose the objects of their adulation
         and reward,
And how the same inexorable price must still be paid
         for the same great purchase.
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