Leaves of Grass (1871-72)

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UNFOLDED 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 form'd of perfect body;

Unfolded only out of the inimitable poem of the wo-
man 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 em-
braces 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 justice is
unfolded;

Unfolded out of the sympathy of the woman is all sym-
pathy:

A man is a great thing upon the earth, and through
eternity—but every jot of the greatness 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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