Emerson: The Rhodora

In the poem, Emerson encounters a solitary Rhodora flower blooming in the wilderness, seemingly unnoticed and unappreciated. Emerson celebrates its beauty and significance, expressing that even the humblest creations deserve admiration and respect. Through the Rhodora's delicate bloom, Emerson reflects on the interconnectedness of all living things and the inherent worth of every aspect of nature.

Transcript

The Rhodora On being asked,

Whence is the flower?

In May,

When sea winds pierced their solitudes,

I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,

Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook to please the desert and the sluggish rope.

The purple petals,

Fallen in the pool,

Made the black water with their beauty gay.

Here might the red bird come his blooms to cool,

And court the flower that cheapened its array.

Rhodora,

If the sages ask thee why this charm is wasted on the earth and sky,

Tell them,

Dear,

That if eyes were made for seeing,

Then beauty is its own excuse for being.

Why thou wert there,

O rival of the rose,

I never thought to ask,

I never knew.

But in my simple ignorance,

Suppose,

The selfsame power that brought me there,

Brought you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson