| STATES! | |
| Were you looking to be held together by the lawyers? | |
| By an agreement on a paper? Or by arms? | |
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| Away! | |
| I arrive, bringing these, beyond all the forces of courts and arms, | 5 |
| These! to hold you together as firmly as the earth itself is held together. | |
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| The old breath of life, ever new, | |
| Here! I pass it by contact to you, America. | |
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| O mother! have you done much for me? | |
| Behold, there shall from me be much done for you. | 10 |
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| There shall from me be a new friendship—It shall be called after my name, | |
| It shall circulate through The States, indifferent of place, | |
| It shall twist and intertwist them through and around each other—Compact shall they be, showing new signs, | |
| Affection shall solve every one of the problems of freedom, | |
| Those who love each other shall be invincible, | 15 |
| They shall finally make America completely victorious, in my name. | |
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| One from Massachusetts shall be comrade to a Missourian, | |
| One from Maine or Vermont, and a Carolinian and an Oregonese, shall be friends triune, more precious to each other than all the riches of the earth. | |
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| To Michigan shall be wafted perfume from Florida, | |
| To the Mannahatta from Cuba or Mexico, | 20 |
| Not the perfume of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted beyond death. | |
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| No danger shall balk Columbia’s lovers, | |
| If need be, a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves for one, | |
| The Kanuck shall be willing to lay down his life for the Kansian, and the Kansian for the Kanuck, on due need. | |
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| It shall be customary in all directions, in the houses and streets, to see manly affection, | 25 |
| The departing brother or friend shall salute the remaining brother or friend with a kiss. | |
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| There shall be innovations, | |
| There shall be countless linked hands—namely, the Northeasterner’s, and the Northwesterner’s, and the Southwesterner’s, and those of the interior, and all their brood, | |
| These shall be masters of the world under a new power, | |
| They shall laugh to scorn the attacks of all the remainder of the world. | 30 |
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| The most dauntless and rude shall touch face to face lightly, | |
| The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers, | |
| The continuance of Equality shall be comrades. | |
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| These shall tie and band stronger than hoops of iron, | |
| I, extatic, O partners! O lands! henceforth with the love of lovers tie you. | 35 |
