GiveAll to Love

Poem Analysis
Made by- Mona Manohar, V.S.L.N Sundari,
Tehaswini J, Mamta Kumari Vidyarthi ,Ranjitha
Venkatesh, Swathisri V, Pavithra Jessil
About the poet

Ralph Waldo Emerson

(May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882)

Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882),who
went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist,
lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the
transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was
seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of
the countervailing pressures of society.
Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social
beliefs of his contemporaries, formulating and expressing the
philosophy of transcendentalism in his 1836 essay "Nature".
Following this work, he gave a speech entitled "The American
Scholar" in 1837.
•Emerson wrote most of his important essays as lectures first
and then revised them for print. His first two collections of
essays, Essays: First Series (1841) and Essays: Second
Series (1844), represent the core of his thinking. They include
the well-known essays "Self-Reliance",[10] "The Over-Soul",
"Circles", "The Poet", and "Experience."
Introduction to the poem
In ‘Give All to Love’ Emerson addresses themes of
love, relationships, eternity, and transcendence. This
piece is one of the best representatives of Emerson’s
transcendental beliefs. In poetry specifically,
transcendentalism is connected to the
transcendence of the poet and the reader’s spirit.
•This is accomplished through the poet’s voice which
usually asserts a love for expression and self-
realization, as discovered through a natural
landscape. Personal freedom was also crucial to this
set of spiritual beliefs. All of these beliefs can be
taken from ‘Give All to Love’.
•‘Give All to Love’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a
concise, passionate poem that speaks on the
transcendent power of love.
 Stanza Analysis
Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good-fame,
Plans, credit and the Muse,—
Nothing refuse.
(stanza 1)
In the first stanza of ‘Give All to Love,’
the speaker begins by making use of
the line that later came to be used as
the title of the poem. He tells the
reader very directly that they need to
“Give all to love”. The “all” in this
statement is outlined in the rest of the
stanza.
 (stanza 1)
Give all to love;
Obey thy heart;
Friends, kindred, days,
Estate, good-fame,
Plans, credit and the Muse,—
Nothing refuse.
It includes “thy heart” and all parts of
one’s personal life. Friends, memories,
one’s money and belongings, “good-
fame” as well as plans and credit.
They should all be sacrificed, if need
be, for love. “Nothing” should one
refuse to give to “love”.
 (stanza 2)

’T is a brave master;
Let it have scope: The second stanza makes use of
Follow it utterly, personification in order to cast “love”
Hope beyond hope: as a benevolent master that always
High and more high knows best.
It dives into noon,
With wing unspent,
Untold intent:
 (stanza 2)
It is later compared to some kind of
But it is a god,
flying creature, a god that “knows its
Knows its own path own path / and the outlet of the sky”. It
And the outlets of the sky. should “have scope” over one’s life or
control.
From these lines of ‘Give All to Love,’ the speaker’s opinion about
love, its goodness and the power one should allow it to exert over
one’s life are made very clear. These thoughts connect directly to the
transcendental belief system.
 (stanza 3)
It was never for the mean;
It requireth courage stout.
Souls above doubt,
Valor unbending,
It will reward,—
The third stanza of ‘Give All to Love’ is a
bit shorter at only eight lines. Here, the
speaker adds that the only souls that
are going to be able to follow this kind of
master are those that are courageous.
It requires a sacrifice that many are
going to be unable to make. One’s valor
must be “unbending”. This is the only
way one will be led to “reward”.
 (stanza 3)

They shall return

If one does everything the speaker as so far
More than they were, set out, and they follow love
And ever ascending. unquestioningly, they will “return” from the
journey “More than they were, / And ever
ascending”. One will transcend the normal
bounds of mundane life and become
spiritual more than their counterparts.
 (stanza 4)
Leave all for love;
Yet, hear me, yet, The first line of the fourth stanza is a
rephrasing of the title. Here, he suggests
One word more thy heart that one should “Leave all for love”. But,
behoved, there is also a reminder of caution that
One pulse more of firm one must be firm in their endeavor to give
endeavor,— themselves over to love. It is not to one
Keep thee to-day, beloved that one should tie themselves
To-morrow, forever, but to “Love” itself. One should remain
“free as an Arab,” an autonomous
Free as an Arab
individual.
Of thy beloved.
 (stanza 5)
Cling with life to the maid;
But when the surprise,
First vague shadow of surmise
Flits across her bosom young,
Of a joy apart from thee,
Free be she, fancy-free;
Nor thou detain her vesture’s hem,
Nor the palest rose she flung
From her summer diadem.
In the fifth stanza of ‘Give All to
Love,’ the speaker adds that with
this love one should feel strongly
and purely, but not to do anything
to keep the maiden from being
“fancy-free”. She is free, as the
intended listener of the poem is
free. One shouldn’t try to “detain
her vesture’s hem,” or hang onto
her by the edge of her clothes.
 (stanza 6)
Though thou loved her as thyself,
As a self of purer clay,
Though her parting dims the day,
Stealing grace from all alive;
Heartily know,
When half-gods go,
The gods arrive.
There is a chance, the speaker
adds in the sixth stanza, that one
will be separated from the person
they love. She may “part” from you.
But, one should remember that it is
the experience of transcendence,
the purity of love, and the joy that
brings that is the source of one’s
happiness. This will lead one to a
higher spiritual plane and bring
one closer to a divine force or
presence.
Structure of the poem
‘Give All to Love’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a six
stanza poem that’s separated into uneven sets of
lines. The first stanza contains six, the second:
eleven, the third and fourth: eight, the fifth: nine,
and the sixth has seven. Emerson did not choose to
structure this poem with a specific rhyme scheme.
Poetic techniques in the poem-
Within ‘Give all to Love’ Emerson makes use of several
poetic techniques. These include alliteration,
personification, and enjambment.
The first, alliteration, occurs when words are used in
succession, or at least appear close together, and
begin with the same letter. For instance, “high” and
“hope” in stanza two and “reward” and “return” in
stanza three.
Personification occurs when a poet imbues a non-
human creature or object with human characteristics.
Love is immediately personified in the second stanza of
‘Give All to Love’. Emerson’s speaker refers to was a
“brave master” that should be allowed enough room to
flourish. It should also be followed “utterly”.
Enjambment occurs when a line is cut off before its
natural stopping point. the transitions between lines
five and six in the second stanza and lines six and
seven in the third stanza.
Summary of the poem
The speaker addresses the reader, asking them to
consider their life and give everything they have
physically and mentally, over to love. This is the only
pursuit worth anything, they say. As the poem develops it
is made clear that the speaker believes by doing this one
will reach a heightened spiritual plane. They will touch
the eternal and live in a way that others are unable.
Thank You