If I Contained Enough Love
If I contained enough love,
If I provided in my simple love for all trespasses and all failures,
If I had size enough to see that no man however small is too little to be big,
If I acknowledged the griefs and still prevailed everywhere with my joys,
If I came along after the strongest had given up and revived you with my unequivocal strength,
Might I not then put a new face on the earth and give new meanings to the shining suns?
Might I not then plow into every soil with my gladness and prepare it for adequate harvests?
Might I not, O my body, O my soul? might I not be the fellow and equal of the passing years?
I who too often drop behind might go forward too with sustained nerve:
I who am uncertain might become certain and stand forth with unbeaten courage.
I dont think anything is lacking in the earth: the lack is in me:
Just as the lack of justice in men is not in men but in me:
So that if I lift up my head and keep myself aloft I need not apologize for my height
I have heard other things said but somehow I come to this thing and stay with it:
It seems final: it puts the whole problem up to me:
Puts the universe up to me: big as it is, little as I am, puts it up to me.
If I contained enough love it would not matter how much love you contained,
For I could make up for you and for others and have love to spare:
And miracles would be vulgar in the eyes of my love, which would so bounteously encircle all need,
And the philosophy of those who live in books would seem cheap and thin beside me,
And your facts, your numbers, your markets, would retire shamefaced from all competitions:
For containing love means containing life, and containing enough love means containing enough life.
We put our reliance on other things when we miss love, but when we have love love calls for no allies
So I charge all derelicts to my own account:
And when I go on the street and see the girls hopelessly afloat there I charge that to myself, too:
And the murderer who is killed to keep the law alive — I charge his murder against my own total:
For I am convinced that but for me no girl would have to give anything but love for love,
And I see plainly that but for me no man my brother would do that for which you execute him:
For if I contained enough love I would love enough to hold evil back:
For if I contained enough love I would love enough to put good forward:
My love always being on guard invisibly potent in the silences.
That is why I am not hard on you or on myself when we dont just toe the mark:
That is why I can contemplate even injustice without mad anger though with sorrow:
That is why I am willing to have you try again and claim infinite room for myself in space and time:
For the bill must all be charged to me — the bill of bankruptcy must be charged to me:
If I contained enough love it would not matter what else I contained or you contained:
We might do whatever harm, yet love would mercifully consecrate us:
We might make whatever missteps, yet love would guide us home:
The sun containing enough light is not as great as your heart or my heart containing enough love.
The trouble with the world is that it has thrown away love for everything else:
Its commerce has thrown away love: its churches and states have thrown away love:
Even its priests have thrown away love for their creeds and the clothes they wear:
And when we buy and sell love comes in only for the leavings: love is not first but last:
And even in our loves love comes in with an apology and often is not allowed in at all:
And when we say a man is victorious we dont mean that he loves above all baseness but that he has an income above all need:
And so we have got used to getting along with life without love in it:
And that is why we have wars and rob each other in trade and are willing to kill our children for profit:
And that is why we can eat full meals and forget the empty wanderers on the street outside:
And that is why we can pass the wrecks on the broad avenues and not admit our own responsibility:
And that is why we beat each other down into dust with dollars fighting dollars in fierce resentment:
That is why: that is why: I see that is why: and I see that I am the culprit:
For if I contained enough love the world would contain enough justice:
For if I contained enough love there would be no room in you or anyone for anything else but the love I disperse.
I contain much love: I feel its stir: I am big and stern with its currents sweeping within me:
O God! if I could only get it out! if I could only pour it into the common stream!
Shame upon me that I hoard it up! that I keep it for myself when it belongs to all!
What ails me? why am I so slow to answer the world's call? your call, O my brother?
What happens to me that instead of loving I talk of love — instead of being brave I talk of bravery?
I contain much love: I know that I contain love enough to change the face of the earth:
Why, then, am I so reluctant? do I release it in small particles?
Why shouldn't I just get out of my love's way and let it flood you all?
Why should I say you do not understand or the lords of habit and routine will resist me?
Why should I take that as my excuse for damming you up? why should I hide and dodge the sacred summons?
I contain much love: why should I not let it go? let it go even if it means ruin as well as fertility?
Why should I rein myself in? how can I kill my love and expect to live?
How can I stand before my judges and deny it and think that my acquittal liberates me?
If I contained enough love.
If I provided in my simple love for all trespasses and all failures,
If I had size enough to see that no man however small is too little to be big,
If I acknowledged the griefs and still prevailed everywhere with my joys,
If I came along after the strongest had given up and revived you with my unequivocal strength,
Might I not then put a new face on the earth and give new meanings to the shining suns?
Might I not then plow into every soil with my gladness and prepare it for adequate harvests?
Might I not, O my body, O my soul? might I not be the fellow and equal of the passing years?
I who too often drop behind might go forward too with sustained nerve:
I who am uncertain might become certain and stand forth with unbeaten courage.
I dont think anything is lacking in the earth: the lack is in me:
Just as the lack of justice in men is not in men but in me:
So that if I lift up my head and keep myself aloft I need not apologize for my height
I have heard other things said but somehow I come to this thing and stay with it:
It seems final: it puts the whole problem up to me:
Puts the universe up to me: big as it is, little as I am, puts it up to me.
If I contained enough love it would not matter how much love you contained,
For I could make up for you and for others and have love to spare:
And miracles would be vulgar in the eyes of my love, which would so bounteously encircle all need,
And the philosophy of those who live in books would seem cheap and thin beside me,
And your facts, your numbers, your markets, would retire shamefaced from all competitions:
For containing love means containing life, and containing enough love means containing enough life.
We put our reliance on other things when we miss love, but when we have love love calls for no allies
So I charge all derelicts to my own account:
And when I go on the street and see the girls hopelessly afloat there I charge that to myself, too:
And the murderer who is killed to keep the law alive — I charge his murder against my own total:
For I am convinced that but for me no girl would have to give anything but love for love,
And I see plainly that but for me no man my brother would do that for which you execute him:
For if I contained enough love I would love enough to hold evil back:
For if I contained enough love I would love enough to put good forward:
My love always being on guard invisibly potent in the silences.
That is why I am not hard on you or on myself when we dont just toe the mark:
That is why I can contemplate even injustice without mad anger though with sorrow:
That is why I am willing to have you try again and claim infinite room for myself in space and time:
For the bill must all be charged to me — the bill of bankruptcy must be charged to me:
If I contained enough love it would not matter what else I contained or you contained:
We might do whatever harm, yet love would mercifully consecrate us:
We might make whatever missteps, yet love would guide us home:
The sun containing enough light is not as great as your heart or my heart containing enough love.
The trouble with the world is that it has thrown away love for everything else:
Its commerce has thrown away love: its churches and states have thrown away love:
Even its priests have thrown away love for their creeds and the clothes they wear:
And when we buy and sell love comes in only for the leavings: love is not first but last:
And even in our loves love comes in with an apology and often is not allowed in at all:
And when we say a man is victorious we dont mean that he loves above all baseness but that he has an income above all need:
And so we have got used to getting along with life without love in it:
And that is why we have wars and rob each other in trade and are willing to kill our children for profit:
And that is why we can eat full meals and forget the empty wanderers on the street outside:
And that is why we can pass the wrecks on the broad avenues and not admit our own responsibility:
And that is why we beat each other down into dust with dollars fighting dollars in fierce resentment:
That is why: that is why: I see that is why: and I see that I am the culprit:
For if I contained enough love the world would contain enough justice:
For if I contained enough love there would be no room in you or anyone for anything else but the love I disperse.
I contain much love: I feel its stir: I am big and stern with its currents sweeping within me:
O God! if I could only get it out! if I could only pour it into the common stream!
Shame upon me that I hoard it up! that I keep it for myself when it belongs to all!
What ails me? why am I so slow to answer the world's call? your call, O my brother?
What happens to me that instead of loving I talk of love — instead of being brave I talk of bravery?
I contain much love: I know that I contain love enough to change the face of the earth:
Why, then, am I so reluctant? do I release it in small particles?
Why shouldn't I just get out of my love's way and let it flood you all?
Why should I say you do not understand or the lords of habit and routine will resist me?
Why should I take that as my excuse for damming you up? why should I hide and dodge the sacred summons?
I contain much love: why should I not let it go? let it go even if it means ruin as well as fertility?
Why should I rein myself in? how can I kill my love and expect to live?
How can I stand before my judges and deny it and think that my acquittal liberates me?
If I contained enough love.
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