Emerson

"Give me health and a day, and I will make the pomp of emperors ridiculous."

Writing about beauty in Nature, Emerson extols the virtues of appreciating the details in the natural world. The "day" he refers to here is literal: as the author has just finished describing the break of dawn and the rhythms and cycles of the universe. He follows this line with: "The dawn is my Assyria; the sun-set and moon-rise my Paphos." Health is also a literal reference to the mental and physical ability to appreciate the beauty of nature. To have health, and a day of rest, helps one to feel full appreciation for the natural world. The reference to the "pomp of emperors" is also straightforward: the posh trappings of materialism are nothing compared to the riches in the natural world. All the crown jewels in the world would not compare to the glistening...
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