Page:Leaves of Grass (1860).djvu/304

This is the bath of birth—this is the merge of small
and large, and the outlet again.

12.Be not ashamed, women—your privilege encloses
the rest, and is the exit of the rest,
You are the gates of the body, and you are the gates
of the Soul.

13.The female contains all qualities, and tempers them
—she is in her place, and moves with perfect
balance,
She is all things duly veiled—she is both passive and
active,
She is to conceive daughters as well as sons, and sons
as well as daughters.

14.As I see my Soul reflected in nature,
As I see through a mist, one with inexpressible completeness
and beauty,
See the bent head and arms folded over the breast—
the female I see.

15.The male is not less the Soul, nor more—he too is in
his place.
He too is all qualities —he is action and power,
The flush of the known universe is in him,
Scorn becomes him well, and appetite and defiance
become him well.
The wildest largest passions, bliss that is utmost,
sorrow that is utmost, become him well—pride
is for him,
The full-spread pride of man is calming and excellent
to the Soul;