Lyric Poem · Nature

To Eva

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reading room

1O Fair and stately maid, whose eye

2Was kindled in the upper sky

3At the same torch that lighted mine;

4For so I must interpret still

5Thy sweet dominion o'er my will,

6A sympathy divine.

7Ah! let me blameless gaze upon

8Features that seem in heart my own,

9Nor fear those watchful sentinels

10Which charm the more their glance forbids,

11Chaste glowing underneath their lids

12With fire that draws while it repels.

13Thine eyes still shined for me, though far

14I lonely roved the land or sea,

15As I behold yon evening star,

16Which yet beholds not me.

17This morn I climbed the misty hill,

18And roamed the pastures through;

19How danced thy form before my path,

20Amidst the deep-eyed dew!

21When the red bird spread his sable wing,

22And showed his side of flame,

23When the rose-bud ripened to the rose,

24In both I read thy name.

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“To Eva” by Ralph Waldo Emerson — quilloak.com/poems/to-eva

Quick facts

Poem: To Eva
Poet: Ralph Waldo Emerson
Length: 24 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Love, Peace

Craft notes

How this poem works

Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 24 lines · 5 stanzas of 4–6 lines
Line length: Lines run 6-9 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Author record: Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882
Source record: PoetryDBTo Eva by ralph-waldo-emerson, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 1571019809512566…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature Love Peace

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