Unfolded Out of the Folds

1UNFOLDED out of the folds of the woman, man comes unfolded, and is always to

2 come unfolded;

3Unfolded only out of the superbest woman of the earth, is to come the superbest

4 man of the earth;

5Unfolded out of the friendliest woman, is to come the friendliest man;

6Unfolded only out of the perfect body of a woman, can a man be form’d of

7 perfect body;

8Unfolded only out of the inimitable poem of the woman, can come the poems of

9 man—(only thence have my poems come;)

10Unfolded out of the strong and arrogant woman I love, only thence can appear the

11 strong and arrogant man I love;

12Unfolded by brawny embraces from the well-muscled woman I love, only thence come

13 the brawny embraces of the man;

14Unfolded out of the folds of the woman’s brain, come all the folds of the

15 man’s brain, duly obedient;

16Unfolded out of the justice of the woman, all justice is unfolded;

17Unfolded out of the sympathy of the woman is all sympathy:

18A man is a great thing upon the earth, and through eternity—but every jot

19 of the greatness of man is unfolded out of woman,

20First the man is shaped in the woman, he can then be shaped in himself.