" The fountains of my hidden life"

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was one of the most influential American thinkers of the nineteenth century; as an essayist, poet and lecturer, he philosophized about the relationship between man and God, and was a leader of the transcendental movement. As a student at Harvard, Emerson's attention was drawn to a young student, Martin Gay:

"There is a strange face in the Freshman class whom I should like to know very much. He has a great deal of character in his features & should [be] a fast friend or a bitter enemy. His name is Gay. I shall endeavor to become acquainted with him and wish if possible that I might be able to recall at a future period the singular sensations which his presence produced at this."

Though he later excised portions of the text, Emerson's 1821 journal is full of statements of affection for Gay, as well as a "memory sketch" portrait. Gay haunted Emerson's thoughts for over two years. In 1822 Emerson wrote, "It is with difficulty that I can now recall those sensations of vivid pleasure which his presence was wont to waken spontaneously."

The lesson of this special bond was clearly reflected in his mature writings:

Me too thy nobleness has taught
To master my despair;
The fountains of my hidden life
Are through thy friendship fair.