Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.
Far or forgot to me is near;
Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt;
And I the hymn the Brahmin sings.
The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven,
But thou, meek lover of the good!
Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.
The  sacred Seven  is another title for  the Saptarishi , directly juxtaposed here with  the strong gods that pine . These seven sages, or  rishis , work under the guidance of the  Brahma . Though there are different lists with different names, a common one  names them as follows: Bhrigu, Atri, Angirasa, Vashista, Pulastya, Pulalaha and Kratu. 
 
 The sacred seven could also refer to the  Satapuri , or seven sacred cities. Hinduism said that, if one were to visit all seven within his lifetime, one escapes the life death cycle ( Samsara ), attaining  moksha . Emerson was well versed in Hinduism. 
 This also brings to mind the symbolism of numbers (known to Jews and Qabbalists as  gematria ), saying that putting faith into numbers is in vain.