Walt Whitman Poems
Here are three of my favorite poems from Walt Whitman's collection Leaves of Grass.
I Hear America Singing - Walt Whitman
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
This is definitely one of Whitman's more famous poems. In it he describes the men and women of America busy and at work. Each of them fulfilling their own unique purpose in which only belongs only to them. I think that this is what lies at the heart of the American experience. It's the idea that you can have a dream, that it is your own, and no one else can stop you from achieving it.
This Dust was Once the Man - Walt Whitman
This dust was once the man,
Gentle, plain, just and resolute, under whose cautious hand,
Against the foulest crime in history known in any land or age,
Was saved the Union of these States.
Gentle, plain, just and resolute, under whose cautious hand,
Against the foulest crime in history known in any land or age,
Was saved the Union of these States.
This, like a few of Whitman's other poems, is about one of our most famous and adored presidents. It is a poem about Abraham Lincoln. The man who once again united this great country, rid it of our most disgraceful and awful practices of slavery, and then as soon as his great work is done is murdered in cold blood. Walt Whitman greatly admired Abraham Lincoln and in his honor he wrote many poems like this one to honor one of America's greatest men.
Reversals - Walt Whitman
Let that which stood in front go behind,
Let that which was behind advance to the front,
Let bigots, fools, unclean persons, offer new propositions,
Let the old propositions be postponed,
Let a man seek pleasure everywhere except in himself,
Let a woman seek happiness everywhere except in herself
Let that which was behind advance to the front,
Let bigots, fools, unclean persons, offer new propositions,
Let the old propositions be postponed,
Let a man seek pleasure everywhere except in himself,
Let a woman seek happiness everywhere except in herself
This poem seems to be in a different mood than the others. Here Whitman observes the world in a way that seems the opposite of what he is used to seeing. A world in which fools, cowards, and all other sorts of unjust men make the propositions, a world where that which was in front is now behind, a world where a man seeks happiness in everyplace but in himself. It's a place that shouldn't be like this. Whitman may have been seeing bad times in his country when he wrote this. It reminds me of how a lot of people see America now.
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