LEAVESOFGRASS

ByWal
tWhi
tman

Come, saidmysoul ,
Suchv er
sesf ormyBodyl etuswrite,
(forweareone,)
Thatshoul dIaf t
erret
urn,
Or,long,longhence, i
not herspheres,
Ther etosomegr oupofmat esthechantsresuming,
(Tall
y i
ngEar t
h'ssoil
,tr
ees, winds,t
umul t
uouswav es,
)
Everwi thpleas'dsmil
eImaykeepon,
Everandev eryettheversesowni ng--
as,fi
rst
,Ihereandnow
Signingf orSoulandBody ,sett
othem myname,

Wal
tWhi
tman

BOOKI
.INSCRI
PTI
ONS

One'
s-
Sel
fISi
ng

One'
s-
selfIsi
ng,
asi
mplesepar
ateper
son,
Yetut
terthewor
dDemocr
ati
c,t
hewordEn-Masse.

Ofphysi
ologyf
rom t
optotoeIsing,
Notphysi
ognomyalonenorbrai
nalonei
swor
thyf
ort
heMuse,
Isay
t
heForm compl
eteiswort
hierfar
,
TheFemaleequal
lywit
htheMaleIsing.

OfLif
eimmensei npassion,pul
se,
andpower
,
Cheerf
ul,
forfr
eestacti
onf or
m'dundert
hel
awsdi
vi
ne,
TheModer nManIsing.

AsIPonder
'di
nSi
l
ence

AsIponder '
dinsi l
ence,
Returninguponmypoems, consideri
ng, l
i
nger i
nglong,
APhant om ar osebef oremewi thdistrustful
aspect,
Terri
blei nbeaut y,age,andpower ,
Thegeni usofpoet sofol dl
ands,
Astomedi r
ect i
nglikeflameitseyes,
Wit
hf ingerpoi nti
ngt omanyi mmor talsongs,
Andmenaci ngv oice,Whatsingestthou?i tsaid,
Know' stt hounott hereisbutonet hemef orever-
endur
ingbar
ds?
Andt hati sthet hemeofWar ,thefortuneofbat tl
es,
Themaki ngofper fectsoldi
ers.

Beitso,
thenIanswer
'd,
It
oohaughtyShadeal
sosingwar
,andal
ongerandgr
eat
eronet
hanany
,
Wagedi nmybookwi t
hv ary
ingfort
une,
withfli
ght
,advance
andret r
eat,v
ict
or ydefer
r'
dandwav er
ing,
(Yetmet hi
nkscertain,orasgoodascertai
n,atthelast
,)t
he
fi
eldthewor l
d,
Forli
feanddeat h,fortheBodyandf ort
heeternalSoul
,
Lo,Itooam come, chanti
ngthechantofbatt
les,
Iaboveal lpr
omotebr avesoldier
s.

I
nCabi
n'
dShi
psatSea

I
ncabin' dshipsatsea,
Theboundl essblueonev er
ysideexpanding,
Withwhi stl
ingwindsandmusi cofthewav es,thelar
geimperi
ouswaves,
Orsomel onebarkbuoy '
dont hedensemar i
ne,
Wherej oyousf ul
loffai
th,spreadi
ngwhi t
esai l
s,
Shecleav estheethermi dthesparkleandthef oam ofday,
orunder
manyast aratnight,
Bysail
or syoungandol dhapl ywil
lI,areminiscenceofthel
and,ber
ead,
I
nfullrappor tatl
ast.

Hereareourt hought s,v

oy ager s'
thoughts,
Herenott heland,fi
rml and, aloneappears, mayt henbyt hem besaid,
Theskyo' erar
chesher e, wef eeltheundulati
ngdeckbeneat hourfeet,
Wef eelthelongpul sati
on, ebbandf lowofendl essmot ion,
Thetonesofunseenmy ster y,thevagueandv astsuggest i
onsofthe
br
inywor ld,t
hel i
quid-fl
owi ngsy l
l
ables,
Theperfume, thefaintcreaki ngoft hecor dage,themelanchol yrhy
thm,
Theboundl essvistaandt hehor i
zonfaranddi m areallhere,
Andt hi
sisocean' spoem.

Thenfalt
ernotObook, f
ulfi
lyourdestiny,
Younotar emi niscenceoft helandalone,
Youtooasal onebar kcl eavi
ngtheet her,
purpos'
dIknownot
whit
her,yetev erfulloffait
h,
Consorttoever yshipt hatsail
s,saily
ou!
Bearfort
htot hem f oldedmyl ove,(dearmar i
ner
s,fory
ouIfoldit
her
einev eryleaf ;
)
Speedonmybook!spr eady ourwhitesail
smyl i
ttl
ebarkat
hwartthe
i
mper i
ouswav es,
Chanton,sailon, bearo'ertheboundl essbluefr
om met oever
ysea,
Thissongformar inersandal lt
heirships.

ToFor
eignLands

Iheardthatyouask'
dforsomet hi
ngtopr
ovethispuzzl
etheNewWorld,
Andt odefi
neAmer i
ca,herat
hleti
cDemocracy
,
Therefor
eIsendy oumypoemst haty
oubehol
di nt
hem whatyouwanted.

ToaHi
stor
ian

Youwhocelebratebygones,
Whohav eexpl
oredtheoutward,
thesur
facesoft
her
aces,
thel
i
fe
t
hathasexhi
bitedit
self
,
Whohav et r
eatedofmanast hecreatureofpol i
ti
cs,
aggregat
es,
rulersandpr i
ests,
I,
habi tanoft heAl l
eghanies,treati
ngofhi m asheisinhi
mself
inhisownr i
ghts,
Pressingt hepulseofthel i
fethathassel dom exhibi
tedi
tsel
f,
(thegr eatprideofmani nhimsel f
,)
Chant erofPer sonalit
y,outli
ningwhati syett obe,
Iprojectt hehistoryofthefutur e.

ToTheeOl
dCause

Totheeoldcause!
Thoupeerless, passionat e,goodcause,
Thouster
n, remor seless, sweeti dea,
Deathl
esst hroughoutt heages, races,lands,
Aft
erastrangesadwar , greatwarf orthee,
(It
hinkal
lwart hrought i
mewasr eall
yf ought
,andev
erwi
l
lbe
r
eall
yfought ,forthee,)
Thesechant sfort hee,theet ernal marchoft hee.

(AwarOsoldi
ersnotf
ori
tsel
fal
one,
Far
,farmor
estoodsil
ent
lywai
ti
ngbehi
nd,
nowt
oadv
ancei
nthi
sbook.
)

Thouor bofmanyor bs!

Thouseet hingprincipl
e!thouwel l-kept,
latentger
m!t houcentr
e!
Aroundthei deaoft heet hewarr ev ol
vi
ng,
Withal
l i
tsangr yandv ehementpl ayofcauses,
(Wit
hv astresultstocomef orthriceat housandy ears,
)
Theserecitati
vesf orthee,-
-mybookandt hewarar eone,
Mergedi nitsspiri
tIandmi ne,ast hecontesthingedont hee,
Asawheel onitsaxi sturns,thi
sbookunwi t
ti
ngtoi t
sel
f,
Aroundthei deaoft hee.

Ei
dol
ons

Imetaseer ,
Passi
ngthehuesandobj ectsoftheworl
d,
Thefi
eldsofartandlear
ning,pl
easur
e,sense,
Togleaneidolons.

Putinthychant
ssaidhe,
Nomor ethepuzzl
inghournorday,
norsegments,
par t
s,puti
n,
Putf
irstbef
oretherestasl
ightf
orall
andent
rance-songofall
,
Thatofeidol
ons.

Ev
erthedim begi
nning,
Ev
erthegrowth,t
heroundingoft
hecircl
e,
Ev
erthesummi tandthemergeatlast
,(t
osur
elyst
artagai
n,
)
Ei
dol
ons!ei
dolons!

Everthemut able,
Ev
ermat erials,
changi ng,cr
umbl
ing,re-
coher
ing,
Ev
ertheat eli
ers,thefactori
esdi
vine,
I
ssuingei dolons.

Lo,
Iory
ou,
Orwoman,man,orst
ate,knownorunknown,
Weseemingsol
idwealth,
strengt
h,beaut
ybui
l
d,
Butr
eall
ybui
l
deidolons.

Theostentevanescent,
Thesubstanceofanar t
ist
'
smoodorsav
an'
sst
udi
esl
ong,
Orwarr
ior'
s,martyr
's,
hero'
stoi
l
s,
Tofashionhi
seidolon.

Ofeveryhumanl i
fe,
(Theunitsgather'
d,post
ed,
notat
hought
,emoti
on,
deed,
lef
tout
,)
Thewhol eorlargeorsmall
summ'd,
addedup,
I
nitseidol
on.

Theol
d, ol
durge,
Basedont heancientpi
nnacles,
lo,newer
,hi
gherpi
nnacl
es,
From sci
enceandt hemoder nsti
ll
impell
'
d,
Theol
d, ol
durge,ei
dolons.

Thepresentnowandhere,
Ameri
ca'sbusy,t
eeming,i
ntr
icat
ewhirl
,
Ofaggregat
eandsegregateforonl
ythencer
eleasi
ng,
To-day'
seidol
ons.

Thesewi t
ht hepast
,
Ofvanish'
dlands,ofal
ltherei
gnsofki
ngsacrossthesea,
Ol
dconquer ors,ol
dcampaigns,ol
dsai
lor
s'voyages,
Joiningei
dolons.

Densit
ies,
growth,facades,
Str
ataofmountains,soil
s,rocks,
gianttr
ees,
Far-
born,
far-
dyi
ng,li
vinglong,toleave,
Eidol
onseverl
asti
ng.

Exalte,r
apt,ecstati
c,
Thevisibl
ebutt hei
rwombofbi r
th,
Oforbictendenciestoshapeandshapeandshape,
Themi ghtyear t
h-ei
dolon.

Al
lspace,all
time,
(Thestars,t
heterri
blepert
urbat
ionsoft
hesuns,
Swelli
ng,coll
apsing,
ending,ser
vingt
hei
rlonger
,shor
teruse,
)
Fi
l
l'
dwi t
heidolonsonly.

Thenoiselessmyriads,
Theinf
ini
teoceanswher etheriver
sempty,
Theseparat
ecount l
essf reeidenti
ti
es,
li
keeyesi
ght
,
Thetruereali
ti
es,eidolons.

Notthistheworld,
Northesetheuniverses,
theytheuni
verses,
Pur
portandend, everthepermanentl
if
eoflife,
Ei
dolons,eidol
ons.

Beyondthylect
ureslearn'
dpr ofessor,
Beyondthytel
escopeorspect roscopeobser v
erkeen,beyondall
mathemat
ics,
Beyondthedoctor
'ssurgery,anatomy ,beyondthechemistwit
hhischemi
str
y,
Theentit
iesofenti
ti
es,eidolons.

Unfix'
dyetfi
x'd,
Evershal
lbe,everhavebeenandare,
Sweepingthepresenttot
heinfi
nit
efut
ure,
 Ei
dol
ons,
eidol
ons,
eidol
ons.

Theprophetandthebar
d,
Shal
lyetmaintai
nthemsel
ves,
inhi
gherstagesyet,
Shal
lmediatetotheModer
n,toDemocracy,i
nter
prety
ett
othem,
Godandei dol
ons.

Andtheemysoul ,
Joys,
ceaselessexercises,
exal
tati
ons,
Thyyear
ningampl yfedatlast,
preparedt
omeet
,
Thymat es,ei
dolons.

Thybodypermanent ,
Thebodylur
kingtherewithi
nt hybody,
Theonl
ypurportoftheformt houart,
ther
eal
Imy
sel
f,
Animage,aneidolon.

Thyverysongsnoti nthysongs,
Nospecialstr
ainstosing,nonefori
tself,
Butf
rom thewhol eresult
ing,
risi
ngatlastandf
loat
ing,
Aroundf ul
l-
orb'
dei dol
on.

ForHi
m ISi
ng

Forhim Ising,
Iraisethepresentonthepast,
(Assomeper enni
alt
reeoutofitsroots,
thepr
esentonthepast
,)
Wi t
ht i
meandspaceIhi m dil
ateandfusetheimmortal
laws,
Tomakehi mselfbythem t
helawunt ohimsel
f.

WhenIReadt
heBook

WhenIr eadthebook,thebiographyfamous,
Andisthisthen(sai
dI)whatt heauthorcall
saman'sl i
fe?
Andsowi ll
someonewhenIam deadandgonewr i
temyl i
fe?
(Asifanymanr eall
yknewaughtofmyl i
fe,
Whyev enImy sel
fIoftenthi
nkknowl i
ttl
eornot
hingofmyr eall
i
fe,
Onlyafewhi nt
s,afewdi f
fusedfaintclewsandi
ndirect
ions
Iseekformyownuset otraceouther e.)

Begi
nni
ngMySt
udi
es

Begi
nningmyst udi
esthefirststeppleas'
dmesomuch,
Themer efactconsciousness,theseforms,thepowerofmot
ion,
Theleastinsectoranimal,t
hesenses, eyesi
ght,l
ove,
Thefir
ststepIsayawedmeandpl eas'
dmesomuch,
Ihavehardlygoneandhar dlywish'dtogoanyf ar
ther
,
Butstopandl oi
teral
lthetimet osingitinecst
ati
csongs.

Begi
nner
s
Howt heyar epr ovidedforupont heearth, (
appear i
ngatinter
val
s,
)
Howdearanddr eadfultheyaretotheear th,
Howt heyinur etot hemsel vesasmuchast oany -
-whataparadox
appearst heirage,
Howpeopl erespondt othem, yetknowt hem not ,
Howt hereissomet hi
ngr el
entl
essintheirf ateall
times,
Howal lti
mesmi schooset heobjectsoft heiradul
ationandreward,
Andhowt hesamei nexorablepri
cemustst il
lbepaidforthesame
greatpurchase.

Tot
heSt
ates

TotheStatesoranyoneoft hem, oranycityoftheStates,

Resi
st
much,obeylitt
le,
Onceunquest i
oningobedi
ence,oncef ul
lyensl
av ed,
Onceful
lyenslaved,nonati
on,state,
cityofthi
sear t
h,ever
af
ter
wardr esumesitsli
bert
y.

OnJour
ney
sThr
ought
heSt
ates

Onjourney
st hroughtheSt ateswestart
,
(Aythr
oughthewor ld,urgedbyt hesesongs,
Sail
i
nghencef ort
htoev eryland,toever
ysea,
)
Wewi l
li
nglearnersofall,t
eachersofall
,andlov
ersofal
l
.

Wehav ewat ch'

dtheseasonsdi
spensi
ngt
hemsel
vesandpassi
ngon,
Andhav esaid,Whyshouldnotamanorwomandoasmuchast he
seasons,andeffuseasmuch?

Wedwel lawhi leinev eryci

tyandt own,
Wepasst hroughKanada, t
heNor th-east,
thevastv al
leyofthe
Missi
ssippi,andt heSout hernStates,
Weconf eronequal termswi theachoft heStates,
Wemaket ri
al ofourselvesandi nvit
emenandwoment ohear,
Wesayt oour selves,Remember ,f
earnot ,becandid,promulgethe
bodyandt hesoul ,
Dwellawhi l
eandpasson, becopi ous,temperate,
chast e,magnet
ic,
Andwhaty ouef fusemayt henr et
urnast heseasonsr eturn,
Andmaybej ustasmuchast heseasons.

ToaCer
tai
nCant
atr
ice

Here,takethisgi
ft,
Iwasr eservi
ngitforsomehero, speaker
,orgener al,
Onewhoshoul dservethegoodol dcause,t
hegr eati dea,
the
progressandfreedom oftherace,
Somebr aveconfr
onterofdespots,somedaringr ebel;
ButIseet hatwhatIwasr eser
vingbelongstoyouj ustasmuchast
oany
.
MeI
mper
tur
be

Mei mper t
urbe,standi ngateasei nNat ure,
Mast erofallormi stressofal l
,aplombi nthemi dstofirrati
onalthings,
I
mbuedast hey,passi ve,receptive,sil
entast hey ,
Fi
ndingmyoccupat i
on, pov ert
y,notori
ety,foibles,cr
imes, less
i
mpor tantthanIt hought ,
Met owar dtheMexi cansea, orintheMannahat t
aort heTennessee,
orfarnor t
hori nland,
Ariverman, oramanoft hewoodsorofanyf arm-li
feoft hese
Statesoroft hecoast ,ort helakesorKanada,
Mewher evermyl ifeisl i
ved, Otobesel f
-balancedf orcont i
ngencies,
Toconf rontnight,storms, hunger,ridi
cule,accidents,rebuffs,as
thetreesandani mal sdo.

Sav
ant
ism

Thit
herasIl ookIseeeachr esultandgl or
yr etr
acingi t
selfand
nestl
ingclose,al
way sobligated,
Thit
herhours, months,years--
thithertr
ades, compact s,
establi
shments,event hemostmi nute,
Thit
herev er
y-dayli
fe,speech, utensil
s,pol
iti
cs, persons,estat
es;
Thit
herweal so,Iwithmyl eav esandsongs, tr
ustful,admirant
,
Asaf athertohisfathergoingt akeshischildrenalongwi thhim.

TheShi
pSt
art
ing

Lo,theunboundedsea,
Onitsbreastashipst
ar t
ing,spr
eadingallsai
l
s,carr
yingev
en
hermoonsail
s.
Thepennantisfly
ingaloftasshespeedsshespeedssost atel
y-
-
belowemulouswav espr essforwar
d,
Theysurroundtheshi
pwi t
hshiningcurv
ingmotionsandfoam.

IHearAmer
icaSi
ngi
ng

IhearAmer icasi ngi ng,thev ar

iedcar ol sIhear,
Thoseofmechani cs,eachonesi nginghi sasi tshoul dbebli
theandstrong,
Thecar pent ersi nginghi sashemeasur eshi splankorbeam,
Themasonsi ngi nghi sashemakesr eadyf orwor k,orl
eavesof fwor
k,
Theboat mansi ngi ngwhatbel ongst ohi mi nhisboat ,t
hedeckhand
singi
ngont hest eamboatdeck,
Theshoemakersi ngingashesi t
sonhi sbench, thehattersi
ngingas
hest ands,
Thewood- cutter '
ssong, t
heploughboy '
sonhi swayi nt
hemor ning,
oratnooni nt ermi ssionoratsundown,
Thedel ici
oussi ngi ngoft hemot her ,oroft hey oungwi f
eatwor k,
oroft hegi rlsewi ngorwashi ng,
Eachsi ngingwhatbel ongst ohim orherandt ononeel se,
Thedaywhatbel ongst ot heday--atni ghtthepar tyofyoung
fell
ows, robust ,fri
endl y
,
Singingwi thopenmout hsthei
rst rongmel odioussongs.
WhatPl
aceI
sBesi
eged?

Whatpl
aceisbesieged,andv ai
nlytr
iestoraisethesiege?
Lo,
Isendtothatplaceacommander ,swif
t,brave,i
mmor t
al,
Andwit
hhim horseandf oot
,andpar ksofartil
l
ery,
Andart
il
ler
y-men,t
hedeadl i
estthateverfi
redgun.

St
il
lThought
heOneISi
ng

Stil
lthoughtheoneIsi ng,
(One, y
etofcontradicti
onsmade,)Idedicat
etoNational
i
ty,
Ileaveinhimrevolt,(Olat
entr
ightofinsurr
ect
ion!O
quenchless,i
ndispensablef
ir
e!)

ShutNotYourDoor
s

Shutnotyourdoor stomepr oudli

brari
es,
Forthatwhichwasl acki
ngonal ly
ourwell-f
il
l'
dshelves,y
et
neededmost ,Ibri
ng,
Fort
hf r
om thewaremer ging,abookIhav emade,
Thewor dsofmybooknot hi
ng,thedri
ftofiteveryt
hing,
Abooksepar ate,notl
ink'dwiththerestnorfeltbyt
hei nt
ell
ect
,
Butyouy euntoldlat
encieswi l
lthr
il
ltoeverypage.

Poet
stoCome

Poetstocome!or at
ors,si
ngers,musici
anstocome!
Notto-dayistoj
usti
fymeandanswerwhatIam f or,
Butyou, anewbrood,nati
ve,athl
eti
c,cont
inent
al,
great
ert
han
beforeknown,
Arouse!foryoumustjusti
fyme.

Imyselfbutwr
it
eoneortwoindi
cati
vewordsfort
hefut
ure,
Ibutadvanceamomentonl
yt owheelandhur
rybacki
nthedar
kness.

Iam amanwho, saunteri

ngalongwit
houtful
lyst
oppi
ng,
tur
nsa
casuall
ookuponyouandt henaver
tshisface,
Leavingi
ttoyoutoproveanddefinei
t,
Expecti
ngthemainthingsfr
om you.

ToYou

St
r anger
,ify
oupassingmeetmeanddesi
ret
ospeakt
ome,
why
shouldyounotspeaktome?
Andwhyshoul dInotspeakt
oyou?
ThouReader

Thoureaderthrobbestl
if
eandpri
deandlov
ethesameasI
,
Ther
eforefortheethefol
lowi
ngchant
s.

BOOKI
I

St
art
ingf
rom Paumanok

1
Startingf rom f i
sh-shapePaumanokwher eIwasbor n,
Wel l-
begot ten,andr ais'
dbyaper fectmot her ,
Afterr oami ngmanyl ands,lov erofpopul ouspav ement s,
Dwel lerinMannahat tamyci ty,oronsout her nsav annas,
Orasol diercamp' dorcar ryi
ngmyknapsackandgun, orami ner
inCal ifor ni
a,
Orr udei nmyhomei nDakot a'swoods, mydi etmeat ,
mydr inkfrom
thespr ing,
Orwi t
hdr awnt omuseandmedi tateinsomedeepr ecess,
Farf rom t hecl ankofcr owdsi ntervalspassi ngr aptandhappy ,
Awar eoft hef r
eshf reegiverthef l
owingMi ssour i,awar eof
mi ghtyNi agara,
Awar eoft hebuf f
aloher dsgr azingt heplains, thehi r
suteand
strong- br eastedbul l,
Ofear t
h, rocks, Fi
fth-mont hflower sexper ienced, stars,rai
n,snow,
myamaze,
Hav ingst udi edthemocki ng-bird'stonesandt hef lightofthe
mount ai n-hawk,
Andhear datdawnt heunr i
vall'done, theher mi tthr ushf r
om the
swamp- cedar s,
Solitary,singi ngintheWest ,Ist r
ikeupf oraNewWor ld.

2
Vict
or y,union,fai
th,i
denti
ty,
time,
Thei ndissolublecompacts,ri
ches,myst
ery,
Eternal pr
ogr ess,t
hekosmos, andthemodernrepor
ts.
Thist henislife,
Herei swhathascomet othesurfaceaf
tersomanythroesandconv
ulsi
ons.

Howcurious!howreal
!
Under
footthediv
inesoi
l,
over
headt
hesun.

Seerevol
vingtheglobe,
Theancestor-
conti
nentsawaygroup'
dtoget
her
,
Thepresentandfuturecont
inent
snort
handsouth,
wit
hthei
sthmus
bet
ween.

See,v
asttr
ackl
essspaces,
Asinadream t
heychange,t
heyswif
tl
yfil
l
,
Countl
essmassesdebouchuponthem,
Theyarenowcover
'dwitht
heforemostpeopl
e,ar
ts,
inst
it
uti
ons,
known.

See,
proj
ect
edthr
oughtime,
Formeanaudi
enceint
erminabl
e.

Wi
thf
ir
m andr
egul
arst
ept
heywend,
theynev
erst
op,
Successionsofmen, Ameri
canos,ahundredmil
li
ons,
Onegener ationplayi
ngit
spartandpassingon,
Anothergener ati
onplayi
ngit
spartandpassingonini
tsturn,
Withfacest urn'
dsidewaysorbackwardtowardsmetoli
sten,
Witheyesr etrospect
ivet
owardsme.

3
Americanos!conquer
ors!marcheshumanitar
ian!
Foremost!centur
ymarches!Liber
tad!masses!
Foryouapr ogrammeofchant s.

Chant
softheprairi
es,
Chant
softhelong-runni
ngMi ssi
ssippi,
anddownt otheMexi cansea,
Chant
sofOhio,Indi
ana, I
lli
noi
s,I
owa, Wisconsi
nandMi nnesota,
Chant
sgoingforthfrom thecentr
ef r
om Kansas,andthenceequidi
stant
,
Shoot
ingi
npulsesoff ir
eceaselesstov i
vif
yall
.

4
Takemyl eavesAmer ica,t
akethem Southandt aket hem Nor
th,
Makewel comef orthem every
wher e,f
ortheyarey ourownoff-spr
ing,
Surr
oundt hem EastandWest ,fortheywouldsurroundy ou,
Andy ouprecedents,connectl
ov i
nglywit
hthem, fortheyconnect
l
ovingl
ywi t
hy ou.

Iconn'doldti
mes,
Isatstudyi
ngatthefeetofthegr
eatmast
ers,
Nowi feli
gibl
eOthatthegreatmast
ersmi
ghtret
urnandst
udyme.

I
nthenameoftheseStatesshal
lIscornt
heant
ique?
Whythesear
ethechi
ldrenoftheanti
quetoj
ust
ifyi
t.

5
Deadpoet s,philosophs, pri
ests,
Mar t
yrs,artist
s, inventors, government slongsince,
Language- shaper sonot hershores,
Nationsoncepower ful,nowr educed, withdrawn,ordesol
ate,
Idarenotpr oceedt il
l Irespectfull
ycreditwhaty ouhav el
eft
waftedhi ther,
Ihaveper usedi t ,owni tisadmi rable,(
mov i
ngawhi l
eamongi t
,)
Thinknot hingcanev erbegr eater,nothingcanev erdeser
vemor e
t
hani tdeser v es,
Regardingi tallintentlyal ongwhi le,t
hendi smissingit
,
Istandinmypl acewi thmyowndayher e.

Herel
andsf emal eandmal e,
Heretheheir-
shipandheiress-shipoftheworl
d,her
ethef
lameof
mater
ial
s,
Herespir
it
uali
tyt hetr
anslatr
ess,theopenl
y-avow'
d,
Theever-
tending, t
hefi
naleofv i
sibl
eforms,
Thesati
sfi
er,afterduelong-wait
ingnowadv anci
ng,
Yesherecomesmymi str
esst hesoul.

6
Thesoul ,
Foreverandf orever
--
longerthansoi li
sbrownandsolid-
-longer
thanwat erebbsandf lows.
Iwillmaket hepoemsofmat er
ials,
forIthinkt
heyaretobet he
mostspi ri
tualpoems,
AndIwi ll
maket hepoemsofmybodyandofmor t
ali
ty,
ForIthinkIshal l
thensupplymy sel
fwiththepoemsofmysoul and
ofimmor tali
ty.
Iwil
lmakeasongf ortheseSt at esthatnooneSt at emayunderany
ci
rcumstancesbesubj ectedt oanot herState,
AndIwillmakeasongt hatt hereshal lbecomi tybydayandby
ni
ghtbetweenall t
heSt at
es, andbet weenanyt wooft hem,
AndIwillmakeasongf ort heear softhePresi dent ,f
ullof
weaponswi thmenaci ngpoi nts,
Andbehindt heweaponscount l
essdi ssati
sfiedf aces;
AndasongmakeIoft heOnef orm'doutofal l
,
Thefang'dandglit
teri
ngOnewhoseheadi sov eral l
,
Resolut
ewar li
keOnei ncludingandov erall,
(Howeverhightheheadofanyel sethatheadi sov erall
.)

Iwil
lacknowl edgecontempor ar
ylands,
Iwil
ltr
ailthewhol egeographyoftheglobeandsalut
ecourt
eousl
y
ever
ycitylargeandsmal l,
Andempl oyment s!Iwil
lputinmypoemst hatwit
hy oui
sheroi
sm
uponlandandsea,
AndIwillreportallher
oism fr
om anAmer i
canpointofv
iew.

Iwil
lsingthesongofcompani onship,
Iwil
lshowwhatal onemustf inall
ycompactt hese,
Ibel
ievethesearet of
oundthei rowni deal ofmanl ylove,
i
ndicati
ngitinme,
Iwil
ltheref
oreletfl
amef r
om met hebur ningf i
resthatwere
t
hreateningtoconsumeme,
Iwil
lli
ftwhathast oolongkeptdownt hosesmoul der i
ngfi
res,
Iwil
lgivethem completeabandonment ,
Iwil
lwr i
tetheevangel
-poem ofcomr adesandofl ove,
ForwhobutIshoul dunderstandl ov
ewi thal lit
ssor r
owandj oy?
AndwhobutIshoul dbethepoetofcomr ades?

7
Iam thecr
edul
ousmanofqualit
ies,ages,
races,
Iadvancef
rom t
hepeopl
einthei
rownspi ri
t,
Hereiswhatsi
ngsunr
est
rict
edfaith.

Omnes!omnes!l etothersignorewhattheymay,
Imaket hepoem ofev i
lalso,Icommemor at
ethatpartalso,
Iam my sel
fjustasmuchev i
lasgood,andmynat i
onis--andIsay
ther
eisinfactnoev il
,
(Orift
hereisIsayi ti
sjustasimport
anttoyou,tothelandor
tome, asanythingelse.)

Itoo,f
oll
owingmanyandf oll
ow'
dbymany ,i
naugurat
ear el
igi
on,I
descendint
ot hearena,
(I
tmaybeIam dest in'
dt outt
erthel
oudestcr
iesther
e,the
winner'
speal
ingshout s,
Whoknows?t heymayr i
sefrom meyet,
andsoarabov eeveryt
hing.
)

Eachi
snotf
orit
sownsake,
Isayt
hewhol
eeart
handall
thest
arsi
ntheskyar
eforr
eli
gion'
ssake.

Isaynomanhasev eryetbeenhalfdevoutenough,
Nonehasev eryetadoredorworship'
dhalfenough,
Nonehasbegunt othinkhowdivinehehimselfis,andhowcer
tai
n
thef
utur
ei s.

Isaythatther eal
andper manentgrandeuroftheseStat
esmustbe
thei
rreli
gion,
Otherwisethereisjustnorealandpermanentgrandeur;
(Norcharacternorlif
ewor t
hythenamewi t
houtrel
igi
on,
Norlandnormanorwomanwi thoutrel
i
gion.)
 8
Whatareyoudoingyoungman?
Areyousoearnest
,sogivenupt oli
terat
ure,
sci
ence,
art
,amour
s?
Theseost
ensibl
ereal
it
ies,pol
i
tics,point
s?
Yourambi
tionorbusi
nesswhat everitmaybe?

I
tiswell
--agai
nstsuchIsaynotawor d,
Iam thei
rpoetalso,
Butbehold!suchswift
lysubsi
de,burntupforrel
i
gion'
ssake,
Fornotallmatteri
sfueltoheat,i
mpalpabl
eflame,theessenti
al
l
if
eoft heearth,
Anymor ethansucharet orel
i
gion.

9
Whatdoyouseeksopensiveandsi
l
ent
?
Whatdoyouneedcamerado?
Dearsondoyouthi
nki
tislove?

Listendearson- -
li
stenAmer i
ca,daughterorson,
Itisapai nfulthi
ngt olov
eamanorwomant oexcess,
andyeti
t
sat i
sfi
es, i
tisgreat,
Butt hereissomet hi
ngelseverygreat,
itmakesthewholecoi
nci
de,
It,magnificent,beyondmat er
ial
s,withconti
nuoushandssweepsand
pr ovi
desf orall
.

10
Knowyou,
solel
ytodropi
ntheeart
htheger
msofagr
eat
err
eli
gion,
Thefol
l
owingchant
seachfori
tski
ndIsi
ng.

Mycomr ade!
Foryout osharewithmet wogreatnesses,andat
hir
doner i
sing
i
nclusiveandmor erespl
endent,
Thegr eatnessofLoveandDemocr acy,andthegr
eatnessofReli
gion.

Mel angemi neown,theunseenandt heseen,

My steri
ousoceanwher ethestreamsempt y,
Prophet i
cspiri
tofmateri
alsshi
f t
ingandfl
icker
ingaroundme,
Li
v i
ngbei ngs,i
denti
ti
esnowdoubt l
essnearusintheairt
hatwe
knownotof ,
Cont actdail
yandhourlyt
hatwillnotrel
easeme,
Thesesel ecti
ng,t
heseinhintsdemandedofme.

Nothewithadail
ykissonwardfrom chil
dhoodkissi
ngme,
Haswindedandtwistedar
oundmet hatwhichholdsmetohim,
AnymorethanIam heldtotheheavensandal l
thespir
it
ual
worl
d,
Aft
erwhattheyhavedonetome, suggesti
ngthemes.

Osucht hemes--equali
ti
es!Odi vi
neaver
age!
Warbl
ingsundert hesun, usher'
dasnow,oratnoon,orsett
ing,
St
rai
nsmusi calflowingthroughages,nowreachi
nghither
,
It
aketoy ourrecklessandcomposi t
echords,addtothem,and
cheerfull
ypasst hem forward.

11
AsIhavewalk'
dinAlabamamymor ni
ngwal
k,
Ihaveseenwheretheshe-
bir
dthemocki
ng-
bir
dsatonhernesti
n
t
hebrier
shatchi
ngherbrood.

Ihaveseenthehe-
bir
dalso,
Ihavepaus'
dtohearhim nearathandi
nfl
ati
nghi
sthr
oatand
j
oyful
lysi
ngi
ng.
AndwhileIpaus'ditcamet omet hatwhathereal
lysangforwas
nott
hereonl y
,
Norforhi
smat enorhimselfonly,norall
sentbackbytheechoes,
Butsubtl
e,clandesti
ne,awaybey ond,
Achargetransmi t
tedandgiftoccultforthosebei
ngborn.

12
Democracy
!nearathandt
oyouat
hroati
snowi
nfl
ati
ngi
tsel
fand
j
oyf
ull
ysingi
ng.

Maf emme!forthebroodbeyondusandofus,
Forthosewhobelonghereandthoset ocome,
Iexult
antt
ober eadyfort
hem will
nowshakeoutcar
olsstr
onger
andhaughti
erthanhaveeveryetbeenhear
duponeart
h.

Iwil
lmakethesongsofpassi
ontogivet
hem t
heirway,
Andyoursongsoutl
aw'
doffender
s,f
orIscanyouwit
hkindr
edey
es,
andcar
ryyouwit
hmet hesameasany .

Iwill
maket het ruepoem ofr iches,
Toear nf orthebodyandt hemi ndwhat everadher esandgoesf orward
andisnotdr optbydeat h;
Iwill
effuseegot ism andshowi tunderlyi
ngal l
,andIwi llbethe
bardofper sonality
,
AndIwi l
lshowofmal eandf emal ethateitherisbutt heequal of
theot her,
Andsexual organsandact s!doy ouconcent rateinme, f
orIam det er
min'
d
totellyouwi thcour ageouscl earvoicetopr ovey ouil
lustri
ous,
AndIwi l
lshowt hatther eisnoi mper f
ectionint hepresent ,
and
canbenonei nt hef uture,
AndIwi l
lshowt hatwhat ev erhappenst oany bodyi tmaybet urn'
dto
beaut i
fulresults,
AndIwi l
lshowt hatnot hingcanhappenmor ebeaut i
fulthandeath,
AndIwi l
lthreadat hreadt hr oughmypoemst hattimeandev entsare
compact ,
Andt hatallthet hingsoft heuni verseareper fectmi r
acles,each
aspr ofoundasany .

Iwill
notmakepoemswi thref
erencetoparts,
ButIwi l
lmakepoems, songs,thoughts,wit
hreferencetoensemble,
AndIwi llnotsi
ngwi t
hr efer
encet oaday ,
butwithr ef
erenceto
alldays,
AndIwi llnotmakeapoem nort heleastpartofapoem buthas
ref
erencet othesoul,
Becausehav inglook'
datt heobjectsoftheuniverse,Ifi
ndthere
i
snoonenoranypar ticl
eofonebuthasr ef
erencet othesoul
.

13
Wassomebodyaskingtoseethesoul?
See,y
ourownshapeandcountenance,per
sons,
subst
ances,
beast
s,
t
hetrees,
ther
unningr
iver
s,t
herocksandsands.

Al
lhol
dspir
it
ualj
oysandafter
wardsl
oosenthem;
Howcanthereal
bodyeverdieandbebur
ied?

Ofyourrealbodyandanyman'sorwoman' sr
ealbody,
I
tem fori
tem itwi
llel
udethehandsofthecor
pse-cl
eanersand
passtofi
tti
ngspheres,
Carry
ingwhathasaccr uedt
oitfr
om themomentofbirthtothe
momentofdeat h.

Nott
het
ypessetupbyt
hepr
int
err
etur
nthei
rimpr
essi
on,
the
 meani
ng,themainconcern,
Anymorethanaman' ssubstanceandli
feorawoman'
ssubst
anceand
l
if
eret
urninthebodyandt hesoul,
I
ndif
fer
entl
ybeforedeat
handaf t
erdeat
h.

Behol
d,thebodyi
ncl
udesandisthemeani
ng,
themainconcernand
i
ncl
udesandisthesoul
;
Whoeveryouare,
howsuperbandhowdivi
nei
syourbody,oranypar
t
ofi
t!

14
Whoevery
ouar
e,t
oyouendl
essannouncement
s!

Daughterofthelandsdi
dy ouwaitforyourpoet?
Didyouwaitforonewithaf l
owingmout handindicat
ivehand?
Towardthemal eoftheStates,
andt owardthefemaleoftheStat
es,
Exul
ti
ngwor ds,wordstoDemocr acy'
slands.

Interlink'd, food- y i
eldi ngl ands!
Landofcoal andi ron!l andofgol d!l andofcot ton, sugar ,rice!
Landofwheat ,beef ,por k!l andofwool andhemp!l andoft heappl e
andt hegr ape!
Landoft hepast or al plains, thegr ass- fi
eldsoft hewor l
d!l andof
thosesweet -air'dint ermi nabl epl at eaus!
Landoft heher d, thegar den, theheal thyhouseofadobi e!
Landswher et henor t h-westCol umbi awi nds, andwher et hesout h-
west
Col or adowi nds!
Landoft heeast er nChesapeake!l andoft heDel awar e!
LandofOnt ar io, Erie, Hur on, Mi chigan!
Landoft heOl dThi rteen!Massachuset tsland!l andofVer montand
Connect icut !
Landoft heoceanshor es!l andofsi errasandpeaks!
Landofboat menandsai lor s!f i
sher men' sland!
Inextr i
cabl el ands!t hecl ut ch' dt oget her !thepassi onat eones!
Thesi debysi de!t heel derandy oungerbr other s!thebony -limb'd!
Thegr eatwomen' sl and!t hef emi ni ne!t heexper iencedsi st ersand
thei nexper iencedsi ster s!
Farbr eat h'dl and!Ar ct i
cbr aced!Mexi canbr eez'd!t hedi v erse!t he
compact !
ThePennsy l
v ani an!t heVi rgi nian!t hedoubl eCar olinian!
Oal l andeachwel l
-lov edbyme!myi ntrepidnat i
ons!OIatany
rat ei ncludey oual lwi thper fectl ov e!
Icannotbedi schar gedf rom y ou!notf rom oneanysoonert hananot her
!
Odeat h!Of oral l that ,Iam y etofy ouunseent hishourwi th
irrepr essi blel ov e,
Wal kingNewEngl and, af riend, atrav eler,
Splashi ngmybar ef eeti nt heedgeoft hesummerr i
ppl eson
Paumanok' ssands,
Crossi ngt hepr ai r
ies, dwel lingagai ni nChi cago, dwel lingi nev erytown,
Obser v i
ngshows, births, impr ov ement s, structures, arts,
Listeni ngt oor at orsandor at ressesi npubl ichal l
s,
Ofandt hrought heSt atesasdur i
ngl i
fe, eachmanandwomanmynei ghbor
,
TheLoui siani an, theGeor gian, asneart ome, andIasneart ohim andher ,
TheMi ssi ssi ppi anandAr kansi any etwi thme, andIy etwi thanyoft hem,
Yetupont hepl ainswestoft hespi nal river,yeti nmyhouseofadobi e,
Yetr et ur ningeast war d, yeti nt heSeasi deSt at
eori nMar yland,
YetKanadi ancheer ilybr av ingt hewi nter ,t
hesnowandi cewel comet ome,
Yetat ruesonei therofMai neoroft heGr aniteSt ate, ort he
Nar raganset tBaySt ate, ort heEmpi reSt ate,
Yetsai lingt oot hershor est oannext hesame, yetwel comi ngev ery
newbr ot her ,
Her ebyappl y ingt hesel eav est ot henewonesf rom t hehourt hey
 uni
tewit
htheoldones,
Comingamongt henewonesmy selftobetheircompani
onandequal
,
comingper
sonall
ytoyounow,
Enjoi
ningy
outoacts,char
act
ers,spectacl
es,wit
hme.

15
Withmewi thfir
m holdi
ng,yethast
e,hast
eon.
Foryourli
feadheretome,
(Imayhavet obepersuadedmanyt imesbef
oreIconsentt
ogi
ve
myselfr
eallytoyou,butwhatofthat
?
MustnotNat urebepersuadedmanyt i
mes?)

Nodai nt
ydolceaffett
uosoI,
Bearded,sun-bur
nt,gr
ay-neck'
d,f
orbi
dding,
Ihav earr
ived,
Tobewr estl
edwi t
hasIpassf orthesol
idprizesoftheuniver
se,
ForsuchIaf f
ordwhoev ercanpersev
eretowi nthem.

16
OnmywayamomentIpause,
Heref oryou!andhereforAmerica!
St
illt
hepr esentIr
aisealoft
,st
il
lthefut
ureoftheSt
atesI
harbingegladandsublime,
Andfort hepastIpronouncewhattheairhol
dsoftheredabor
igi
nes.

Theredaborigines,
Leavi
ngnatural breat
hs,soundsofrainandwinds,cal
lsasofbir
ds
andanimalsint hewoods, syl
l
abl
edt ousfornames,
Okonee,Koosa, Ottawa,Monongahela,Sauk,
Natchez,Chatt
ahoochee,
Kaqueta,
Or onoco,
Wabash, Mi
ami ,Saginaw,Chippewa,Oshkosh,Wall
a-Wall
a,
Leavi
ngsucht ot heStatestheymelt
, t
heydepart
,chargi
ngthe
waterandthel andwithnames.

17
Expandi
ngandswi f
t, hencef or
th,
El
ement s,
breeds,adj ust ments,t
urbulent
,quickandaudaci ous,
Awor l
dprimalagain, vistasofgloryincessantandbr anchi
ng,
Anewr acedomi natingpr ev
iousonesandgr anderfar,
withnewcontest
s,
Newpol i
ti
cs,newliterat uresandreli
gions,newi nvent
ionsandarts.

These,myv oiceannouncing-
-Iwil
lsl
eepnomor ebutar
ise,
Youoceanst hathavebeencal m wit
hinme!howIfeely
ou,
f
athomless, st
ir
ri
ng,prepar
ingunprecedent
edwavesandstor
ms.

18
See,steamer ssteami ngt hr oughmypoems,
See,inmypoemsi mmi grant scontinuallycomi ngandl andi ng,
See,inar ri
ere,thewi gwam, thetrail
,thehunt er'
shut ,t
hef l
at-boat,
themai ze-leaf,thecl ai m, therudef ence, andt hebackwoodsv i
ll
age,
See,ont heonesi det heWest ernSeaandont heot hert heEast ernSea,
howt heyadv anceandr etreatuponmypoemsasupont hei rownshor es,
See,past uresandf or estsi nmypoems- -see, animal swi ldandt ame- -
see,
beyondt heKaw, count l
essher dsofbuf falofeedi ngonshor tcurlygrass,
See,inmypoems, ci t
ies, solid,vast,i
nland, withpav edst reet s,
withironandst oneedi fi
ces, ceaselessv ehicles,andcommer ce,
See,themany -
cyli
nder '
dst eam pr i
nti
ng- press--see, theel ectric
tel
egraphst r
etchi ngacr osst hecont inent ,
See,throughAt l
ant ica'sdept hspulsesAmer i
canEur oper eachi ng,
pulsesofEur opedul yr eturn'd,
See,thest rongandqui ckl ocomot i
veasi tdepar ts,
pant ing, blowing
thesteam- whistle,
See,ploughmenpl oughi ngf arms- -
see,mi ner sdi ggingmi nes- -
see,
 thenumber lessfactories,
See,mechani csbusyatt hei
rbencheswi thtool
s--
seefrom amongthem
super iorjudges, phil
osophs,Presidents,emerge,dr
estin
wor kingdr esses,
See,loungi ngt hrought heshopsandf i
eldsoftheStat
es,me
well-belov '
d, cl
ose-heldbydayandni ght,
Heart hel oudechoesofmysongst here--r
eadthehintscomeatlast.

19
Ocameradoclose!Oy ouandmeatl ast,
andustwoonl
y.
Oawordt ocl
earone'spathaheadendlessly
!
Osomethingecstati
candundemonst r
able!Omusi
cwil
d!
OnowItriumph--
andy oushal
lal
so;
Ohandinhand--Owholesomepleasure-
-Oonemoredesi
rerandl
over
!
Otohastefi
rm holdi
ng--
tohast
e,hasteonwi t
hme.

BOOKI
II

SongofMy
sel
f

1
Icel
ebratemysel
f,andsingmyself
,
AndwhatIassumey oushal
lassume,
Foreveryat
om bel
ongingtomeasgoodbel
ongst
oyou.

Il
oaf
eandinv
itemysoul
,
Il
eanandl
oafeatmyeaseobser
vingaspearofsummergr
ass.

Myt ongue,ever
yat
om ofmybl ood,form'dfrom thi
ssoil
,thi
sai
r,
Bornhereofparent
sbornherefrom parentst hesame,andthei
r
parent
sthesame,
I
,nowt hir
ty-
seveny
earsol
di nperfecthealt
hbegi n,
Hopingtoceasenotti
l
ldeath.

Creedsandschool si
nabeyance,
Reti
ringbackawhi l
esuf
ficedatwhattheyar
e,butneverf
orgot
ten,
Iharborforgoodorbad,Ipermitt
ospeakateveryhazar
d,
Naturewithoutcheckwi
thorigi
nalener
gy.

2
Housesandr oomsareful
l ofperf
umes,t
heshelvesarecrowdedwi
th
perf
umes,
Ibreat
hethefragr
ancemy selfandknowitandl
ikeit,
Thedisti
l
lat
ionwouldint
oxicatemealso,
butIshallnotl
etit
.

Theatmospher eisnotaperfume,ithasnot
asteofthe
di
sti
ll
ati
on, i
tisodorl
ess,
Iti
sformymout hforev
er,Iam i
nlovewithi
t,
Iwil
lgotot hebankbyt hewoodandbecomeundi sgui
sedandnaked,
Iam madf orittobeincontactwit
hme.

Thesmokeofmyownbr eat h,
Echoes,ri
pples,buzz'
dwhi spers,love-r
oot,si
l
k-t
hread,crot
chandvi
ne,
Myr espi
rati
onandi nspir
ation,thebeatingofmyhear t
,thepassi
ng
ofbloodandai rthr
oughmyl ungs,
Thesniffofgreenleavesanddr yleaves,andoftheshoreand
dark-
color
'dsea-rocks,andofhayi nthebarn,
Thesoundoft hebel
ch'dwordsofmyv oi
celoos'
dtotheeddiesof
thewi nd,
Afewl i
ghtkisses,afewembr aces,areachi
ngaroundofarms,
Thepl ayofshi neandshadeont hetreesasthesuppl
eboughswag,
Thedel i
ghtal oneorintherushoft hestreet
s,oral
ongthefi
elds
andhi ll
-si
des,
Thef eeli
ngofheal t
h,thefull
-noontril
l,t
hesongofmer i
sing
from bedandmeet ingthesun.

Hav
eyoureckon'
dathousandacresmuch?haveyoureckon'
dtheear
thmuch?
Hav
eyoupracti
s'
dsolongtolear
ntoread?
Hav
eyoufel
tsoproudtogetatthemeaningofpoems?

Stopt hi
sdayandni ghtwi t
hmeandy oushallpossesst heorigi
nof
allpoems,
Youshal lpossessthegoodoft heearthandsun, (ther
ear emi l
l
ions
ofsunsl ef
t,)
Youshal lnolongertakethingsatsecondort hirdhand, norlookthr
ough
theeyesoft hedead, norfeedont hespectresinbooks,
Youshal lnotlookthroughmyey eseither
,nortaket hi
ngsf r
om me,
Youshal ll
ist
ent oallsi
desandf i
lt
erthem fr
om y ourself.

3
Ihaveheardwhatthetal
kerswer
etalki
ng,
thet
alkoft
he
begi
nningandtheend,
ButIdonottalkofthebegi
nni
ngortheend.

Ther
ewasneveranymor ei
nceptiont hanther
eisnow,
Noranymoreyout
horagethant her eisnow,
Andwil
lnev
erbeanymor eperfectionthanther
eisnow,
Noranymoreheavenorhel
lthant hereisnow.

Ur
geandur
geandurge,
Al
wayst
heprocr
eantur
geoft
hewor
ld.

Outofthedimnessopposit
eequal
sadv ance,al
way ssubstanceand
i
ncrease,
alwayssex,
Al
way saknitofi
denti
ty,
alwaysdi
sti
ncti
on,alwaysabr eedofli
fe.
Toelaborat
eisnoavail
,l
earn'
dandunlearn'
dfeelthati
tisso.

Sureasthemostcertai
nsure,pl
umbint heupri
ghts,
wel
l
entr
eti
ed,
bracedinthebeams,
Stoutasahorse,af
fect
ionat
e,haught
y,elect
ri
cal
,
Iandthismyster
yherewestand.

Cl
earandsweeti
smysoul
,andcl
earandsweeti
sal
lthati
snotmysoul
.

Lackonel acksbot
h,andt
heunseenispr
ovedbytheseen,
Til
lthatbecomesunseenandr
eceivespr
oofi
nit
st ur
n.

Showingthebestanddivi
dingi
tfr
om theworstagevexesage,
Knowingtheperf
ectfi
tnessandequanimi
tyofthi
ngs,whi
lethey
di
scussIam sil
ent
,andgobatheandadmi r
emy sel
f.

Welcomeiseveryor
ganandat t
ribut
eofme, andofanymanhear
tyandcl
ean,
Notaninchnoraparti
cleofaninchisv
il
e,andnoneshall
be
l
essfamil
i
arthantherest.

Iam sat
isfi
ed-
-Isee,
dance, l
augh,sing;
Asthehuggingandlovingbed-fell
owsleepsatmysi dethrought
heni
ght
,
andwithdr
awsatt hepeepoft hedaywi t
hsteal
thytread,
Leavi
ngmebasket scov er
'dwit
hwhi tetowelsswell
i
ngt hehousewi
th
 t
heirplenty,
Shall
Ipost ponemyaccept at
ionandr eal
i
zat i
onandscream atmyeyes,
Thattheyturnf r
om gazi
ngafteranddownt heroad,
Andforthwithcipherandshowmet oacent ,
Exactl
ythev alueofoneandexactlythevalueoft wo,
andwhi chi
sahead?

4
Tri
pper sandasker ssur roundme,
PeopleImeet ,theef f
ectuponmeofmyear l
yl i
feort hewardand
cit
yIl i
v ein, orthenat i
on,
Thelat estdat es, discoveries, i
nventi
ons,societies,authorsoldandnew,
Mydi nner ,dress, associ at
es, looks,compliment s,dues,
Ther eal orfanci edi ndif
ferenceofsomemanorwomanIl ove,
Thesi cknessofoneofmyf olksorofmy self
, oril
l-
doingorloss
orlackofmoney ,ordepr essionsorexaltations,
Battl
es, thehor r
or soff rat
ricidalwar,thefeverofdoubt f
ulnews,
thef i
tfulev ents;
Thesecomet omeday sandni ght
sandgof rom meagai n,
Buttheyar enott heMemy self.

Apartfr
om t
hepul li
ngandhaulingstandswhatIam,
Standsamused,compl acent
,compassionat
ing,i
dle,unit
ary
,
Looksdown,iserect,orbendsanarm onani mpalpablecert
ainr
est
,
Lookingwi
thside-curvedheadcuri
ouswhatwi l
lcomenext ,
Bothinandoutoft hegameandwat chingandwonder ingatit
.

BackwardIseeinmyownday swhereIsweat
edthr
oughf
ogwi
th
l
ingui
stsandcont
enders,
Ihavenomockingsorargument
s,Iwit
nessandwai
t.

5
Ibel
i
evei
nyoumysoul ,
theot
herIam mustnotabasei
tsel
ftoy
ou,
Andyoumustnotbeabasedt
otheother
.

Loafewithmeont hegrass,
looset
hestopfrom y
ourt
hroat,
Notwor ds,
notmusicorrhymeIwant,notcust
om orl
ect
ure,not
eventhebest,
Onlythelul
lIl
ike,
thehum ofyourv
alv
edv oi
ce.

Imindhowoncewel aysuchatransparentsummermor ning,

Howy ousett
ledy ourheadathwartmyhi psandgent l
yturn'doveruponme,
Andpartedt
heshi rtfrom mybosom- bone,andplungedy ourtongue
t
omybar e-str
iptheart,
Andreach'
dtill
youf eltmybeard,andreach'dti
l
ly ouhel
dmyf eet.

Swift
lyaroseandspr eadar oundmet hepeaceandknowl edget
hatpass
al
ltheargumentoft heearth,
AndIknowt hatthehandofGodi st hepromiseofmyown,
AndIknowt hatthespiri
tofGodi st hebrotherofmyown,
Andthatallthemenev erbornar ealsomybr ot
hers,andthewomen
mysi st
ersandl overs,
Andthatakel sonoft hecreati
oni slove,
Andlimitl
essar eleavessti
ffordr oopinginthefiel
ds,
Andbr ownant sinthelit
tl
ewel l
sbeneat hthem,
Andmossyscabsoft hewor mf ence,heap'dstones,elder
,mull
einand
poke-weed.

6
Achi
ldsai
dWhati st
hegrass?f
etchi
ngitt
omewithful
lhands;
HowcouldIanswert
hechil
d?Idonotknowwhati
tisanymor et
hanhe.

Iguessi
tmustbet
hef
lagofmydi
sposi
ti
on,
outofhopef
ulgr
een
 st
uffwov
en.

OrIguessitisthehandker
chi
efoftheLor d,
Ascentedgiftandremembrancerdesignedl
ydropt,
Beari
ngtheowner '
snamesomewayi nthecorner
s,thatwemaysee
andremark,andsayWhose?

OrIguesst
hegr
assi
sit
sel
fachi
l
d,t
hepr
oducedbabeoft
hev
eget
ati
on.

OrIguessi tisauni form hi

erogl
yphic,
Andi tmeans, Sproutingali
keinbroadzonesandnar r
owzones,
Growi ngamongbl ackfolksasamongwhi t
e,
Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman,Cuff,Igi
vethem t
hesame,I
receivethem thesame.

Andnowi
tseemst
omet
hebeaut
if
uluncuthai
rofgr
aves.

Tender
lywil
lIusey oucurl
inggrass,
I
tmaybey out r
anspirefr
om thebreast
sofy oungmen,
I
tmaybei fIhadknownt hem Iwouldhavelov edthem,
I
tmaybey ouar efrom ol
dpeople,orfr
om offspri
ngtakensoonout
oft
heirmothers'l
aps,
Andhereyouaret hemothers'l
aps.

Thi
sgrassisverydar
kt obefr
om thewhit
eheadsofol
dmot
her
s,
Dar
kerthanthecolor
lessbear
dsofoldmen,
Dar
ktocomef rom underthef
aintr
edroofsofmout
hs.

OIpercei
veaft
erallsomanyut
ter
ingt
ongues,
AndIpercei
vetheydonotcomefr
om t
heroofsofmout
hsf
ornot
hing.

IwishIcoul
dtr
ansl
atethehi
ntsaboutthedeadyoungmenandwomen,
Andthehint
saboutoldmenandmot hers,
andtheoff
spr
ingt
aken
soonoutoft
hei
rlaps.

Whatdoyout
hinkhasbecomeofthey
oungandol
dmen?
Andwhatdoy
out hi
nkhasbecomeofthewomenandchi
l
dren?

Theyareali
v eandwellsomewher e,
Thesmallestsproutshowsthereisreal
lynodeat
h,
Andifevertherewasitledforwardli
fe,
anddoesnotwai
tatt
he
endtoarrestit
,
Andceas'dthemomentl i
feappear'
d.

Al
lgoesonwar
dandoutward,not
hingcol
l
apses,
Andtodi
eisdi
ffer
entf
rom whatanyonesupposed,
andl
ucki
er.

7
Hasanyonesupposeditl
uckytobeborn?
Ihast
entoi
nfor
m him orheri
tisj
ustasluckyt
odi
e,andIknowi
t.

Ipassdeathwit
ht hedyi
ngandbirt
hwiththenew-wash'
dbabe,and
am notcont
ain'
dbetweenmyhatandboot s,
Andperusemani f
oldobject
s,not
woalikeandeveryonegood,
Theearthgoodandt hestar
sgood,andthei
radj
unctsal
lgood.

Iam notaneart
hnoranadj
unctofanearth,
Iam themateandcompani
onofpeople,all
justasi
mmor
tal
and
fat
homlessasmysel
f,
(Theydonotknowhowimmortal
,butIknow.)

Ev
eryki
ndf
ori
tsel
fandi
tsown,
formemi
nemal
eandf
emal
e,
Formethosethathav ebeenboy sandt hatlovewomen,
Formethemant hatisproudandf eel
showi tst
ingst obesl
i
ghted,
Formethesweet-heartandtheol dmaid, f
ormemot her
sandthe
mot
hersofmot hers,
Formeli
psthathav esmiled,
ey esthathaveshedt ears,
Formechil
drenandt hebegettersofchildr
en.

Undrape!youarenotguil
tytome,norstalenordiscar
ded,
Iseethroughthebroadcl
othandgingham whetherorno,
Andam ar ound,
tenaci
ous,acqui
si
tiv
e,ti
reless,
andcannotbeshakenaway
.

8
Theli
tt
leonesl
eepsi
nit
scradl
e,
Il
if
tthegauzeandl
ookalongt
ime,
andsi
l
ent
lybr
ushawayf
li
es
wi
thmyhand.

Theyoungst
erandt
hered-
facedgi
rlt
urnasi
deupt
hebushyhi
l
l,
Ipeer
ingl
yvi
ewthem f
rom t
hetop.

Thesui ci
desprawlsonthebl
oodyfloorofthebedr
oom,
Iwitnessthecorpsewit
hitsdabbl
edhair,Inot
ewheret
hepi
stol
hasf al
l
en.

Thebl aboft hepav e,tiresofcar t

s, sl
uffofboot -soles, t
alkof
thepr omenader s,
Theheav yomni bus,thedr iverwi thhi sinterrogat ingthumb, the
clankoft heshodhor sesont hegr anitef l
oor ,
Thesnow- sleighs,clinki ng,shout edj okes, pel t
sofsnow- ball
s,
Thehur rahsf orpopul arf avor i
tes, t
hef uryofr ous'dmobs,
Thef lapoft hecur tain'dl i
tter,asi ckmani nsi debor net othehospital
,
Themeet ingofenemi es, thesuddenoat h,thebl owsandf al
l
,
Theexci tedcr owd, thepol icemanwi thhisst arqui ckl
ywor ki
nghis
passaget ot hecent reoft hecr owd,
Thei mpassi vest onest hatr eceiveandr eturnsomanyechoes,
Whatgr oansofov er-fedorhal f
-starv'dwhof allsunst ruckori nf
it
s,
Whatexcl amat ionsofwoment akensuddenl ywhohur ryhomeand
givebi rtht obabes,
Whatl i
vingandbur i
edspeechi sal way sv ibratingher e, whathowl s
restrain'dbydecor um,
Arrestsofcr imi nal
s,sl ights, adulterousof fersmade, acceptances,
rejectionswi thconv exl i
ps,
Imi ndt hem ort heshoworr esonanceoft hem- -IcomeandIdepar t.

9
Thebi
gdoor softhecount
rybarnst
andopenandready,
Thedr
iedgrassoftheharvest
-t
imeloadst
heslow-
drawnwagon,
Thecl
earli
ghtplaysonthebrowngrayandgr
eenint
erti
nged,
Thear
mf ul
sarepack'dtothesaggi
ngmow.

Iam there,
Ihelp,Icamest ret
ch'dat
opoft heload,
Ifel
tit
ssof tj
olt
s,onelegr ecl
inedontheother,
Ij
umpf r
om thecross-beamsandsei zethecloverandtimot
hy,
Androllheadov erheelsandtanglemyhairfullofwisps.

10
Alonefarinthewildsandmount ai
nsIhunt,
Wander i
ngamazedatmyownl i
ghtnessandgl
ee,
I
nt helat
eaf t
ernoonchoosingasafespottopasst
henight
,
Kindli
ngaf i
reandbroil
ingthefr
esh-ki
ll
'
dgame,
Falli
ngasleeponthegat her
'dl
eaveswithmydogandgunbymysi
de.

TheYankeecl
i
pperi
sunderhersky
-sai
l
s,shecut
sthespar
kleandscud,
Myey
esset
tl
ethel
and,
Ibendatherpr
oworshoutj
oyousl
yfr
om t
hedeck.

Theboatmenandclam-di
gger
saroseearlyandst
optforme,
It
uck'
dmyt rowser-
endsi
nmyboot sandwentandhadagoodt i
me;
Youshouldhavebeenwit
husthatdayroundthechowder
-ket
tl
e.

Isawt hemar ri
ageoft hetrapperintheopenai rinthefarwest ,
thebridewasar edgi r
l,
Herf at
herandhi sfriendssatnearcr oss-l
eggedanddumbl ysmoki ng,
theyhadmoccasi nst otheirfeetandlargethi ckblanket
s
hangingfrom theirshoul ders,
Onabankl oungedt het r
apper ,hewasdr estmost l
yinskins, hisluxuri
ant
beardandcur lsprotectedhi sneck,heheldhi sbri
debyt hehand,
Shehadl ongey elashes,herheadwasbar e,hercoar sestraightlocks
descendeduponherv oluptuouslimbsandr each'dtoherf eet.

Therunawaysl avecamet omyhouseandst optout si

de,
Iheardhismot i
onscrackli
ngt hetwi gsoft hewoodpi l
e,
Throught heswunghalf-
dooroft heki tchenIsawhi ml impsyandweak,
Andwentwher ehesatonal ogandl edhi mi nandassur edhi
m,
Andbr oughtwaterandfil
l'
dat ubf orhissweat edbodyandbr uis'dfeet
,
Andgav ehim aroom thatenter'
df rom myown, andgavehim some
coarsecleanclot
hes,
Andr ememberper f
ectl
ywel lhisrevolvingey esandhisawkwar dness,
Andr ememberput t
ingplast
er sont hegal l
sofhi sneckandankl es;
Hest ai
dwi thmeaweekbef orehewasr ecuperatedandpass'dnorth,
Ihadhi m si
tnextmeatt abl
e, myf i
re-l
ockl ean'dinthecorner
.

11
Twent
y-ei
ghty
oungmenbathebytheshore,
Twent
y-ei
ghty
oungmenandallsofr
iendl
y;
Twent
y-ei
ghty
earsofwomanl
yli
feandallsolonesome.

Sheownsthefi
nehousebyt
heri
seofthebank,
Shehi
deshandsomeandri
chl
ydrestaf
tthebl
indsoft
hewi
ndow.

Whi
choft
heyoungmendoesshelikethebest
?
Aht
hehomel
i
estofthem i
sbeaut
if
ultoher.

Wherear
eyouofft
o,l
ady?f
orIseeyou,
Youspl
ashi
nthewatert
her
e,yetst
ayst
ockst
il
li
nyourr
oom.

Danci
ngandlaughi
ngal
ongthebeachcamet hetwent
y-ni
nthbat
her
,
Therestdi
dnotseeher
,butshesawthem andlovedt
hem.

Thebeardsoft
heyoungmengli
sten'
dwit
hwet
,itr
anf
rom t
hei
rlonghai
r,
Li
tt
lestr
eamspass'
dallov
ert
heirbodi
es.

Anunseenhandal
sopass'
dovert
heirbodi
es,
I
tdescendedt
rembl
ingl
yfr
om t
hei
rtemplesandr
ibs.

They oungmenf l
oatont
heirbacks,t
heirwhitebel
l
iesbul
getothe
sun,theydonotaskwhoseizesfasttothem,
Theydonotknowwhopuf f
sanddecl i
neswi t
hpendantandbendi
ngar
ch,
Theydonott hi
nkwhom theysousewithspray.

12
Thebut cher-
boyput
soffhiskil
l
ing-cl
othes,orsharpenshiskni
fe
atthest al
li
nthemarket,
Il
oiterenjoyi
nghisr
eparteeandhisshuffl
eandbr eak-down.

Bl
acksmi
thswi
thgr
imedandhai
rychest
senv
iront
heanv
il
,
Eachhashi
smai
n-sl
edge,
theyar
eal
lout
,ther
eisagr
eatheati
n
t
hefir
e.

From theci
nder-
str
ew'dthr
esholdIf ol
lowt
heirmov ements,
Thelit
hesheerofthei
rwaistsplaysevenwit
ht hei
rmassi v
earms,
Overhandthehammer sswing,overhandsoslow,overhandsosur
e,
Theydonothasten,eachmanhi tsinhispl
ace.

13
Thenegr oholdsfir
mlythereinsofhi
sfourhorses,theblockswags
underneathonitsti
ed-overchai
n,
Thenegr othatdri
vesthelongdrayofthestone-yar
d,steadyand
tal
lhestandspoi s'
dononel egonthestri
ng-pi
ece,
Hisblueshirtexposeshisampleneckandbr eastandloosensover
hiship-
band,
Hisglanceiscalm andcommandi ng,hetossestheslouchofhishat
awayf r
om hisforehead,
Thesunf all
sonhi scri
spyhairandmustache,fal
lsontheblackof
hispoli
sh'dandperfectl
imbs.

Ibehol
dthepi
ctur
esquegi
antandl
ovehi
m,andIdonotst
opt
her
e,
Igowit
htheteam al
so.

I
nmet hecaresserofli
fewherevermoving,
backwar
daswell
as
f
orwar dsl
uing,
Tonichesasideandj uni
orbendi
ng,notapersonorobj
ectmi
ssi
ng,
Absorbingal
l t
omy selfandfort
hissong.

Oxenthatrat
tl
ethey okeandchainorhal
tint
heleaf
yshade,
what
i
sthatyouexpressinyoureyes?
I
tseemst omemor ethanal
lthepri
ntIhaver
eadinmyli
fe.

Myt r
eadscaresthewood-dr
akeandwood-duckonmydi
stantand
day-
longramble,
Theyriset
ogether,
theysl
owlyci
rcl
ear
ound.

Ibel
i
eveint hosewi ng'
dpur poses,
Andacknowl edger ed,yell
ow, whit
e, pl
ayingwit
hinme,
Andconsidergr eenandv i
oletandt hetuftedcr
owni nt
enti
onal
,
Anddonotcal l t
het or
toiseunwor thybecauseshei snotsomethi
ngel
se,
Andthejayint hewoodsnev erst
udi edthegamut,yettr
il
lspr
ett
ywel
ltome,
Andthelookoft hebaymar eshamessi lli
nessoutofme.

14
Thewil
dganderl
eadshi sf
lockthr
oughthecoolnight,
Ya-
honkhesays,andsoundsitdowntomel i
keani nvi
tat
ion,
Theper
tmaysupposei tmeaningl
ess,
butIl
ist
eningclose,
Fi
ndit
spurposeandplaceupt her
etowardt
hewi ntr
ysky.

Thesharp-hoof'
dmooseoft henor
th,t
hecatonthehouse-
sil
l,t
he
chi
ckadee,theprairie-
dog,
Theli
tterofthegruntingsowast heytugathert
eats,
Thebroodoft heturkey -
henandshewi t
hherhal
f-spr
eadwings,
Iseeinthem andmy selfthesameoldlaw.

Thepressofmyfoottot
heear
thspr
ingsahundr
edaf
fect
ions,
Theyscornt
hebestIcandot
orel
atethem.

Iam enamour '

dofgrowingout-
doors,
Ofment hatli
veamongcat tl
eortasteoft
heoceanorwoods,
Ofthebuilder
sandst eer
ersofshipsandt
hewiel
dersofaxesand
mauls,andthedri
versofhorses,
Icaneatandsl
eepwi
tht
hem weeki
nandweekout
.

Whatiscommonest,cheapest
, nearest
,easiest
, i
sMe,
Megoinginformychances,spendingforv astretur
ns,
Ador
ningmyselft
obestowmy selfonthefirstt
hatwi l
ltakeme,
Notaski
ngtheskytocomedownt omygoodwi l
l
,
Scat
teri
ngi
tfreel
yfor
ever.

15
Thepur econt r altosi ngsi nt heor ganl oft,
Thecar pent erdr esseshi spl ank, thet ongueofhi sf or epl ane
whi st lesi tswi ldascendi ngl i
sp,
Themar riedandunmar ri
edchi ldr enr idehomet ot hei rThanksgi vi
ngdi nner
,
Thepi lotsei zest heki ng-pi n, heheav esdownwi thast rongar m,
Themat est andsbr acedi nt hewhal e-boat ,lanceandhar poonar er eady,
Theduck- shoot erwal ksbysi lentandcaut i
ousst ret ches,
Thedeaconsar eor dai n'
dwi t hcr oss' dhandsatt heal tar,
Thespi nni ng- gi rlret r
eat sandadv ancest ot hehum oft hebi gwheel ,
Thef armerst opsbyt hebar sashewal ksonaFi rst-dayl oaf eand
l
ooksatt heoat sandr ye,
Thel unat ici scar riedatl astt ot heasy l
um aconf irm' dcase,
(Hewi llnev ersl eepanymor eashedi di nt hecoti nhi smot her '
s
bed- r oom; )
Thej ourpr i
nt erwi thgr ayheadandgauntj awswor ksathi scase,
Het ur nshi squi doft obaccowhi l
ehi sey esbl urrwi t ht hemanuscr ipt;
Themal for m' dl imbsar etiedt ot hesur geon' st able,
Whati sr emov eddr opshor riblyi napai l;
Thequadr oongi rlissol datt heauct i
on- stand, t
hedr unkar dnodsby
thebar -room st ov e,
Themachi ni str ollsuphi ssl eev es, thepol icemant rav elshi sbeat ,
thegat e- keepermar kswhopass,
They oungf ellowdr ivest heexpr ess- wagon, (Ilov ehi m, thoughIdo
notknowhi m; )
Thehal f-br eedst rapsonhi sl ightboot st ocompet ei nt her ace,
Thewest er nt ur key -
shoot ingdr awsol dandy oung, somel eanont heir
ri
fles, somesi tonl ogs,
Outf rom t hecr owdst epst hemar ksman, takeshi sposi ti
on, l
evelshi spi
ece;
Thegr oupsofnewl y-comei mmi gr ant scov ert hewhar forl ev ee,
Ast hewool ly-pat eshoei nt hesugar -
field, theov erseerv i
ewst hem
from hi ssaddl e,
Thebugl ecal lsi nt hebal l-room, thegent l
emenr unf ort hei r
par tner s, thedancer sbowt oeachot her ,
They out hl iesawakei nthecedar -roof '
dgar retandhar kst ot he
musi cal r ain,
TheWol ver ineset st rapsont hecr eekt hathel psf il
l theHur on,
Thesquawwr apti nhery el l
ow- hemm' dcl othi sof fer i
ngmoccasi nsand
bead- bagsf orsal e,
Theconnoi sseurpeer sal ongt heexhi bition- gal l
er ywi thhal f-
shut
ey esbentsi deway s,
Ast hedeck- handsmakef astt hest eamboatt hepl anki st hr ownf or
theshor e- goi ngpassenger s,
They oungsi st erhol dsoutt heskei nwhi let heel dersi st erwi ndsi t
offi nabal l
,andst opsnowandt henf ort heknot s,
Theone- yearwi fei sr ecov er i
ngandhappyhav ingaweekagobor ne
herf irstchi ld,
Thecl ean- hai r'
dYankeegi rlwor kswi thhersewi ng- machi neori nt he
fact or yormi ll,
Thepav ing- manl eansonhi st wo- handedr ammer ,ther epor t
er'slead
fl
iesswi ftlyov ert henot e-book, thesi gn- pai nt erisl ettering
wi thbl ueandgol d,
Thecanal boyt r
ot sont het ow- pat h, thebook- keepercount sathi s
desk, theshoemakerwaxeshi st hread,
Theconduct orbeat st imef ort hebandandal l theper former sfol l
owhim,
Thechi ldi sbapt ized, t
heconv er tismaki nghi sf irstpr ofessi ons,
Ther egat tai sspr eadont hebay , t
her acei sbegun, (howt hewhi t
e
sailsspar kle!)
Thedr ov erwat chinghi sdr ovesi ngsoutt othem t hatwoul dst ray,
Thepedl ersweat swi thhi spackonhi sback, (thepur chaserhi ggling
aboutt heoddcent ;
)
Thebr i
deunr umpl esherwhi tedr ess, t
hemi nut e-handoft hecl ock
mov essl owl y ,
Theopi um- eat err eclineswi thr igi dheadandj ust -open' dlips,
Thepr ost itutedr aggl eshershawl ,herbonnetbobsonhert i
psyand
pimpl edneck,
Thecr owdl aughatherbl ackguar doat hs, themenj eerandwi nkt o
eachot her ,
(Miser abl e!Idonotl aughaty ouroat hsnorj eery ou; )
ThePr esi denthol dingacabi netcounci lissur roundedbyt hegr eat
Secr et aries,
Ont hepi azzawal kt hreemat ronsst atelyandf riendl ywi tht winedar ms,
Thecr ewoft hef i
sh- smackpackr epeat edl ay ersofhal i
buti nt hehol d,
TheMi ssour iancr ossest hepl ai nst oti
nghi swar esandhi scat tle,
Ast hef are- collect orgoest hrought het rainhegi vesnot i
cebyt he
ji
ngl i
ngofl oosechange,
Thef loor -menar el ayingt hef loor ,thet inner sar et i
nni ngt he
roof ,themasonsar ecal li
ngf ormor tar ,
I
nsi ngl ef ileeachshoul der i
nghi shodpassonwar dt hel abor ers;
Seasonspur suingeachot hert hei ndescr ibablecr owdi sgat her 'd,i
t
isthef our thofSev enth- mont h, (whatsal utesofcannonandsmal larms!)
Seasonspur suingeachot hert hepl ougherpl oughs, t
hemowermows,
andt hewi nter-gr ainfallsi nt hegr ound;
Offont hel akest hepi ke-fisherwat chesandwai tsbyt hehol ein
thef rozensur face,
Thest umpsst andt hickr oundt hecl ear i
ng, t
hesquat terst rikesdeep
wi t
hhi saxe,
Flatboat menmakef asttowar dsduskneart hecot t
on- woodorpecan- t
rees,
Coon- seeker sgot hrought her egi onsoft heRedr i
verort hrough
thosedr ai n'dbyt heTennessee, ort hrought hoseoft heAr kansas,
Torchesshi nei nt hedar kt hathangsont heChat tahoocheorAl tamahaw,
Patriarchssi tatsupperwi thsonsandgr andsonsandgr eat -
grandsons
aroundt hem,
I
nwal lsofadobi e, incanv ast ent s, resthunt ersandt rapper saf ter
theirday '
sspor t ,
Theci tysl eepsandt hecount rysl eeps,
Thel ivingsl eepf ort heirtime, thedeadsl eepf ort heirt i
me,
Theol dhusbandsl eepsbyhi swi feandt hey ounghusbandsl eepsbyhi swife;
Andt heset endi nwar dt ome, andIt endout war dt ot hem,
Andsuchasi tist obeoft hesemor eorl essIam,
Andoft heseoneandal lIweav et hesongofmy self.

16
Iam ofol dandy oung, ofthef ool i
shasmuchast hewi se,
Regar dlessofot her s,everregar df ulofot hers,
Mat ernal aswel l
aspat ernal,achi ldaswel lasaman,
Stuff'dwi ththestuf fthatiscoar seandst uff
'dwiththest uf
f
thati sfine,
Oneoft heNat ionofmanynat ions, t
hesmal lestthesameandt he
largestt hesame,
ASout hernersoonasaNor t
her ner ,apl anternonchalantand
hospi tabledownbyt heOconeeIl i
v e,
AYankeeboundmyownwayr eadyf ort r
ade, myj oi
ntstheli
mber
est
jointsonear thandt hest ernestj oi
nt sonear t
h,
AKent uckianwal kingt hev al
eoft heEl khorni nmydeer -
ski
n
leggings, aLoui sianianorGeor gian,
Aboat manov erlakesorbay soral ongcoast s,aHoosi er,Badger ,
Buckey
e;
AthomeonKanadi ansnow- shoesorupi nt hebush, orwi t
hf isher
men
offNewf oundl and,
Athomei nthef l
eetofi ce-boats,saili
ngwi tht her estandt acking,
Athomeont hehi l
lsofVer montori nthewoodsofMai ne, orthe
Texanr anch,
Comr adeofCal ifornians,comradeoff reeNor th-West erners,(lovi
ng
theirbi
gpr opor t
ions,)
Comr adeofr aftsmenandcoal men, comr adeofal lwhoshakehands
andwel comet odr i
nkandmeat ,
Alearnerwi t
ht hesi mplest,ateacheroft het hought full
est,
Anov icebeginningy etexper i
entofmy riadsofseasons,
Ofev eryhueandcast eam I,ofev eryrankandr el
igion,
Afarmer ,mechani c,ar t
ist
,gentleman, sailor,quaker ,
Pri
soner ,f
ancy -
man, rowdy ,
lawy er,physician,pr i
est.

Ir
esistanyt
hingbett
erthanmyowndiver
sit
y,
Breat
hetheairbutl
eaveplent
yaft
erme,
Andam notstuckup,andam inmypl
ace.

(Themothandthefish-
eggsareinthei
rplace,
Thebri
ghtsunsIseeandt hedarksunsIcannotseeareinthei
rpl
ace,
Thepal
pableisi
nitsplaceandtheimpalpablei
sinit
splace.)

17
Thesear
ereall
yt hethoughtsofal
lmeninal l
agesandl ands,they
ar
enotori
ginal wit
hme,
I
ftheyar
enoty our sasmuchasmi netheyarenothi
ng,ornextt onothi
ng,
I
ftheyar
enott her i
ddleandtheunt
yingoftheri
ddletheyarenot hi
ng,
I
ftheyar
enotj ustascloseastheyaredist
anttheyar
enot hing.

Thi
sisthegr
asst
hatgrowswher
evert
helandi
sandt
hewat
eri
s,
Thi
sthecommonairt
hatbat
hesthegl
obe.

18
WithmusicstrongIcome, wit
hmycor net
sandmydrums,
Iplaynotmarchesforacceptedvi
ctor
sonly,
Ipl
aymarchesf
or
conquer
'dandslainpersons.

Haveyouheardthati
twasgoodtogai
ntheday?
Ial
sosayiti
sgoodt ofal
l
,bat
tl
esar
elosti
nthesamespi
ri
t
i
nwhichtheyarewon.

Ibeatandpoundf
ort
hedead,
Ibl
owt hr
oughmyembouchur
esmyl
oudestandgay
estf
ort
hem.

Vi
vastothosewhohav efail
'
d!
Andtothosewhosewar -
vesselssankinthesea!
Andtothosethemselveswhosanki nthesea!
Andtoallgener
alsthatlostengagements,andal
lov
ercomeheroes!
Andthenumber l
essunknownher oesequalt
othegr
eatesther
oesknown!

19
Thisi
sthemeal equall
yset ,
thist hemeatf ornaturalhunger
,
Iti
sforthewi ckedjustsameast her i
ghteous,Imakeappoi ntment
s
wit
hall,
Iwil
lnothav easinglepersonsl i
ght edorleftaway,
Thekept-woman, sponger ,
thief
, areherebyinvit
ed,
Theheav y
-l
ipp'dslaveisinvi
ted,thev enerealeei
sinvited;
Thereshallbenodi ff
erencebet weent hem andt herest.

Thi
sist
hepr
essofabashf
ulhand,
thi
sthef
loatandodorofhai
r,
Thi
sthet
ouchofmyl i
pstoyour
s, t
histhemurmurofy ear
ning,
Thi
sthef
ar-
offdept
handheightrefl
ecti
ngmyownf ace,
Thi
sthet
houghtf
ulmergeofmy sel
f,andtheout
letagain.

DoyouguessIhavesomeint
ri
catepur
pose?
Wel
lIhave,f
ortheFour
th-
monthshowershav
e,andt
hemi
caont
he
si
deofar ockhas.

Doyout akeitIwouldastoni
sh?
Doestheday li
ghtastoni
sh?doest
heear
lyr
edst
artt
wit
ter
ing
t
hrought hewoods?
DoIastonishmor ethanthey
?

Thi
shourIt
ell
thingsinconfi
dence,
Imi
ghtnott
ellev
er y
body,butIwil
ltel
lyou.

20
Whogoesther
e?hankeri
ng,
gross,myst
ical
,nude;
Howisi
tIextr
actst
rengt
hfrom t
hebeefIeat?

Whati
samanany
how?whatam I
?whatar
eyou?

Al
lImarkasmyownyoushall
off
seti
twi
thy
ourown,
El
seitwer
eti
melostl
i
steni
ngtome.

Idonotsniv
elt
hatsni
vel
theworl
dover
,
Thatmonthsar
evacuumsandthegr
oundbutwal
l
owandf
il
th.

Whimperi
ngandtr
ucklingfol
dwithpowder
sfori
nval
i
ds,
conf
ormi
ty
goest
othefour
th-r
emov '
d,
IwearmyhatasIpleaseindoor
sorout.

Whyshoul
dIpr
ay?whyshoul
dIv
ener
ateandbecer
emoni
ous?

Havingpri
edt
hroughthest
rata,
anal
yzedt
oahair
,counsel
'
dwi
th
doctor
sandcal
culat
edcl
ose,
If
indnosweeterfatt
hanst
ickstomyownbones.

I
nall
peopl
eIseemyself
,nonemor
eandnotoneabar
ley
-cor
nless,
Andt
hegoodorbadIsayofmysel
fIsayoft
hem.

IknowIam sol
idandsound,
Tomet heconver
gingobj
ect
softheuniv
erseperpetual
l
yfl
ow,
Allar
ewrit
tent
ome, andImustgetwhatthewri
tingmeans.

IknowIam deathl
ess,
Iknowthisor
bitofminecannotbesweptbyacarpent
er'
scompass,
IknowIshall
notpasslikeachi
ld'
scar
lacuecutwit
haburnt
st
ickatni
ght.

IknowIam august,
Idonottroubl
emyspi r
itt
ovindi
cateitsel
forbeunder
stood,
Iseethattheel
ementaryl
awsnev erapologi
ze,
(Ir
eckonIbehavenoprouderthanthel ev
elIpl
antmyhouseby,
aft
erall
.)

Iexi
stasIam, t
hatisenough,
Ifnootheri
ntheworldbeawareIsitcont
ent
,
AndifeachandallbeawareIsitcont
ent.

Oneworl
disawareandbyf
art
hel
argestt
ome,andthati
smy sel
f,
Andwhet
herIcometomyownto-
dayorintent
housandort
en
 mil
l
ionyear
s,
Icancheer
ful
l
ytakei
tnow,
orwi
thequal
cheer
ful
nessIcanwai
t.

Myfoothol
dist
enon'
dandmor t
is'
dingr
ani
te,
Il
aughatwhatyoucall
dissol
uti
on,
AndIknowtheampli
tudeofti
me.

21
Iam t
hepoetoftheBodyandIam thepoetoftheSoul,
Thepleasur
esofheavenarewit
hmeandt hepainsofhellar
ewit
hme,
Thefi
rstIgraf
tandi
ncreaseuponmysel
f,t
helatterIt
ransl
ate
i
ntonewtongue.

Iam t
hepoetofthewomanthesameastheman,
AndIsayi
tisasgreatt
obeawomanast obeaman,
AndIsayt
hereisnothi
nggr
eatert
hant
hemotherofmen.

Ichantt
hechantofdi
lat
ionorpri
de,
Wehav ehadducki
nganddeprecati
ngaboutenough,
Ishowthatsi
zeisonl
ydevel
opment .

Haveyououtst
ri
ptt
herest
?ar
eyouthePresi
dent
?
I
tisatri
fl
e,t
heywil
lmoret
hanar
ri
vether
eeveryone,
and
st
il
lpasson.

Iam het
hatwal
kswit
hthetenderandgr
owingnight
,
Ical
ltot
heear
thandseahalf
-hel
dbytheni
ght.

Pr
essclosebare-
bosom'dnight
--
presscl
osemagnet
icnour
ishi
ngni
ght
!
Ni
ghtofsouthwinds-
-ni
ghtofthelar
gefewstar
s!
St
il
lnoddi
ngnight-
-madnakedsummerni ght
.

Smil
eOv ol
uptuouscool-
breath'
dear t
h!
Ear
thoftheslumber i
ngandl i
quidtrees!
Ear
thofdepartedsunset--
eart
hoft hemount ainsmi st
y-t
opt
!
Ear
thofthev i
treouspouroftheful
l moonj ustti
ngedwi t
hblue!
Ear
thofshineanddar kmot t
li
ngthet ideoftheri
ver!
Ear
thofthelimpidgrayofcloudsbrighterandclearerformysake!
Far
-swoopingelbow'deart
h--r
ichapple-bl
ossom'dear t
h!
Smil
e,foryourlovercomes.

Pr
odigal
,youhav
egivenmelove-
-t
her
efor
eIt
oyougi
vel
ove!
Ounspeakabl
epassi
onat
elove.

22
Yousea!Iresignmy sel
ftoyoual so--Iguesswhatyoumean,
Ibeholdf
rom t hebeachy ourcr ookedf i
ngers,
Ibel
ieveyouref usetogobackwi t
houtf eeli
ngofme,
Wemusthav eat urntogether,Iundress, hurr
ymeoutofsi
ghtoft
hel
and,
Cushionmesof t,r
ockmei nbi l
lowydr owse,
Dashmewi thamor ouswet ,Icanr epayy ou.

Seaofstretch'
dground-swel
ls,
Seabreathi
ngbr oadandconv ul
siv
ebr eaths,
Seaofthebr i
neoflifeandofunshovell'
dy etal
ways-
readygrav
es,
Howlerandscooperofst or
ms, capri
ci
ousanddai ntysea,
Iam i
ntegralwit
hy ou,It
ooam ofonephaseandofal lphases.

Par
takerofi
nfl
uxandeff
luxI
,extoll
erofhateandconci
l
iat
ion,
Ext
oll
erofamiesandt
hosethatsleepineachother
s'ar
ms.

Iam heat
test
ingsy
mpat
hy,
(
ShallImakemyl
istoft
hingsi
nthehouseandski
pthehouset
hat
suppor
tst
hem?
)

Iam notthepoetofgoodnessonl
y,Idonotdecl
i
net
obet
hepoet
ofwickednessal
so.

Whatbl urtist
hisaboutvi
rtueandaboutvice?
Evi
lpropel smeandr ef
orm ofev i
lpr
opel
sme, Ist
andi
ndi
ff
erent
,
Mygaiti snofault
-fi
nder
'sorreject
er'
sgai
t,
Imoistent heroot
sofallthathasgrown.

Di
dyoufearsomescr
ofulaoutoft
heunfl
aggi
ngpr
egnancy?
Di
dyouguessthecel
est
iall
awsareyett
obework'
doverandrect
if
ied?

If
indonesideabalanceandtheantipedalsi
deabalance,
Softdoct
ri
neassteadyhelpasstabledoctri
ne,
Thoughtsanddeedsofthepresentourrouseandearl
ystar
t.

Thi
sminut
ethatcomestomeov ert
hepastdeci
l
li
ons,
Ther
eisnobet
terthani
tandnow.

Whatbehavedwell
int
hepastorbehav
eswellt
o-dayi
snotsuchwonder
,
Thewonderisal
waysandal
wayshowt her
ecanbeameanmanorani nfi
del
.

23
Endl
essunf
oldi
ngofwordsofages!
Andmineawordofthemodern,t
hewor
dEn-
Masse.

Awordoft
hefait
hthatneverbal
ks,
Her
eorhencef
orwardi
tisallt
hesamet
ome,
IacceptTi
meabsol
utel
y.

I
talonei
swithoutfl
aw,
ital
oneroundsandcomplet
esal
l
,
Thatmyst
icbaffl
i
ngwonderal
onecompl et
esal
l
.

IacceptReal
i
tyanddar
enotquest
ioni
t,
Materi
ali
sm f
ir
standl
asti
mbuing.

Hurrahforposi ti
vescience!longl i
veexactdemonstrat
ion!
Fet
chst onecr opmi xtwithcedarandbr anchesofli
lac,
Thi
si st
hel exicographer,thi
st hechemist,t
hismadeagr ammarof
t
heoldcar touches,
Thesemar iner sputtheshipt hroughdangerousunknownseas.
Thi
si st
hegeol ogist,t
hisworkswi ththescalper
,andthisisa
mathemat ician.

Gentl
emen, t
oy outhefir
sthonorsal
ways!
Yourfactsareusef
ul,andyettheyar
enotmydwel
l
ing,
Ibutenterbythem toanareaofmydwel l
i
ng.

Lessthereminder
sofpr opert
iestol
dmywor ds,
Andmor ethereminderstheyofli
feunt
old,
andoff reedom andext
ri
cat
ion,
Andmakeshor taccountofneutersandgel
dings,andfavormenand
womenf ul
lyequipt
,
Andbeatthegongofr evolt
,andstopwit
hfugiti
vesandt hem t
hat
pl
otandconspire.

24
WaltWhitman, akosmos, ofManhattantheson,
Tur
bulent,f
leshy,sensual
,eati
ng,dr
inkingandbreedi
ng,
Nosentimentali
st,nostanderabovemenandwomenorapartf
rom t
hem,
Nomor emodestt hani
mmodest .
Unscr
ewt
hel
ocksfr
om t
hedoors!
Unscr
ewt
hedoor
sthemsel
vesf
rom t
hei
rjambs!

Whoev
erdegradesanot
herdegr
adesme,
Andwhat
everisdoneorsai
dret
urnsatl
astt
ome.

Throughmet heaf
fl
atussur
gingandsur
ging,
thr
oughmet
hecur
rent
andindex.

Ispeakthepass-
wordpri
meval,
Igi
vethesi
gnofdemocracy
,
ByGod!Iwill
acceptnot
hingwhi
chall
cannothav
ethei
r
count
erpar
tofonthesameterms.

Thr
oughmemanyl ongdumbv oices,
Voi
cesoft heinter
mi nablegener at
ionsofpr i
soner
sandslav
es,
Voi
cesoft hediseas'danddespai r
ingandoft hi
evesanddwarf
s,
Voi
cesofcy clesofpr eparat
ionandaccr etion,
Andofthet hr
eadst hatconnectt hestars,andofwombsandoft he
f
ather-
stuff
,
Andofther i
ghtsoft hem theothersaredownupon,
Ofthedeform'd,tr
ivi
al,fl
at,f
oolish,despised,
Fogintheair,beet
lesr ol
li
ngballsofdung.

Thr
oughmef or
biddenvoices,
Voi
cesofsexesandlust
s, voicesv
eil
'
dandIremovet
hev
eil
,
Voi
cesi
ndecentbymecl ari
fiedandtr
ansf
igur
'd.

Idonotpressmyf i
ngersacrossmymouth,
Ikeepasdelicat
earoundthebowelsasar
oundtheheadandhear
t,
Copulat
ionisnomor erankt
omet handeat
his.

Ibel
iev
einthefleshandtheappet
it
es,
Seei
ng,hear
ing,feel
i
ng,aremir
acl
es,andeachpar
tandt
agofme
i
sami r
acle.

Div
ineam Ii
nsi
deandout,andImakehol ywhateverItouchoram
t
ouch'
dfrom,
Thescentoft
hesearm-pi
tsaromaf i
nerthanpray
er,
Thi
sheadmor ethanchur
ches,bi
bles,andall
thecreeds.

I
fIwor shiponet hingmor et hananot heritshal lbet hespr eadof
myownbody ,oranypar tofi t,
Translucentmoul dofmei tshal lbey ou!
Shadedl edgesandr est si tshal lbey ou!
Fi
rm mascul inecol teri tshal lbey ou!
What ev ergoest othet ilthofmei tshal lbey ou!
Youmyr ichblood!y ourmi lkyst r
eam pal estrippingsofmyl i
fe!
Breastt hatpr essesagai nstot herbr eastsitshal l bey ou!
Mybr aini tshal lbey ouroccul tconv oluti
ons!
Rootofwash' dsweet -fl
ag!t i
mor ouspond- sni pe!nestofguar ded
duplicat eeggs!i tshal l bey ou!
Mix'dtussl edhayofhead, bear d,brawn, itshal lbey ou!
Tri
cklingsapofmapl e,fibr eofmanl ywheat ,itshall beyou!
Sunsogener ousi tshal l bey ou!
Vapor sl i
ghti
ngandshadi ngmyf acei tshallbey ou!
Yousweat ybrooksanddewsi tshal lbey ou!
Windswhosesof t
-ti
ckl i
nggeni talsr ubagai nstmei tshal l
bey ou!
Broadmuscul arf i
elds, br anchesofl iveoak, lovingl oungerinmy
windi ngpat hs, i
tshal l bey ou!
HandsIhav et aken,f aceIhav eki ss'd, mortal Ihav eev ert
ouch' d,
itshal lbeyou.
Idoteonmy sel
f,t
herei
st hatl
otofmeandal l
soluscious,
Eachmomentandwhat everhappensthr
il
lsmewithjoy,
Icannottellhowmyankl esbend,norwhencethecauseofmyf
aint
estwi
sh,
Nort hecauseofthefri
endshipIemit,
northecauseofthe
fr
iendshipItakeagai
n.

ThatIwalkupmyst oop,
Ipauset
oconsi
deri
fitreal
lybe,
Amor ni
ng-gl
oryatmywindowsati
sfi
esmemor ethanthemet
aphy
sics
ofbooks.

Tobehol
dt heday-br
eak!
Thel
it
tl
elightfadesthei
mmenseanddi
aphanousshadows,
Theai
rtastesgoodtomypal
ate.

Heft
softhemov i
ngwor
ldatinnocentgambol
ssi
l
ent
lyr
isi
ng
f
reshl
yexudi
ng,
Scooti
ngobl
iquel
yhi
ghandlow.

Somethi
ngIcannotseeputsupwardli
bidi
nouspr
ongs,
Seasofbri
ghtj
uicesuf
fuseheaven.

Theeart
hbytheskystai
dwi t
h,t
hedai l
ycl
oseofthei
rjuncti
on,
Theheav'
dchal
lengefr
om theeastthatmomentovermyhead,
Themockingt
aunt,Seethenwhetheryoushal
lbemast er
!

25
Dazzl
i
ngandt r
emendoushowqui
ckthesun-
ri
sewoul
dki
l
lme,
I
fIcouldnotnowandalway
ssendsun-
ri
seoutofme.

Wealsoascenddazzl
i
ngandt
remendousasthesun,
WefoundourownOmysoul i
nthecal
m andcooloft
heday
break.

Myvoicegoesaf
terwhatmyeyescannotr
each,
Wi
ththetwirl
ofmytongueIencompassworl
dsandv
olumesofwor
lds.

Speechisthetwinofmyv i
sion,
iti
sunequal tomeasur
eit
sel
f,
I
tprovokesmef orev
er,
itsayssarcasti
call
y,
Waltyoucontai
nenough,whydon' tyouleti
toutt
hen?

ComenowIwi ll
notbet antal
i
zed,youconceiv etoomuchof
art
iculation,
Doy ounotknowOspeechhowt hebudsbeneat hy ouarefol
ded?
Waitingingl oom, pr
otectedbyfrost
,
Thedi rtrecedingbeforemypr opheti
calscreams,
Iunder l
yingcausest obalancethem atlast,
Myknowl edgemyl i
vepar t
s,i
tkeepingtall
ywi t
ht hemeani
ngofallthi
ngs,
Happi ness, (
whichwhoev erhearsmel ethim orhersetoutinsear
ch
ofthisday .)

Myf i
nal
mer i
tIr
efusey ou,
Iref
useputt
ingf
rom mewhatIr
eal
lyam,
Encompassworlds,butnevert
ryt
oencompassme,
Icr
owdy oursl
eekestandbestbysimpl
ylooki
ngtowar
dyou.

Writ
ingandtalkdonotprov
eme,
Icarr
ytheplenum ofpr
oofandever
yt hi
ngelsei
nmyf ace,
Withthehushofmyl i
psIwholl
yconfoundtheskept
ic.

26
NowIwill
donothi
ngbutli
sten,
Toaccr
uewhatIheari
ntothissong,
tol
etsoundscont
ri
but
etowar
dit
.

Ihearbr
avur
asofbi
rds,
bust
leofgr
owi
ngwheat
,gossi
poff
lames,
 clackofst i
ckscooki ngmymeal s,
Iheart hesoundIl ove, thesoundoft hehumanv oice,
Ihearal lsoundsr unni ngt ogether,combi ned,fusedorf ol
lowi ng,
Soundsoft hecityandsoundsoutoft heci t
y,soundsoft hedayandni ght
,
Talkativey oungonest ot hoset hatliket hem, t
hel oudl aughof
wor k-peopl eatt heirmeal s,
Theangr ybaseofdi sjointedf r
iendshi p, thefainttonesoft hesi ck,
Thej udgewi thhandst i
ghtt othedesk, hispalli
dl i
pspr onounci ng
adeat h-sentence,
Theheav e'
e'y
oofst ev edor esunladingshi psbyt hewhar ves,the
refrainoft heanchor -
lif
ters,
Ther ingofal arm- bells, t
hecr yoff i
re, thewhi rrofswi f
t-streaking
engi nesandhose- car tswi t
hpr emoni toryti
nklesandcol or'
dl ights,
Thest eam- whistl
e, t
hesol idrollofthet rainofappr oachingcar s,
Thesl owmar chpl ay'datt heheadoft heassoci ati
onmar chingt woandt wo,
(Theygot oguardsomecor pse,thef l
ag- t
opsar edr apedwi thbl ackmusli
n.)

Ihearthevi
oloncel
l
o,('
ti
stheyoungman'sheart
'scomplai
nt,
)
Ihearthekey'
dcornet,
itgl
i
desquickl
yinthr
oughmyear s,
Itshakesmad-sweetpangsthr
oughmybel l
yandbreast
.

Ihearthechorus,
iti
sagr andoper
a,
Ahthisindeedismusic-
-t
hissui
tsme.

Atenorl
argeandfreshasthecreat
ionf
il
lsme,
Theorbi
cflexofhi
smout hispouri
ngandfi
ll
i
ngmef
ull
.

Ihearthet r
ain'
dsopr ano(whatwor kwithhersisthis?)
Theor chestr
awhi rl
smewi derthanUranusfli
es,
Itwrenchessuchar dorsfrom meIdi dnotknowIpossess' dthem,
Itsai
lsme, Idabwi t
hbar efeet,theyar
elick'
dbyt heindol
entwaves,
Iam cutbybi tt
erandangr yhail
, Il
osemybr eath,
Steep'damidhoney 'dmor phi
ne, mywindpipethrott
ledinf
akesofdeath,
Atlengthletupagai ntofeelthepuzzleofpuzzles,
Andt hatwecal lBei
ng.

27
Tobei nanyform, whati
sthat
?
(Roundandr oundwego, al
lofus,
andevercomebackt
hit
her,
)
I
fnot hi
nglaymor edevel
op'
dthequahaugini
tscal
l
ousshel
lwereenough.

Mineisnocallousshell
,
Ihaveinst
antconductorsal
lovermewhetherIpassorst
op,
Theyseizeeveryobj
ectandleadithar
mlessl
ythr
oughme.

Imerel
yst
ir
,pr
ess,feel
wit
hmyf i
ngers,
andam happy,
Totouchmypersontosomeoneelse'
sisaboutasmuchasIcanst
and.

28
I
st hi
st henat ouch?qui v eri
ngmet oanewi dentit
y,
Fl
amesandet hermaki ngar ushformyv ei
ns,
Treacher oust i
pofmer eachingandcr owdingt ohelpthem,
Myf l
eshandbl oodpl ayingoutl i
ghtningtost r
ikewhati shardly
dif
ferentf rom my self,
Onal l
sidespr uri
entpr ov okerssti
ff
eni ngmyl imbs,
Strai
ningt heudderofmyhear tf
oritswithhelddr i
p,
Behavingl icenti
oust owar dme, t
akingnodeni al,
Deprivi
ngmeofmybestasf orapur pose,
Unbuttoni ngmycl ot
hes, hol
dingmebyt hebar ewaist
,
Deludingmyconf usionwi t
hthecalm oft hesunl i
ghtandpast ure-
fi
elds,
I
mmodest lysli
dingthef ell
ow-sensesaway ,
Theybr ibedt oswapof fwi thtouchandgoandgr azeattheedgesofme,
Noconsi
deration,noregar
dformydrai
ningst
rengt
hormyanger
,
Fet
chi
ngther estoftheherdar
oundtoenjoyt
hem awhi
l
e,
Thenal
luni
tingt ostandonaheadl
andandwor r
yme.

Thesent
riesdeserteveryot
herpartofme,
Theyhavelef
tmehel plesst
oar edmar auder
,
Theyal
lcomet otheheadlandtowitnessandassi
stagai
nstme.

Iam givenupbyt rait

ors,
Ital
kwildly
,Ihav elostmywits,Iandnobodyel
seam t
he
great
esttrai
tor,
Iwentmy selff
irsttotheheadland,myownhandscar
ri
edmet
her
e.

Youvi
ll
aint
ouch!whatareyoudoi
ng?mybreat
hist
ighti
nit
sthr
oat
,
Uncl
enchyourf
loodgat
es,y
ouaretoomuchforme.

29
Bl
i
ndlovi
ngwrest
li
ngt
ouch,
sheat
h'dhoodedshar
p-t
oot
h'dt
ouch!
Di
ditmakey
ouacheso,l
eavi
ngme?

Par
ti
ngtr
ack'
dbyarr
ivi
ng,per
pet
ualpaymentofperpet
ual
loan,
Ri
chshoweri
ngr
ain,
andrecompenseri
cheraf
terward.

Sprout
stakeandaccumul
ate,
standbyt hecur
bproli
fi
candv
ital
,
Landscapespr
oject
edmascul
ine,
ful
l-
sizedandgolden.

30
All
trut
hswai ti
nallt
hings,
Theyneit
herhastentheirowndel i
v erynorr
esi
sti
t,
Theydonotneedt heobst etr
icforcepsofthesur
geon,
Theinsi
gnif
icanti
sasbi gt omeasany ,
(Whatisl
essormor ethanat ouch? )

Logi
candser
monsneverconvince,
Thedampoftheni
ghtdr
ivesdeeperint
omysoul
.

(
Onlywhatpr
ovesit
sel
ftoever
ymanandwomani
sso,
Onl
ywhatnobodydeni
esisso.
)

Ami nuteandadropofmeset tlemybr ain,

Ibeli
evethesoggyclodsshal
lbecomel oversandlamps,
Andacompendofcompendsi sthemeatofamanorwoman,
Andasummi tandfl
owerther
ei sthefeelingtheyhaveforeachot
her
,
Andt heyaret
obranchboundlesslyoutoft hatl
essonuntil
it
becomesomni fi
c,
Andunt i
loneandallshal
ldel
i
ghtus, andwet hem.

31
Ibel
ievealeafofgrassisnol essthant hejourneywor kofthestars,
Andthepismireisequall
yper fect,
andagr ai
nofsand, andtheegg
ofthewren,
Andthetree-
toadisachef -
d'oeuv r
efort hehighest,
Andtherunningblackber
rywoul dadornt heparlorsofheav
en,
Andthenarrowesthingeinmyhandput st oscornallmachiner
y ,
Andthecowcr unchingwithdepr ess'
dheadsur passesanystatue,
Andamousei smiracl
eenought ostaggersext i
lli
onsofinf
idel
s.

If
indIincorporategneiss,
coal,l
ong-t
hreadedmoss,fr
uit
s,
gr
ains,esculentroot
s,
Andam st ucco'dwithquadrupedsandbirdsal
lover
,
Andhav edistancedwhatisbehindmef orgoodreasons,
ButcallanythingbackagainwhenIdesi r
eit.
Invainthespeedi ngorshy ness,
Invainthepl utonicrockssendt heiroldheatagai nstmyappr oach,
Invainthemast odonr et r
eatsbeneat hitsownpowder '
dbones,
Invainobject sstandl eaguesof fandassumemani f
oldshapes,
Invaintheoceanset t
linginhol l
owsandt hegreatmonst erslyi
nglow,
Invainthebuzzar dhousesher selfwiththesky ,
Invainthesnakesl idest hroughthecr eepersandl ogs,
Invaintheel ktakest ot heinnerpassesoft hewoods,
Invainther azor-bil
l
'dauksai l
sfarnor thtoLabrador,
Ifol
lowqui ckly,Iascendt othenesti nthefissureoftheclif
f.

32
IthinkIcouldtur
nandl
ivewit
hani
mals,
theyar
esopl
aci
dand
self-
contai
n'd,
Istandandl ookatt
hem l
ongandl
ong.

Theydonotsweatandwhi neabouttheirconditi
on,
Theydonotlieawakeint hedarkandweepf ortheirsi
ns,
Theydonotmakemesi ckdiscussi
ngt heirdutytoGod,
Notoneisdissat
isfi
ed,notoneisdement edwi ththemani aof
owningt
hings,
Notonekneelstoanother,nort
ohiskindt hatli
vedt housandsof
year
sago,
Notoneisrespectabl
eorunhappyov erthewhol eear t
h.

Sotheyshowtheirr
elat
ionstomeandIacceptt
hem,
Theybringmetokensofmy sel
f,t
heyev
incet
hem pl
ainl
yint
hei
r
possessi
on.

Iwonderwher
etheygett
hoset
okens,
DidIpasst
hatwayhugeti
mesagoandnegl
i
gent
lydr
opt
hem?

Myselfmovingforwardthenandnowandf orever,
Gat
her i
ngandshowi ngmor ealway sandwi t
hv eloci
ty,
I
nfi
niteandomni genous,andthel i
keoftheseamongt hem,
Nottooexcl
usivetowar dthereachersofmyr emembr ancers,
Pi
ckingouthereonet hatIlov
e, andnowgowi t
hhim onbr other
lyt
erms.

Agiganti
cbeautyofast al
li
on,fr
eshandr esponsivetomycaresses,
Headhighintheforehead,widebetweentheear s,
Li
mbsgl ossyandsupple,tai
ldusti
ngthegr ound,
Eyesful
lofsparkl
ingwickedness,ear
sfinelycut,f
lexi
blymov
ing.

Hi
snost
ril
sdil
ateasmyheel
sembracehim,
Hi
swell
-bui
ltl
i
mbst r
embl
ewithpl
easur
easwer
acear
oundandr
etur
n.

Ibutuseyouami nute,
thenIr
esigny ou,stal
l
ion,
WhydoIneedy ourpaceswhenImy selfout-
gall
opt
hem?
EvenasIstandorsitpassi
ngfasterthanyou.

33
SpaceandTime!nowIseeitist
rue,whatIguess'
dat,
WhatIguess'
dwhenIloaf'
donthegrass,
WhatIguess'
dwhileIl
ayalonei
nmybed,
AndagainasIwalk'
dthebeachunderthepali
ngstar
soft
hemor
ning.

Mytiesandballast
sleav eme,myelbowsresti
nsea-
gaps,
Iski
rtsier
ras,
mypal mscov ercont
inent
s,
Iam afootwit
hmyv i
sion.

Byt
heci
ty'
squadr
angul
arhouses-
-i
nloghut
s,campi
ngwi
thl
umber
-men,
Alongt her ut soft het ur npi ke, al ongt hedr ygul chandr ivuletbed,
Weedi ngmyoni on- pat chorhosi ngr owsofcar rotsandpar sni ps,
cr ossi ngsav annas, trai lingi nf orest s,
Prospect i
ng, gol d- di ggi ng, girdlingt het reesofanewpur chase,
Scor ch' dankl e-deepbyt hehotsand, haul ingmyboatdownt he
shal l
owr iver ,
Wher et hepant herwal kst oandf roonal imbov erhead, wher et he
buckt ur nsf uriousl yatt hehunt er,
Wher et her at tl
esnakesunshi sf labbyl engt honar ock, wher et he
ot teri sf eedi ngonf ish,
Wher et heal ligat ori nhi st oughpi mpl essl eepsbyt hebay ou,
Wher et hebl ackbeari ssear chi ngf orr oot sorhoney ,wher et he
beav erpat st hemudwi t hhi spaddl e-shapedt all;
Overt hegr owi ngsugar ,ov ert hey el l
ow- f
lower '
dcot tonpl ant , ov er
ther icei ni tsl owmoi stf ield,
Overt heshar p-peak' df ar m house, wi thi tsscal l
op' dscum and
slendershoot sf rom t hegut ter s,
Overt hewest er nper simmon, ov ert hel ong- leav 'dcor n, ov ert he
del icat ebl ue- fl
owerf lax,
Overt hewhi teandbr ownbuckwheat ,ahummerandbuzzert her ewi t
h
ther est ,
Overt heduskygr eenoft her yeasi tr ippl esandshadesi nt hebr eeze;
Scal i
ngmount ains, pul lingmy sel fcaut i
ousl yup, hol dingonbyl ow
scr aggedl imbs,
Wal kingt hepat hwor ni nt hegr assandbeatt hrought hel eav esoft hebrush,
Wher et hequai liswhi st li
ngbet wi xtt hewoodsandt hewheat -lot,
Wher et hebatf liesi nt heSev ent h- mont hev e, wher et hegr eat
gol dbugdr opst hr ought hedar k,
Wher et hebr ookput soutoft her oot soft heol dt reeandf l
owst o
themeadow,
Wher ecat tlest andandshakeawayf lieswi t
ht het remul ous
shudder ingoft hei rhi des,
Wher et hecheese- clothhangsi nt heki tchen, wher eandi ronsst raddle
thehear th-slab, wher ecobwebsf al linf est oonsf rom t her af t
er s;
Wher et r ip-hammer scr ash, wher et hepr essi swhi rli
ngi tscy linder s,
Wher ev ert hehumanhear tbeat swi tht err i
blet hr oesunderi tsr ibs,
Wher et hepear -shapedbal looni sf loat i
ngal oft,(float i
ngi ni t
my sel fandl ooki ngcomposedl ydown, )
Wher et hel ife-cari sdr awnont hesl ip-noose, wher et heheat
hat chespal e- gr eeneggsi nt hedent edsand,
Wher et heshe- whal eswi mswi thhercal fandnev erf or sakesi t,
Wher et hest eam- shi pt rai lshi nd- way si tsl ongpennantofsmoke,
Wher et hef inoft heshar kcut slikeabl ackchi poutoft hewat er ,
Wher et hehal f-bur n'dbr igi sr i
dingonunknowncur rent s,
Wher eshel lsgr owt ohersl i
mydeck, wher et hedeadar ecor rupt ingbelow;
Wher et hedense- st ar r
'df lagi sbor neatt heheadoft her egi ment s,
Appr oachi ngManhat tanupbyt hel ong- stret chingi sland,
UnderNi agar a, thecat ar actf all
ingl ikeav eilov ermycount enance,
Uponadoor -step, upont hehor se- bl ockofhar dwoodout side,
Upont her ace- cour se, orenj oy i
ngpi cni csorj i
gsoragoodgameof
base- bal l,
Athe- fest ivals, wi t hbl ackguar dgi bes, ironi cal li
cense,
bul l-dances, dr inki ng, laught er ,
Att heci der -mi llt ast ingt hesweet soft hebr ownmash, sucki ngt he
juicet hr oughast raw,
Atappl e- peel ingswant ingki ssesf oral lther edf r
ui tIf i
nd,
Atmust er s, beach- par ties, friendl ybees, huski ngs, house- rai sings;
Wher et hemocki ng- birdsoundshi sdel iciousgur gles, cackl es,
scr eams, weeps,
Wher et hehay -ri
ckst andsi nt hebar n- yar d, wher et hedr y-stal ksar e
scat ter 'd, wher et hebr ood- cowwai tsi nt hehov el,
Wher et hebul l adv ancest odohi smascul inewor k, wher et hest udt o
 themar e, wher et hecocki st readi ngt hehen,
Wher et hehei fer sbr owse, wher egeeseni pt hei rf oodwi thshor tjerks,
Wher esun- downshadowsl engt henov ert hel imi tl
essandl onesomepr ai
ri
e,
Wher eher dsofbuf falomakeacr awl ingspr eadoft hesquar emi l
es
farandnear ,
Wher et hehummi ng- birdshi mmer s, wher et heneckoft hel ong- lived
swani scur vingandwi ndi ng,
Wher et hel aughi ng- gull scoot sbyt heshor e, wher eshel aughsher
near -humanl augh,
Wher ebee- hivesr angeonagr aybenchi nt hegar denhal fhi dbyt he
hi ghweeds,
Wher eband- neck' dpar tridgesr oosti nar ingont hegr oundwi th
thei rheadsout ,
Wher ebur ial coachesent ert hear ch'dgat esofacemet er y,
Wher ewi nterwol v esbar kami dwast esofsnowandi ci
cl edt rees,
Wher et hey ellow- crown' dher oncomest ot heedgeoft hemar shat
ni ghtandf eedsuponsmal lcrabs,
Wher et hespl ashofswi mmer sanddi verscool st hewar m noon,
Wher et hekat y -
di dwor ksherchr omat i
cr eedont hewal nut -treeov er
thewel l,
Thr oughpat chesofci tronsandcucumber swi thsi lver -
wi redl eav es,
Thr ought hesal t
-lickoror angegl ade, orunderconi cal firs,
Thr ought hegy mnasi um, thr ought hecur tai n'dsal oon, thr ought he
of ficeorpubl ichal l
;
Pleas' dwi tht henat iveandpl eas' dwi tht hef or eign, pleas' dwi th
thenewandol d,
Pleas' dwi tht hehomel ywomanaswel last hehandsome,
Pleas' dwi tht hequaker essassheput sof fherbonnetandt alksmel odiousl
y,
Pleas' dwi tht het uneoft hechoi roft hewhi t ewash' dchur ch,
Pleas' dwi tht heear nestwor dsoft hesweat ingMet hodi stpr eacher ,
impr ess' dser i
ousl yatt hecamp- meet ing;
Looki ngi natt heshop- wi ndowsofBr oadwayt hewhol ef or enoon,
flat ti
ngt hef leshofmynoseont het hickpl at egl ass,
Wander ingt hesameaf ter noonwi thmyf acet ur n'dupt ot hecl ouds,
ordownal aneoral ongt hebeach,
Myr ightandl eftar msr oundt hesi desoft wof ri
ends, andIi nt hemi ddle;
Comi nghomewi tht hesi lentanddar k-cheek' dbush- boy , (behi ndme
her idesatt hedr apeoft heday ,)
Farf rom t heset tlement sst udy i
ngt hepr intofani mal s' feet , orthe
moccasi npr int,
Byt hecoti nt hehospi tal r eachi ngl emonadet oaf ev erishpat ient,
Night hecof fin'dcor psewhenal l isst i
ll
,exami ningwi thacandl e;
Voy agi ngt oev er ypor ttodi ckerandadv ent ur e,
Hur ryingwi tht hemoder ncr owdaseagerandf i
ckl easany ,
Hott owar doneIhat e, readyi nmymadnesst okni fehi m,
Solitar yatmi dni ghti nmybacky ar d, myt hought sgonef rom meal ongwhi l
e,
Wal kingt heol dhi llsofJudaeawi tht hebeaut i
ful gent leGodbymysi de,
Speedi ngt hroughspace, speedi ngt hr oughheav enandt hest ars,
Speedi ngami dt hesev ensat el l
i
t esandt hebr oadr ing, andt he
di amet erofei ght yt housandmi les,
Speedi ngwi tht ail'dmet eor s, throwi ngf i
re- bal lsl i
ket her est ,
Car ryingt hecr escentchi ldt hatcar riesi tsownf ullmot heri ni tsbel ly,
Stor mi ng, enj oy ing, planni ng, loving, caut ioni ng,
Backi ngandf il
ling, appear inganddi sappear ing,
Itreaddayandni ghtsuchr oads.

Ivi
sitt
heorchardsofspher
esandl
ookatt
heproduct
,
Andlookatquinti
l
li
onsri
pen'
dandl
ookatqui
nti
ll
i
onsgreen.

If
lyt
hosefl
ight
sofaf
lui
dandswall
owingsoul
,
Mycourser
unsbel
owthesoundi
ngsofplummets.
Ihel
pmysel
ftomat
eri
alandimmat
eri
al,
Noguar
dcanshutmeoff,nol
awpr
eventme.

Ianchormyshi
pforali
ttl
ewhil
eonly,
Mymessengerscont
inual
lycr
uiseawayorbr
ingt
hei
rret
urnst
ome.

Igohunti
ngpol
arfur
sandtheseal,
leapi
ngchasmswit
ha
pi
ke-
point
edst
aff,
cli
ngi
ngtotopplesofbr
it
tl
eandbl
ue.

Iascendt ot hef oretr

uck,
Itakemypl acel ateatni ghtinthecr ow's-nest,
Wesai lthear cti
csea, i
tispl entyli
ghtenough,
Throught hecl earat mospher eIstr
etchar oundont hewonderf
ulbeauty
,
Theenor mousmassesofi cepassmeandIpasst hem, t
hesceneryi
s
plai
ni nall directions,
Thewhi t
e-toptmount ainsshowi nthedi stance,Iflingoutmy
fanciestowar dt hem,
Wear eappr oachi ngsomegr eatbattle-
fieldinwhi chwear esoonto
beengaged,
Wepasst hecol ossal out postsoftheencampment ,wepasswithsti
l
l
feetandcaut i
on,
Orwear eent er i
ngbyt hesubur bssomev astandr uin'
dcit
y,
Thebl ocksandf allenarchitecturemor et hanallthel iv
ingci
ti
es
ofthegl obe.

Iam af r
eecompanion,Ibivouacbyinv
adingwatchf
ir
es,
Itur
nt hebr
idegroom outofbedandstaywitht
hebridemysel
f,
Iti
ghtenherallni
ghttomyt highsandl
ips.

Myv oi
ceist
hewi
fe'
svoice,
thescr
eechbytherai
loft
hest
air
s,
Theyfet
chmyman'sbodyupdri
ppinganddrown'
d.

Iunderst
andt hel argehear tsofher oes,
Thecourageofpr esentt i
mesandal lti
mes,
Howt heski ppersawt hecr owdedandr udder l
esswr eckoft he
steamship, andDeat hchasingi tupanddownt hestorm,
Howheknuckl edt ightandgav enotbackani nch, andwasf ai
thful
of
daysandf aithful ofni ghts,
Andchalk'di nl argel ettersonaboar d,Beofgoodcheer ,
wewi ll
notdeserty ou;
Howhef ollow' dwi tht hem andt ack'dwi ththem threeday sand
wouldnotgi v eitup,
Howhesav edt hedr i
ftingcompanyatl ast,
Howt helankl oose- gown' dwomenl ook'dwhenboat edfrom the
si
deoft hei rpr epar edgr aves,
Howt hesilentol d-facedi nfantsandt hel i
ft
edsi ck,andthe
sharp-
li
pp' dunshav edmen;
Allt
hisIswal low, ittast esgood, Ili
keitwell,i
tbecomesmi ne,
Iam theman, Isuf fer '
d, Iwast here.

Thedi sdainandcalmnessofmar t
yrs,
Themot herofold,condemn'dforawi t
ch,burntwi
thdrywood,
her
chil
drengazingon,
Thehoundedsl avethatfl
agsintherace,leansbyt
hefence,
blowing,cover'
dwi t
hsweat ,
Thet wingesthatstingli
keneedleshislegsandneck,t
hemurderous
buckshotandt hebullets,
Allt
heseIf eeloram.

Iam thehoundedslave,Iwi
nceatthebit
eofthedogs,
Hel
landdespairareuponme, crackandagai
ncr ackt
hemarksmen,
Icl
utchtherai
lsofthefence,mygoredri
bs,t
hinn'dwi
tht
he
 oozeofmyskin,
Ifal
lontheweedsandstones,
Therider
sspurthei
runwi
ll
inghor
ses,haulcl
ose,
Tauntmydizzyearsandbeatmeviol
entl
yovertheheadwi
thwhi
p-st
ocks.

Agoni
esar eoneofmychangesofgarments,
Idonotaskt hewoundedper
sonhowhef eel
s,Imy
sel
fbecomet
he
woundedper son,
Myhurtsturnli
v i
duponmeasIleanonacaneandobser
ve.

Iam t
hemash'dfi
remanwithbreast -
bonebr oken,
Tumbli
ngwall
sburiedmeintheirdebris,
HeatandsmokeIinspir
ed,
Iheardt hey el
li
ngshoutsofmycomr
ades,
Ihear
dthedi
stantcli
ckoft
heirpicksandshov el
s,
Theyhavecl
ear'
dthebeamsaway ,t
heyt enderl
yli
ftmef
ort
h.

Il
ieinthenightairi
nmyr edshir
t,t
hepervadi
nghushisformysake,
Painl
essaft
eral lIl
i
eexhaust edbutnotsounhappy,
Whiteandbeaut i
fularethefacesaroundme, t
heheadsarebar
ed
ofthei
rfi
re-caps,
Thekneeli
ngcr owdf adeswiththeli
ghtofthetor
ches.

Dist
antanddeadresusci
tat
e,
Theyshowast hedi
alormov east
hehandsofme,
Iam t
hecl
ockmy
sel
f.

Iam anoldar
ti
ll
eri
st,
Itel
lofmyf
ort
'sbombar
dment
,
Iam ther
eagai
n.

Agai
nthel
ongrolloft
hedrummers,
Agai
ntheat
tacki
ngcannon,mort
ars,
Agai
ntomylist
eni
ngearsthecannonresponsi
ve.

It
akepart,Iseeandhearthewhol e,
Thecri
es,curses,
roar,t
heplauditsforwel l
-ai
m' dshots,
Theambulanzaslowlypassingt r
aili
ngitsreddr i
p,
Workmensear chi
ngafterdamages, maki ngindispensabl
erepai
rs,
Thefal
lofgrenadesthrought herentroof,t
hef an-shapedexpl
osion,
Thewhizzoflimbs,heads,stone,wood, i
ron,highintheair.

Agai
ngurgl
esthemouthofmydyinggener
al,
hef ur
iouslywaves
wi
thhi
shand,
Hegaspsthr
oughthecl
otMindnotme--
mind--
theentrenchments.

34
NowIt ell
whatIknewi nTexasi nmyear l
yy out
h,
(It
ellnotthefal
lofAlamo,
Notoneescapedt otellthefal
lofAlamo,
Thehundr edandfif
tyaredumby etatAl
amo, )
'
Tisthetaleofthemur derincol
dbl oodoffourhundr
edandt
wel
ve
youngmen.

Retreat
ingt heyhadform'dinahol l
owsquar ewi t htheirbaggagefor
breastwor ks,
Ninehundr edl i
vesoutofthesurroundingenemi es,ninetimesthei
r
number ,wast hepri
cetheytooki nadvance,
Theircolonel waswoundedandt heirammuni tiongone,
Theyt r
eatedf oranhonorablecapit
ulati
on,receiv '
dwr it
ingand
seal,gaveupt hei
rarmsandmar ch'dbackpr isonersofwar .

Theywer ethegloryoftheraceofranger
s,
Mat chl
esswi t
hhorse,ri
fl
e,song,supper
,court
shi
p,
Large,t
urbulent,
generous,handsome,proud,
andaff
ect
ionat
e,
Bear
ded,sunbur
nt,
dresti
nthef
reecost
umeofhunt
ers,
Notasingl
eoneoverthi
rt
yyear
sofage.

ThesecondFi
rst
-daymorni
ngtheywerebr
oughtoutinsquadsand
massacr
ed,
itwasbeauti
ful
earl
ysummer,
Theworkcommencedaboutfiveo'
cl
ockandwasov erbyei
ght.

Noneobey '
dt hecommandt okneel,
Somemadeamadandhel plessrush,somestoodst arkandstrai
ght
,
Afewf el
latonce,shoti nthetempl eorheart
,theli
vinganddead
l
ayt ogether,
Themai m'dandmangl eddugi nthedirt
,thenew-comer ssawthem t
her
e,
Somehal f-
kil
l
'dattempt edtocrawl away,
Thesewer edespatch'dwi t
hbay onetsorbatt
er'
dwi ththeblunt
sofmusket
s,
Ay outhnotsev enteeny earsoldseiz'
dhisassassintil
ltwomor e
camet orel
easehi m,
Thet hreewer eall
t or
nandcov er'
dwiththeboy'sblood.

Ateleveno'
cl
ockbegant
heburni
ngofthebodi
es;
Thatisthet
aleoft
hemurderoft
hefourhundr
edandt
wel
vey
oungmen.

35
Woul
dyouhearofanol
d-t
imesea-f
ight?
Woul
dyoul
earnwhowonbyt heli
ghtofthemoonandstar
s?
Li
stt
othey
arn,asmygrandmother
'sfat
hert
hesai
lort
oldi
ttome.

Ourfoewasnoskul ki
nhisshipItel
lyou,(
saidhe,)
Hi
swast hesurl
yEngl
ishpl
uck,andtherei
snot ougherort
ruer
,
andnev erwas,
andneverwi
llbe;
Al
ongt helower'
devehecamehor ri
blyr
akingus.

Weclosedwithhi
m, t
heyar
dsentangl
ed,t
hecannont
ouch'
d,
Mycaptai
nlash'
dfastwi
thhisownhands.

Wehadr ecei
v'
dsomeeighteenpoundshotsundert
hewater,
Onourlower-
gun-
deckt
wol argepi
eceshadburstatthef
ir
stfi
re,
ki
ll
ingallar
oundandblowingupoverhead.

Fi
ghtingatsun- down, f
ighti
ngatdark,
Teno'clockatni ght
,thefullmoonwel lup,
ourl
eaksonthegai
n,
andfivefeetofwat erreported,
Themast er-
at-armsloosi ngthepri
sonersconf
inedi
ntheaf
ter
-hol
d
togivethem achancef orthemselv
es.

Thetr
ansi
ttoandf
rom t
hemagazinei
snowst optbyt
hesent
inel
s,
Theyseesomanystr
angef
acestheydonotknowwhom totr
ust.

Ourf
ri
gatet akesf
ir
e,
Theotherasksifwedemandquar
ter
?
I
fourcolorsarestr
uckandt
hefi
ghti
ngdone?

NowIlaughcontent
,forIheart
hevoi
ceofmyl
it
tl
ecaptai
n,
Wehav enotstr
uck,
hecomposedlycri
es,
wehavej
ustbegunourpar
t
oft
hefight
ing.

Onlythr
eegunsareinuse,
Oneisdirect
edbythecapt
ainhi
msel
fagainstt
heenemy'
smain-
mast
,
Twowel lser
v'dwi
thgr
apeandcani
stersi
l
encehismusket
ryand
cl
earhisdecks.

Thetopsal
onesecondt
hef
ir
eoft
hisl
i
ttl
ebat
ter
y,especi
all
y
t
hemain-
top,
Theyhol
doutbr
avel
ydur
ingt
hewhol
eoft
heact
ion.

Notamoment'
scease,
Thel
eaksgai
nfastont
hepumps,
thef
ir
eeat
stowar
dthepowder
-magazi
ne.

Oneoft
hepumpshasbeenshotaway
,iti
sgener
all
ythoughtwear
esi
nki
ng.

Serenestandstheli
tt
lecaptai
n,
Hei snothurr
ied,
hisvoicei
sneitherhi
ghnorl
ow,
Hiseyesgivemor el
ighttousthanourbat
tl
e-l
ant
erns.

Towar
dtwel
vet
her
eint
hebeamsoft
hemoont
heysur
rendert
ous.

36
Stretch'dandst illli
est hemi dni ght ,
Twogr eathul lsmot ionlessont hebr eastoft hedar kness,
Ourv essel riddledandsl owlysi nki ng, prepar ationst opasst othe
onewehav econquer '
d,
Thecapt ai
nont hequar ter-
deckcol dl ygivinghi sor derst hrougha
count enancewhi t
easasheet ,
Nearbyt hecor pseoft hechi ldt hatser v'dint hecabi n,
Thedeadf aceofanol dsaltwi thl ongwhi tehai randcar efully
cur l
'dwhi sker s,
Thef lamesspi teofal lthatcanbedonef l
i
cker ingal oftandbel ow,
Thehuskyv oicesoft hetwoort hreeof ficersy etf i
tfordut y
,
Forml essst acksofbodi esandbodi esbyt hemsel ves,dabsoff l
esh
upont hemast sandspar s,
Cutofcor dage, dangl eofr i
ggi ng, slightshockoft hesoot heofwaves,
Blackandi mpassi v eguns, li
tterofpowder -parcels,st r
ongscent ,
Af ewl argest arsov erhead, sil
entandmour nful shining,
Delicatesni ffsofsea- breeze, smel lsofsedgygr assandf ieldsby
theshor e, deat h-messagesgi v eni nchar get osur viv
ors,
Thehi ssoft hesur geon'skni fe,thegnawi ngt eet hofhi ssaw,
Wheeze, cluck, swashoff all
ingbl ood, shortwi ldscr eam, andlong,
dull,taperinggr oan,
Theseso, thesei rretr
ievable.

37
Youl
aggar dsthereonguar d!looktoy ourar
ms!
I
nattheconquer 'ddoorst
heycr owd!Iam possess'
d!
Embodyal lpr
esencesoutlaw'dorsuf feri
ng,
Seemy selfi
nprisonshapedl i
keanot herman,
Andfeelthedullunint
ermi
t tedpain.

Formethekeeper
sofconv
ict
sshouldert
heircar
binesandkeepwat
ch,
I
tisIl
etouti
nthemorni
ngandbarr
'datnight.

Notamut i
neerwal kshandcuff
'dt
ojai
lbutIam handcuf
f'
dtohi
m
andwalkbyhi sside,
(
Iam lessthejoll
yonet her
e,andmorethesil
entonewit
hsweat
onmyt wit
chinglips.
)

Notayoungsteri
stakenf
orl
arcenybutIgoupt
oo,
andam t
ri
ed
andsent
enced.

Notacholer
apati
entl
iesatthel
astgaspbutIalsol
ieatt
hel
astgasp,
Myfaceisash-
col
or'
d,mysinewsgnarl
,awayfrom mepeopl
eret
reat
.

Askersembodythemselv
esinmeandIam embodi
edi
nthem,
Ipr
ojectmyhat,
sitshame-f
aced,
andbeg.

38
Enough!enough!enough!
SomehowIhav ebeenstunn'
d.St
andback!
Giv
emeal i
tt
letimebeyondmycuf f
'dhead,sl
umbers,
dreams,
gapi
ng,
Idi
scovermy selfont
hev er
geofausualmistake.

ThatIcoul
dforgett
hemocker sandinsul
ts!
ThatIcoul
dforgett
hetr
ickl
ingtear
sandt hebl
owsoft
he
bl
udgeonsandhammer s!
ThatIcoul
dlookwithaseparatel
ookonmyowncr uci
fi
xi
onand
bl
oodycrowning.

Ir
emembernow,
Ir
esumet heoverst
aidfr
action,
Thegraveofrockmulti
pli
eswhathasbeenconf i
dedt
oit
,ort
oanygr
aves,
Corpsesri
se,
gashesheal,fasteni
ngsr
oll
from me.

Itr
oopf ort
hrepleni
sh'
dwithsupr
emepower ,
oneofanaverage
unendingprocessi
on,
Inl
andandsea- coastwego,andpassal
lboundar
yli
nes,
Ourswiftordi
nancesontheirwayovert
hewholeear
th,
Theblossomsweweari nourhat
sthegrowthoft
housandsofyear
s.

El
eves,Isalut
ey ou!comeforwar
d!
Conti
nuey ourannotati
ons,
conti
nuey
ourquest
ioni
ngs.

39
Thef
riendlyandfl
owingsav
age, whoishe?
I
shewai ti
ngforci
vil
i
zati
on,orpasti
tandmast
eri
ngi
t?

I
shesomeSout hwesternerrai
s'dout-
doors?isheKanadian?
I
shefr
om theMi ssi
ssippicountr
y?Iowa,Oregon,Cal
if
ornia?
Themount
ains?prai
rie-l
if
e,bush-l
i
fe?orsail
orfrom t
hesea?

Whereverhegoesmenandwomenacceptanddesir
ehim,
Theydesir
eheshoul
dli
kethem,
toucht
hem, speakt
othem,st
aywi
tht
hem.

Behav i
orlawlessassnow- f
lakes,wordssi
mpleasgr ass,uncomb'
d
head, l
aughter,andnaivete,
Sl
ow- steppi
ngf eet,commonf eat
ures,commonmodesandemanat i
ons,
Theydescendi nnewf or
msf rom t
het i
psofhi
sf i
ngers,
Theyar ewaftedwi ththeodorofhi sbodyorbreath,
theyflyoutof
theglanceofhi sey es.

40
Fl
auntofthesunshi
neIneednotyourbask-
-l
ieover
!
Youli
ghtsurf
acesonly
,If
orcesur
facesanddepthsalso.

Ear
th!youseem t
olookf
orsomet
hingatmyhands,
Say
,oldtop-
knot,
whatdoyouwant
?

Manorwoman, Imighttel
lhowIl
ikeyou,butcannot,
Andmightt
ell
whati ti
sinmeandwhati tisi
ny ou,
butcannot
,
Andmightt
ell
thatpini
ngIhave,t
hatpulseofmyni ght
sanddays.

Behol
d,Idonotgi
vel
ect
uresoral
i
ttl
echar
it
y,
WhenIgiveIgi
vemysel
f.

Youthere,i
mpotent,l
oosei ntheknees,
Openy ourscar
f'
dchopst i
llIblowgritwi
thinyou,
Spr
eady ourpalmsandl i
fttheflapsofyourpocket
s,
Iam nottobedenied,Icompel ,Ihav
estoresplent
yandt
ospar
e,
Andanyt hi
ngIhaveIbest ow.
Idonotaskwhoyouar
e,t
hati
snotimport
anttome,
Youcandonothi
ngandbenot
hingbutwhatIwi
ll
inf
oldy
ou.

Tocott
on-f
iel
ddr udgeorcl
eanerofpri
vi
esIl
ean,
Onhisri
ghtcheekIputthefamil
ykiss,
Andinmysoul IswearIneverwi
lldenyhi
m.

Onwomenfi
tforconcept
ionIst
artbi
ggerandnimbl
erbabes.
(
Thi
sdayIam j
ett
ingthestuf
foffarmorearr
ogantr
epubl
ics.
)

Toanyonedy i
ng, t
hit
herIspeedandt wi
stt
heknoboft
hedoor
.
Turnthebed-
clothestowardthefootoft
hebed,
Letthephysi
cianandthepriestgohome.

Isei
zethedescendingmanandraisehi
m wit
hresi
stl
esswil
l,
Odespair
er,
hereismyneck,
ByGod,youshallnotgodown!hangyourwhol
eweightuponme.

Idil
ateyouwithtremendousbreat
h,Ibuoyy
ouup,
Everyroom ofthehousedoIfi
llwit
hanarm'df
orce,
Loversofme, baff
ler
sofgrav
es.

Sleep-
-Iandtheykeepguardallnight,
Notdoubt ,
notdeceaseshalldaretolayfi
ngeruponyou,
Ihaveembr acedyou,andhenceforthpossessyoutomysel
f,
Andwheny ouri
seinthemorningy ouwillf
indwhatIt
ell
youisso.

41
Iam hebr
ingi
nghelpfort
hesi
ckastheypantonthei
rbacks,
Andforst
rongupr
ightmenIbr
ingyetmoreneededhelp.

Ihear
dwhatwassai doftheuniver
se,
Hearditandhear
ditofseveralt
housandyears;
Iti
smiddlingwel
lasfarasitgoes-
-buti
sthatal
l?

Magni f
y i
ngandappl y ingcomeI ,
Outbi ddingatt hest artt heol dcaut ioushuckst ers,
Takingmy selft heexactdi mensi onsofJehov ah,
Lit
hogr aphi ngKr onos, Zeushi sson, andHer culeshi sgr andson,
Buy i
ngdr aftsofOsi ri
s, I
sis,Bel us, Brahma, Buddha,
Inmypor tfol
iopl acingMani tol oose, All
ahonal eaf, t
hecr ucifi
x
engr av ed,
WithOdi nandt hehi deous- f
acedMexi tl
iandev eryidol andi mage,
Takingt hem al lforwhatt heyar ewor thandnotacentmor e,
Admi tt
ingt heywer eal iveanddi dt hewor koft hei rdays,
(Theybor emi tesasf orunf l
edg' dbi rdswhohav enowt oriseandf ly
andsi ngf ort hemsel ves,)
Accept ingt her oughdei fi
csket chest of i
l
l outbet t
erinmy self
,
best owi ngt hem f reel yoneachmanandwomanIsee,
Discov er i
ngasmuchormor einaf ramerf ramingahouse,
Puttinghi ghercl aimsf orhi mt her ewi thhisr oll
'd-upsl eeves
drivingt hemal letandchi sel,
Notobj ectingt ospeci al r
ev elations, consider i
ngacur lofsmokeor
ahai ront hebackofmyhandj ustascur i
ousasanyr evelat
ion,
Ladsahol doff ire-engi nesandhook- and-ladderr opesnol esst ome
thant hegodsoft heant i
quewar s,
Mindi ngt heirv oicespeal throught hecr ashofdest ructi
on,
Theirbr awnyl i
mbspassi ngsaf eov erchar r'
dlat hs,theirwhi te
foreheadswhol eandunhur toutoft heflames;
Byt hemechani c' swi fewi thherbabeatherni ppl eintercedingf or
ev eryper sonbor n,
Threescy thesathar vestwhi zzinginar owf r
om t hr
eel ust
yangels
withshirtsbagg' doutatt heirwaists,
Thesnag- tooth'
dhost l
erwi t
hr edhairredeemi ngsinspastandt ocome,
Sell
ingallhepossesses, traveli
ngonf oott ofeelawy ersforhi
s
brotherandsi tbyhi m whi lehei stri
edf orf orgery
;
Whatwasst r
ewni ntheampl estst r
ewi ngt hesquarer odaboutme, and
notfil
li
ngt hesquar erodt hen,
Thebul landt hebugnev erwor shipp'
dhal fenough,
Dunganddi rtmor eadmi rablet hanwasdr eam' d,
Thesuper natural ofnoaccount ,myselfwai ti
ngmyt i
met obeoneof
thesupr emes,
Thedayget ti
ngr eadyf ormewhenIshal ldoasmuchgoodast he
best,andbeaspr odigious;
Bymyl i
fe-
lumps!becomi ngal readyacr eator,
Putti
ngmy selfher eandnowt ot heambush' dwomboft heshadows.

42
Acal
li
nthemidstoft
hecrowd,
Myownvoice,
orot
undsweepi
ngandf
inal
.

Comemychi l
dren,
Comemyboy sandgirl
s,mywomen,househol
dandint
imat
es,
Nowtheperf
ormerlauncheshi
sner
ve,hehaspass'
dhi
sprel
udeon
t
hereedswit
hin.

Easi
lywr
it
tenl
oose-
finger
'dchor
ds-
-If
eel
thet
hrum ofy
our
cl
i
maxandclose.

Myheadsluesroundonmyneck,
Musicr
oll
s,butnotfr
om t
heorgan,
Fol
ksarearoundme,butt
heyarenohousehol
dofmi
ne.

Ev
erthehar dunsunkgr ound,
Ev
ertheeat ersanddr i
nker s,evertheupwar danddownwar dsun,
ever
theairandt heceaselesst ides,
Ev
ermy selfandmynei ghbor s,refr
eshing,wicked,real
,
Ev
ertheol dinexpli
cablequer y,everthatthorn'
dt humb,that
breat
hofi t
chesandt hirsts,
Ev
erthev exer'
shoot !hoot!til
lwef indwher etheslyonehides
andbr i
nghi mf ort
h,
Ev
erlove,everthesobbi ngl i
quidofl i
fe,
Ev
erthebandageundert hechin, everthetrestl
esofdeath.

Hereandtherewithdimesont heeyeswalking,
Tofeedthegreedoft hebellythebrai
nsli
berall
yspooni ng,
Ti
cketsbuyi
ng,taking,sell
i
ng,butintothefeastnev eroncegoi
ng,
Manysweating,pl
oughi ng,t
hrashi
ng,andthent hechaffforpay
ment
r
eceiv
ing,
Afewidlyowning,andt heythewheatcontinual
lyclaiming.

Thisistheci tyandIam oneoft heciti

zens,
What everintereststherestint
erestsme, poli
ti
cs,wars,
mar ket
s,
newspaper s,school
s,
Themay orandcounci ls,banks,tar
iff
s,steamships,f
actor
ies,
stocks,stor es,r
ealestat
eandper sonal est
ate.

Thelit
tl
eplenti
fulmanikinsskippingar
oundincoll
arsandt
ail
'
dcoats
Iam awarewhot heyare, (
theyareposit
ivel
ynotwormsorfl
eas,)
Iacknowledgetheduplicatesofmy sel
f,t
heweakestandshal
lowest
i
sdeathlesswithme,
WhatIdoandsayt hesamewai tsfort
hem,
Ev
eryt
houghtt
hatf
lounder
sinmet
hesamef
lounder
sint
hem.

Iknowperf
ectl
ywell
myownegot i
sm,
Knowmyomni vor
ousli
nesandmustnotwrit
eanyl
ess,
Andwouldfet
chyouwhoeveryouaref
lushwit
hmysel
f.

Notwor dsofr outi

net hissongofmi ne,
Butabrupt l
yt oquest ion,t
ol eapbey ondy etnear erbring;
Thisprintedandboundbook- -buttheprinterandt he
pri
nting-of f
iceboy ?
Thewel l-
takenphot ographs--butyourwi feorf r
iendcl oseandsol i
d
i
ny ourar ms?
Theblackshi pmai l'
dwi t
hi r
on, hermight ygunsi nhert urrets-
-but
thepluckoft hecapt ai
nandengi neers?
I
nt hehousest hedishesandf areandf urnit
ure--
butt hehostand
hostess, andt helookoutoft heireyes?
Theskyupt here--
yethereornextdoor ,oracr osst heway ?
Thesaint sandsagesi nhist
or y-
-butyouy ourself?
Sermons, cr eeds,theology--
butt hefathoml esshumanbr ain,
Andwhati sr eason?andwhati slove?andwhati sli
fe?

43
Idonotdespi sey oupr iests, allt
ime, t
hewor l
dov er,
Myf aithi st hegr eatestoff aithsandt hel eastoff ai
ths,
Enclosi ngwor shipanci entandmoder nandal lbetweenanci entandmodern,
Believ ingIshal lcomeagai nupont heearthaf t
erf i
vethousandy ears,
Wai tingr esponsesf rom or acl es,honor i
ngt hegods, saluti
ngthesun,
Maki ngaf et i
choft hef ir
str ockorst ump, powowi ngwi thsti
cksi n
theci rcleofobi s,
Helpi ngt hel l
amaorbr ahmi nashet ri
mst hel ampsoft heidols,
Danci ngy ett hrought hest reet sinaphal li
cpr ocessi on,raptand
aust erei nthewoodsagy mnosophi st,
Dri
nki ngmeadf r
om t heskul l-cap,toShast asandVedasadmi rant,
mi ndi ngt heKor an,
Wal kingt het eokal l
i
s, spot t
edwi thgor efrom t hest oneandkni f
e,
beat ingt heser pent -skindr um,
Accept ingt heGospel s,accept i
nghi mt hatwascr uci
fied,knowing
assur edl ythathei sdi vi
ne,
Tot hemasskneel i
ngort hepur i
tan'spray errising,orsitti
ng
pat ient l
yi napew,
Rant ingandf rothingi nmyi nsanecr i
sis,orwai ti
ngdead- li
ketil
l
myspi ritarousesme,
Looki ngf orthonpav ementandl and, orout sideofpav ementandl and,
Belongi ngt ot hewi nder soft heci r
cuitofci rcuits.

Oneoft
hatcent
ri
petalandcent
ri
fugalgangIt
urnandt
alkl
i
ke
manl
eavi
ngchargesbefor
eajourney.

Down-hear t
eddoubtersdullandexcl
uded,
Fri
vol
ous, sull
en,moping,angry
,aff
ect
ed,di
shear
ten'
d,at
heist
ical
,
Iknowev eryoneofy ou,Iknowtheseaoftor
ment,doubt
,despair
andunbel i
ef.

Howt
hefl
ukesspl
ash!
Howt
heycont
ortr
apidasl
i
ght
ning,
wit
hspasmsandspout
sofbl
ood!

Beatpeacebl oodyfl
ukesofdoubtersandsull
enmopers,
It
akemypl aceamongy ouasmuchasamongany ,
Thepasti
st hepushofy ou,me,al
l
, preci
sel
ythesame,
Andwhatisy etuntr
iedandaft
erwardi sf
oryou,me,al
l
,pr
eci
sel
y
t
hesame.
Idonotknowwhati
suntr
iedandaf
terwar
d,
ButIknowitwi
l
lini
tst
urnprov
esuff
ici
ent
,andcannotf
ail
.

Eachwhopassesisconsi
der
'd,
eachwhost
opsi
sconsi
der
'd,
not
si
ngl
eonecanitfal
l.

I
tcannotf allthey oungmanwhodi edandwasbur ied,
Nort heyoungwomanwhodi edandwasputbyhi ssi de,
Nort heli
ttl
echi l
dt hatpeep' dinatthedoor ,andt hendr ewback
andwasnev erseenagai n,
Nort heoldmanwhohasl ivedwithoutpur pose, andf eelsitwith
bit
ternesswor set hangal l
,
Norhi mint hepoorhouset ubercledbyr um andt hebaddi sor
der,
Nort henumber l
esssl aught er
'dandwr eck'
d, northebr utishkoboo
call'
dtheor dureofhumani t
y,
Nort hesacsmer elyfloatingwi t
hopenmout hsf orf oodt osl i
pin,
Noranyt hingi ntheear th,ordowni nt heol destgr avesoft heearth,
Noranyt hingi nthemy ri
adsofspher es,nort hemy riadsofmy ri
ads
thatinhabitthem,
Nort hepresent ,
nort hel eastwispt hatisknown.

44
I
tist
imet
oexpl
ainmy
sel
f-
-l
etusst
andup.

WhatisknownIstr
ipaway
,
Il
aunchallmenandwomenfor
war
dwi
thmei
ntot
heUnknown.

Thecl
ocki
ndi
cat
est
hemoment
--
butwhatdoeset
erni
tyi
ndi
cat
e?

Wehavethusfarexhaust
edtr
il
li
onsofwint
ersandsummer
s,
Ther
earetr
il
li
onsahead,andt
ril
l
ionsaheadofthem.

Bi
rt
hshavebr
oughtusri
chnessandv ar
iet
y,
Andot
herbi
rt
hswil
lbri
ngusr i
chnessandv ar
iet
y.

Idonotcal
lonegr
eat
erandonesmal
ler
,
Thatwhi
chfil
l
sit
sper
iodandpl
acei
sequal
toany
.

Weremankindmur derousorjeal
ousupony ou,mybrother
,mysister
?
Iam sor
ryforyou,t
heyarenotmur der
ousorjeal
ousuponme,
All
hasbeengent l
ewithme, Ikeepnoaccountwithlamentat
ion,
(WhathaveItodowi t
hlament at
ion?)

Iam anacmeoft
hingsaccompl
i
sh'
d,andIanencl
oseroft
hingst
obe.

Myfeetstr
ikeanapexoft heapicesofthestai
rs,
Oneverystepbunchesofages, andl
argerbunchesbet
weent
hest
eps,
Al
lbel
owdul ytr
avel'
d,andsti
llImountandmount .

Ri
seaf t
err
isebowthephantomsbehi ndme,
AfardownIseethehugefi
rstNothing,IknowIwasev enther
e,
Iwait
edunseenandalways,andsleptthroughthelet
har
gicmist
,
Andtookmyt i
me,andtooknohur tfr
om t hef
etidcar
bon.

LongIwashugg'
dcl
ose-
-l
ongandl
ong.

I
mmensehavebeentheprepar
ati
onsforme,
Fai
thf
ulandf
ri
endl
ythear
mst hathav
ehelp'
dme.

Cycl
esferr
iedmycr adl
e,r
owingandrowingl
i
kecheer
ful
boat
men,
Forroom t
omest ar
skeptasi
deinthei
rownri
ngs,
Theysentinf
luencestol
ookafterwhatwast
oholdme.
Bef
oreIwasbor
noutofmymothergenerat
ionsguidedme,
Myembryohasnev
erbeent
orpi
d,not
hingcouldoverlayi
t.

Fori
tthenebulacoher
edtoanor b,
Thelongslowstrat
apil
edtorestiton,
Vastvegetabl
esgavei
tsustenance,
Monstroussauroi
dstr
ansport
editinthei
rmout
hsanddeposi
tedi
t
wit
hcare.

Al
lfor
ceshavebeensteadi
l
yempl
oy'
dtocomplet
eanddel
i
ghtme,
NowonthisspotIst
andwithmyr
obustsoul
.

45
Ospanofyouth!ever-
push'
delast
ici
ty!
Omanhood,balanced,fl
ori
dandfull
.

Myl over ssuf

focateme,
Crowdi ngmyl ips,t
hickintheporesofmyski n,
Jostli
ngmet hroughst r
eetsandpubli
chal l
s,comingnakedtomeatnight
,
Cryi
ngbyday ,Ahoy !fr
om therocksoftheriver
,swingi
ngand
chir
pi ngovermyhead,
Call
ingmynamef rom flower-
beds,vi
nes,tangl
edunderbrush,
Li
ght i
ngonev erymomentofmyl if
e,
Bussingmybodywi thsoftbalsami
cbusses,
Noiselesslypassinghandf ul
soutoftheirheart
sandgivingthem t
obemine.

Ol
dagesuper
blyr
isi
ng!Owel
come,
inef
fabl
egr
aceofdy
ingday
s!

Ever
ycondit
ionpromul
gesnotonlyi
tsel
f,i
tpr
omul
geswhatgr
ows
af
terandoutofit
sel
f,
Andthedarkhushpromulgesasmuchasany.

Iopenmyscut t
leatnightandseethefar
-spr
inkl
edsy
stems,
AndallIseemulti
pli
edashi ghasIcanci
pheredgebutther
im of
t
hefarthersy
stems.

Widerandwidert
heyspr
ead,
expandi
ng,
alway
sexpandi
ng,
Outwardandoutwar
dandfor
everout
ward.

Mysunhashissunandroundhim obedi
ent
lywheel
s,
Hejoi
nswithhi
spar
tner
sagr oupofsuperi
orci
rcui
t,
Andgreat
erset
sfol
l
ow,makingspecksofthegreat
esti
nsi
det
hem.

Thereisnost oppageandnevercanbestoppage,
I
fI,you,andthewor l
ds,andal
lbeneathoruponthei
rsurf
aces,
werethismomentr educedbacktoapall
idfl
oat,i
twould
notavailt
hel ongr
un,
Weshoul dsur el
ybri
ngupagainwherewenowst and,
Andsurelygoasmuchf art
her,
andthenfart
herandfar
ther.

Afewquadr i
l
li
onsoferas,af
ewocti
l
li
onsofcubi
cleagues,
do
nothazar
dthespanormakeiti
mpati
ent,
Theyarebutpart
s,anythi
ngi
sbutapart
.

Seeeversofar
,ther
eisli
mitl
essspaceout
sideoft
hat,
Counteversomuch,ther
eisli
mit
lessti
mearoundthat
.

Myrendezvousi
sappoint
ed,i
tiscertai
n,
TheLordwill
bether
eandwaittil
lIcomeonper f
ectt
erms,
ThegreatCamer
ado,thel
overtr
uef orwhom Ipi
newil
lbet
her
e.
 46
IknowIhavethebestoft
imeandspace,
andwasnev
ermeasur
edand
nev
erwil
lbemeasured.

Itr
ampaper petualj
our ney,(comel i
stenal l
!)
Mysignsarear ai
n-proofcoat ,goodshoes, andastaf
fcutfr
om t
hewoods,
Nof r
iendofminetakeshi seasei nmychai r,
Ihavenochair
,nochur ch, nophilosophy ,
Il
eadnomant oadi nner-t
able,li
br ary
, exchange,
Buteachmanandeachwomanofy ouIl eaduponaknoll,
Mylefthandhookingy our oundt hewai st,
Myr i
ghthandpointi
ngt olandscapesofcont i
nent
sandthepubl
icroad.

NotI
,notanyoneelsecantr
avel
thatr
oadf
ory
ou,
Youmusttrav
eli
tforyour
self
.

I
tisnotfar,
iti
swithi
nreach,
Perhapsyouhavebeenonitsinceyouwer
ebornanddi
dnotknow,
Perhapsi
tisever
ywhereonwat erandonl
and.

Shoul
deryourdudsdearson,
andIwi
llmi
ne,andl
etushast
enf
ort
h,
Wonderf
ulcit
iesandfr
eenati
onsweshal
lfet
chaswego.

I
fy out
ire,
givemebothbur dens,
andr estt
hechuf
fofy
ourhand
onmyhi p,
Andinduet i
mey oushal
lrepaythesameser v
icet
ome,
Foraft
erwest ar
tweneverl i
ebyagain.

ThisdaybeforedawnIascendedahi
llandlook'
datthecr
owdedheav en,
AndIsaidtomyspi ri
tWhenwebecomet heenfol
dersoft
hoseorbs,
andthepleasureandknowl
edgeofeverythi
nginthem,
shall
we
befi
ll
'dandsatisf
iedt
hen?
Andmyspi ri
tsaidNo,webutlev
elt
hatli
fttopassandconti
nuebeyond.

Youareal
soaskingmequestionsandIhearyou,
Ianswert
hatIcannotanswer
,youmustfindoutf
ory
our
sel
f.

Si
tawhi l
edearson,
Herearebiscui
tstoeatandhereismil
ktodr i
nk,
Butassoonasy ousleepandrenewyourselfi
nsweetclot
hes,Iki
ssy
ou
wit
hagood- byki
ssandopent hegat
ef oryouregr
esshence.

Longenoughhaveyoudream'dcontempt
ibl
edreams,
NowIwasht hegum fr
om youreyes,
Youmusthabityour
selft
othedazzleoft
heli
ghtandofev
ery
momentofyourli
fe.

Longhaveyoutimi
dlywadedholdingaplankbytheshor
e,
NowIwilly
out obeaboldswimmer ,
Tojumpoffinthemidstoft
hesea, r
iseagai
n,nodtome,shout
,
andl
aughingl
ydashwithyourhair
.

47
Iam t
heteacherofathl
etes,
Hethatbymespr eadsawi derbreastt
hanmyownpr ovesthewi dt
hofmyown,
Hemosthonor smyst y
lewhol earnsunderi
ttodest
roytheteacher.

TheboyIlove,
thesamebecomesamannott hr
oughder
ivedpower
,
buti
nhisownr i
ght,
Wickedrat
herthanvir
tuousoutofconfor
mi t
yorfear
,
Fondofhissweetheart
,rel
i
shi
ngwel l
hissteak,
Unrequitedlov eorasl i
ghtcut
ti
nghi m worsethansharpst
eelcut
s,
Fi
rst-r
atetor ide,tof
ight,t
ohitthebull'
seye,tosail
a
skiff
,tosingasongorpl ayont hebanjo,
Preferr
ingscar sandt hebeardandf acespit
tedwithsmall
-poxov
er
alll
atherers,
Andt hosewel l
-t
ann'
dt othosethatkeepoutoft hesun.

It
eachst
rayi
ngfr
om me,yetwhocanstrayf r
om me?
If
oll
owyouwhoeveryouarefr
om thepresenthour,
Mywordsit
chatyourear
stil
lyouunder
standt hem.

Idonotsayt hesethi
ngsforadoll
arortof i
ll
upt hetimewhile
Iwaitforaboat,
(I
tisyout al
ki
ngjustasmuchasmy sel
f,Iactast hetongueofyou,
Tiedi
ny ourmout h,i
nmineitbegi
nstobel oosen'd.)

IswearIwi
ll
neveragainmenti
onloveordeat
hinsi
deahouse,
AndIswearIwil
lnevertr
ansl
atemysel
fatall
,onl
ytohi
m orher
whopri
vat
elyst
ayswi t
hmei nt
heopenair.

I
fyouwouldunder
standmegot ot hehei
ght
sorwater
-shor
e,
Thenear
estgnati
sanexplanati
on,andadropormoti
onofwaveskey
,
Themaul,t
heoar,
thehand-saw,secondmywords.

Noshut
ter
'droom orschoolcancommunewithme,
Butr
oughsandli
tt
lechil
drenbett
erthant
hey
.

They oungmechani cisclosesttome, heknowsmewel l,

Thewoodmant hattakeshisaxeandjugwi t
hhi m shal
ltakemewi
th
hi
m allday ,
Thefarm- boyploughinginthefi
eldfeelsgoodatt hesoundofmyvoi
ce,
I
nv esselsthatsailmywor dssail
,Igowi t
hfishermenandseamen
andlovet hem.

Thesoldiercamp' dorupont hemar chismi ne,

Ontheni ghter
et hependingbat tl
emanyseekme, andIdonotfai
lthem,
Onthatsol emnni ght(i
tmaybet hei
rlast)thoset hatknowmeseekme.
Myfacer ubstot hehunter'sfacewhenhel iesdownal oneinhi
sblanket
,
Thedri
v erthi
nkingofmedoesnotmi ndt hej oltofhiswagon,
Theyoungmot herandol dmot hercompr ehendme,
Thegir
l andthewi f
eresttheneedleamomentandf or
getwher
etheyare,
Theyandal lwouldr esumewhatIhav etoldt hem.

48
Ihavesai dthatthesoul i
snotmor ethanthebody ,
AndIhav esai dthatt hebodyi snotmor ethanthesoul,
Andnot hing,notGod, i
sgr eatertoonet hanone'sselfi
s,
Andwhoev erwal ksaf urlongwi thoutsympathywal kstohisown
funeraldrestinhi sshroud,
AndIory oupocket lessofadi memaypur chasethepickoft heearth,
Andt oglancewi thaney eorshowabeani ni
tspodconf oundst he
l
ear ni
ngofal ltimes,
Andt hereisnot radeorempl oy mentbutt heyoungmanf oll
owingit
maybecomeaher o,
Andt hereisnoobj ectsosof tbuti tmakesahubf ort
hewheel '
duni ver
se,
AndIsayt oanymanorwoman, Letyoursoulstandcool andcomposed
beforeami l
l
ionuni verses.

AndIsayt omankind,
BenotcuriousaboutGod,
ForIwhoam curiousabouteacham notcuri
ousaboutGod,
(Noarrayoft
ermscansayhowmuchIam atpeaceaboutGodand
aboutdeat
h.)
Ihearandbehol
dGodinever
yobj
ect
,yetunder
standGodnoti
nthel
east
,
NordoIunderst
andwhother
ecanbemor ewonderf
ult
hanmysel
f.

Whyshoul dIwi shtoseeGodbetterthanthisday?

Iseesomet hi
ngofGodeachhouroft hetwent y-
four
,andeachmomentt hen,
InthefacesofmenandwomenIseeGod, andi nmyownf aceinthegl
ass,
Ifi
ndlettersfrom Goddropti
nthestreet
,andev eryoneissi
gn'd
byGod' sname,
AndIleav ethem wheretheyar
e,forIknowt hatwheresoe'
erIgo,
Otherswi l
lpunctual
lycomeforeverandev er.

49
AndastoyouDeat
h,andy
oubi
tt
erhugofmor
tal
i
ty,
iti
sidl
eto
t
ryt
oalar
m me.

Tohisworkwit
houtfli
nchi
ngt heaccoucheurcomes,
Iseetheel
der
-handpressi
ngr ecei
vingsupporti
ng,
Irecl
i
nebythesil
lsoftheexquisi
teflexibl
edoors,
Andmar kt
heoutlet
,andmar kthereliefandescape.

Andast oyouCorpseIthi
nkyouaregoodmanur e,butt
hatdoesnot
offendme,
Ismel lt
hewhi
ter
osessweet -
scentedandgrowi
ng,
Ireachtothel
eaf
ylips,
Ireachtothepoli
sh'
dbreastsofmelons.

AndastoyouLifeIr
eckonyouaretheleav
ingsofmanydeat
hs,
(NodoubtIhav
ediedmy sel
ftent
housandtimesbef
ore.
)

Ihearyouwhisper
ingt hereOstarsofheaven,
Osuns--Ogr
assofgr av es-
-Operpet
ualtr
ansfersandpr
omot
ions,
Ifyoudonotsayanyt hinghowcanIsayanyt hi
ng?

Oftheturbidpoolthatli
esintheautumnf or
est,
Ofthemoont hatdescendsthesteepsofthesoughi
ngt
wili
ght,
Toss,sparkl
esofdayanddusk- -t
ossont heblackst
emsthatdecay
i
nthemuck,
Tosstothemoani nggibber
ishofthedr
yl i
mbs.

Iascendfr
om t
hemoon,Iascendfr
om t
henight
,
Ipercei
vet
hatt
heghastl
ygli
mmerisnoondaysunbeamsrefl
ect
ed,
Anddebouchtothest
eadyandcentr
alf
rom t
heoffspr
inggr
eatorsmal
l
.

50
Ther
eist
hati
nme-
-Idonotknowwhati
tis-
-butIknowi
tisi
nme.

Wrench'
dandsweat
y--
cal
m andcool
thenmybodybecomes,
Isl
eep--
Isl
eepl
ong.

Idonotknowi
t-
-i
tiswi
thoutname--
iti
sawordunsai
d,
Iti
snoti
nanydi
cti
onar
y,utt
erance,
symbol
.

Somethi
ngitswingsonmoret
hantheear
thIswi
ngon,
Toitt
hecreati
onisthef
ri
endwhoseembraci
ngawakesme.

Per
hapsImi
ghtt
ell
mor
e.Out
li
nes!Ipl
eadf
ormybr
other
sandsi
ster
s.

DoyouseeOmybr ot
her
sandsist
ers?
I
tisnotchaosordeat
h--
iti
sfor
m,union,
plan-
-i
tiset
ernal
l
if
e--
iti
sHappi
ness.

51
Thepastandpresentwi
lt
--
Ihavefi
l
l'dt
hem, empt
iedt
hem.
Andproceedt
of i
llmynextf
oldofthefut
ure.

List
enerupt
here!whathaveyoutoconfi
detome?
LookinmyfacewhileIsnufft
hesidl
eofevening,
(Tal
khonest
ly,
nooneel sehearsy
ou,andIstayonlyami
nut
elonger
.)

DoIcont r
adictmysel
f?
VerywellthenIcontr
adi
ctmysel
f,
(Iam l
arge,Icont
ainmult
it
udes.
)

Iconcent
rat
etowar
dthem t
hatar
eni
gh,
Iwai
tont
hedoor
-sl
ab.

Whohasdonehi
sday'
swor
k?whowi
l
lsoonestbet
hroughwi
thhi
ssupper
?
Whowishest
owalkwi
thme?

Wi
l
lyouspeakbef
oreIam gone?wi
l
lyoupr
oveal
readyt
ool
ate?

52
Thespot
tedhawkswoopsbyandaccusesme,
hecompl
ainsofmygab
andmyloi
ter
ing.

Itooam notabi
ttamed,
Itooam unt
ransl
atabl
e,
Isoundmybarbari
cyawpovert
heroofsoftheworl
d.

Thelastscudofdayholdsbackforme,
I
tfl
ingsmyl i
kenessaf
tertherestandtr
ueasanyont
heshadow'
dwi
l
ds,
I
tcoaxesmet othevaporandt hedusk.

Idepar
tasai
r,Ishakemywhit
elocksatt
herunawaysun,
Ieff
usemyfl
eshi neddi
es,
anddri
fti
tinl
acyj
ags.

Ibequeat
hmy
sel
ftothedi
rtt
ogr
owfrom t
hegrassIlov
e,
Ify
ouwantmeagai
nlookf
ormeundery
ourboot-
soles.

Youwillhardl
yknowwhoIam orwhatImean,
ButIshallbegoodheal
thtoyounev
ert
hel
ess,
Andfil
terandfibr
eyourbl
ood.

Fai
li
ngtof
etchmeatfir
stkeepencour
aged,
Missi
ngmeoneplacesear
chanother,
Ist
opsomewherewait
ingforyou.

BOOKI
V.CHI
LDRENOFADAM

Tot
heGar
dent
heWor
ld

Tothegardent hewor l
danewascendi ng,
Potentmates,daught ers, sons, prel
uding,
Thelove,t
helifeoft heirbodi es, meaningandbei ng,
Curi
ousher ebeholdmyr esurrectionaf t
erslumber,
Therevolvi
ngcy cl
esi nt heirwi desweephav ingbroughtmeagai
n,
Amor ous,
mat ure,allbeaut if
ul tome, allwondrous,
Myl i
mbsandt hequiveringf irethatev erpl
ay sthr
ought hem,
for
r
easons,mostwondr ous,
Exi
stingIpeerandpenet r
atest il
l,
Contentwiththepr esent ,contentwi t
ht hepast,
Bymysi deorbackofmeEv ef oll
owing,
Ori
nfr
ont
,andIf
oll
owi
ngherj
ustt
hesame.

Fr
om Pent
-UpAchi
ngRi
ver
s

From pent -upachi ngr i

v er s,
From t hatofmy sel fwi thoutwhi chIwer enot hi ng,
From whatIam det ermi n'dt omakei llust rious, ev eni fIst andsol e
amongmen,
From myownv oicer esonant ,singi ngt hephal lus,
Singingt hesongofpr ocr eat ion,
Singingt heneedofsuper bchi ldr enandt her ei nsuper bgr ownpeopl e,
Singingt hemuscul arur geandt hebl endi ng,
Singingt hebedf ellow' ssong, (Or esi stlessy ear ning!
Of oranyandeacht hebodycor r elat i
v eat tract ing!
Of ory ouwhoev ery ouar ey ourcor relat ivebody !Oi t
, mor ethanal l
else, y oudel i
ght ing! )
From t hehungr ygnawt hateat smeni ghtandday ,
From nat ivemoment s, from bashf ul pai ns, singi ngt hem,
Seeki ngsomet hi ngy etunf oundt houghIhav edi ligent lysoughti t
manyal ongy ear ,
Singingt het ruesongoft hesoul fitful atr andom,
Renascentwi thgr ossestNat ureoramongani mal s,
Oft hat ,oft hem andwhatgoeswi tht hem mypoemsi nfor ming,
Oft hesmel lofappl esandl emons, oft hepai ringofbi rds,
Oft hewetofwoods, oft hel appi ngofwav es,
Oft hemadpushesofwav esupont hel and, It hem chant i
ng,
Theov er turel i
ght l
ysoundi ng, thest rai nant icipat ing,
Thewel comenear ness, t hesi ghtoft heper fectbody ,
Theswi mmerswi mmi ngnakedi nt hebat h,ormot ionlessonhi sback
lyingandf loat ing,
Thef emal ef or m appr oachi ng, Ipensi v e, love- flesht remul ousachi ng,
Thedi vinel istf ormy sel fory ouorf oranyonemaki ng,
Thef ace, thel imbs, thei ndexf rom headt of oot , andwhati tarouses,
Themy st i
cdel i
ria, t hemadnessamor ous, theut terabandonment ,
(Har kcl oseandst i
ll whatInowwhi spert oy ou,
Ilovey ou, Oy ouent irelypossessme,
Ot haty ouandIescapef r om t her estandgout ter l
yof f,f
reeandl awl ess,
Twohawksi nt heai r,twof ishesswi mmi ngi nt heseanotmor e
lawl esst hanwe; )
Thef uriousst ormt hr oughmecar eer i
ng, Ipassi onat el ytr
embl ing.
Theoat hoft hei nsepar abl enessoft wot oget her , oft hewomant hat
lov esmeandwhom Il ov emor et hanmyl i
f e, thatoat hswear ing,
(OIwi l
lingl yst akeal lfory ou,
Ol etmebel osti fitmustbeso!
Oy ouandI !whati si tt ouswhatt her estdoort hink?
Whati sal l elset ous?onl yt hatweenj oyeachot herandexhaust
eachot heri fitmustbeso; )
From t hemast er ,thepi lotIy iel dt hev essel to,
Thegener al commandi ngme, commandi ngal l,fr om hi m permissi ont aki
ng,
From t imet hepr ogr ammehast eni ng, (Ihav el oiter '
dt oolongasi ti s,)
From sex, from t hewar pandf rom t hewoof ,
From pr ivacy ,from f r
equentr epi ni ngsal one,
From pl ent yofper sonsnearandy ett her i
ghtper sonnotnear ,
From t hesof tsl idi ngofhandsov ermeandt hr ust ingoff ingers
throughmyhai randbear d,
From t hel ongsust ain'dki ssupont hemout horbosom,
From t hecl osepr essur et hatmakesmeoranymandr unk, f
ainti
ng
wi thexcess,
From whatt hedi vinehusbandknows, from t hewor koff atherhood,
From exult
ati
on, v
ictoryandr eli
ef,
from t hebedf ell
ow'sembracei
n
thenight
,
From theact-poemsofey es,hands,hi psandbosoms,
From thecli
ngoft het rembli
ngar m,
From thebendingcur veandt heclinch,
From sidebysidet hepl i
antcoverl
etof f
-throwing,
From theonesounwi l
li
ngtohav emel eav e,andmej ustasunwil
l
ing
toleave,
(YetamomentOt enderwai ter,
andIr eturn,)
From thehourofshi ningstarsanddr oppingdews,
From thenightamomentIemer gi
ngf l
it
t i
ngout ,
Celebrateyouactdi vi
neandy ouchildrenpr eparedfor,
Andy oustalwartloins.

ISi
ngt
heBodyEl
ect
ri
c

1
Isi
ngthebodyel ect
ri
c,
ThearmiesofthoseIl ov
eengirt
hmeandIengi rtht
hem,
Theywill
notletmeof fti
llIgowit
ht hem,respondtothem,
Anddiscorr
uptthem, andchargethem ful
lwiththechargeoft
hesoul
.

Wasi
tdoubtedthatt
hosewhocorruptt
hei
rownbodiesconcealt
hemselv
es?
Andi
fthosewhodefi
letheli
vi
ngareasbadastheywhodefil
ethedead?
Andi
fthebodydoesnotdofull
yasmuchasthesoul?
Andi
fthebodywerenotthesoul
,whati
sthesoul?

2
Theloveofthebodyofmanorwomanbalksaccount,
thebodyi
tsel
f
bal
ksaccount,
Thatofthemaleisper
fect
,andt
hatoft
hefemaleisperf
ect
.

Theexpr essionofthef acebalksaccount ,

Buttheexpr essionofawel l-
mademanappear snotonlyinhisf ace,
I
tisinhi sli
mbsandj ointsal
so,iti
scuriouslyinthej
ointsof
hi
shi psandwr i
sts,
I
tisinhi swal k,
thecar r
iageofhisneck,thef l
exofhiswai st
andknees, dr
essdoesnothi dehim,
Thest r
ongsweetqual ityhehasstri
kest hroughthecottonandbr oadclot
h,
Toseehi m passconv eysasmuchast hebestpoem, perhapsmor e,
Youlingertoseehi sback, andthebackofhi sneckandshoul der-
side.

Thespr awl andf ulnessofbabes, thebosomsandheadsofwomen, t

he
foldsoft hei rdr ess, t
hei rst y l
easwepassi nt hest r
eet,the
cont ouroft heirshapedownwar ds,
Theswi mmernakedi nt heswi mmi ng- bath,seenasheswi mst hrough
thet ranspar entgr een- shi ne, orlieswi thhisf aceupandr oll
s
sil
ent lyt oandf rom t heheav eoft hewat er,
Thebendi ngf or war dandbackwar dofr ower sinr ow-boats,the
hor se-mani nhi ssaddl e,
Girl
s, mot her s, house- keeper s, i
nal ltheirper formances,
Thegr oupofl abor er sseat edatnoon- timewi ththeiropen
dinner -ket t
les, andt hei rwi v eswai ting,
Thef emal esoot hi ngachi l
d, thef ar mer '
sdaught erinthegar denor
cow- y
ar d,
They oungf ellowhosi ngcor n, t
hesl eigh-driverdr i
vi
nghi ssix
hor sest hr ought hecr owd,
Thewr est l
eofwr est l
ers, twoappr entice-boy s,quitegrown, lusty
,
good- nat ur ed, nat ive-bor n, outont hev acantl otatsundownaf t
erwork,
Thecoat sandcapst hr owndown, t
heembr aceofl oveandr esist
ance,
Theupper -
holdandunder -hold,thehairrumpl edov erandbl i
ndingtheeyes;
Themar choff ir
emeni nt heirowncost umes, theplayofmascul i
ne
muscl ethroughcl ean- setti
ngt rowsersandwai st-straps,
Theslowr eturnfrom t hef i
re,thepausewhent hebel l st
ri
kes
suddenl yagain,andt hel i
steningont heal ert
,
Thenat ural,perf
ect,v ariedat ti
tudes,t
hebenthead, thecurv'd
neckandt hecount ing;
Such-li
keIl ove--
Iloosenmy self,passfreely,am att hemot her'
s
breastwi ththelit
tlechi ld,
Swim wi ththeswi mmer s,wrest l
ewithwr estlers,
mar chinli
newith
thefir
emen, andpause, l
isten,count.

3
Iknewaman,acommonfar
mer,thef
atheroffi
vesons,
Andint
hem t
hefat
her
sofsons,
andinthem thefat
her
sofsons.

Thismanwasawonder fulvigor,calmness, beaut yofper son,

Theshapeofhi shead, t
hepal ey ell
owandwhi teofhi shairand
beard,thei mmeasur ablemeani ngofhi sblackey es,ther i
chness
andbr eadt hofhismanner s,
TheseIusedt ogoandv i
sithimt osee, hewaswi sealso,
Hewassi xf eettall
,hewasov ereightyy earsold, hissonswer e
massiv e,clean,bearded, t
an-faced,handsome,
Theyandhi sdaught erslovedhim, al
lwhosawhi ml ov edhim,
Theydidnotl ovehim byal l
owance, t
heyl ovedhi m wi t
hper sonallove,
Hedr ankwat eronly,t
hebl oodshow' dlikescar letthrought he
clear
-brownski nofhisface,
Hewasaf requentgunnerandf isher,hesai l
'dhisboathi mself,he
hadaf ineonepr esentedtohi m byashi p-
joiner,hehad
fowli
ng- piecespresentedt ohim byment hatlov edhi m,
Whenhewentwi thhisfivesonsandmanygr and- sonst ohuntorf ish,
youwoul dpickhim outast hemostbeaut ifulandv i
gorousoft hegang,
Youwoul dwi shlongandl ongt obewi t
hhi m, youwoul dwi shtosit
byhimi nt heboatt hatyouandhemi ghtt oucheachot her.

4
Ihavepercei
v'
dt hatt
obewi tht hoseIl
ikeisenough,
Tost opi
ncompanywi t
ht herestatev eningi
senough,
Tobesur r
oundedbybeaut i
ful
, curi
ous,breat
hing,l
aughingfleshisenough,
Topassamongt hem ortouchanyone, orrestmyar m eversolight
ly
roundhisorherneckforamoment ,whatist hi
sthen?
Idonotaskanymor edeli
ght ,Iswimini tasi
nasea.

Thereissomethi
nginstayi
ngclosetomenandwomenandl ooki
ng
onthem,andinthecontactandodorofthem,thatpl
easesthesoul
wel
l
,
Allt
hingspl
easethesoul,
butthesepleasethesoulwel
l.

5
Thisist hefemal eform,
Adivineni mbusexhal esf rom itf r
om headt ofoot,
Itat
tract swi t
hf i
erceundeni ableat t
ract
ion,
Iam dr awnbyi tsbr eathasi fIwer enomor ethanahelpl
essvapor,
allfall
sasi debutmy selfandi t,
Books, art,reli
gi on, t
ime, thev isibleandsolidearth,
andwhat
wasexpect edofheav enorf ear'dofhell,ar
enowconsumed,
Madf i
lament s, ungov ernabl eshoot splayoutofit,t
heresponse
li
kewi seungov ernable,
Hair,bosom, hi ps,bendofl egs,negl i
gentfall
i
nghandsal l
dif
fused, mi net oodi ffused,
Ebbst ungbyt hef lowandf lowst ungbyt heebb,love-
fl
eshswell
ing
anddel i
ciousl yachi ng,
Li
mitl
esslimpi djetsoflovehotandenor mous,quiv
eri
ngjel
lyof
l
ove,whit
e- blowanddeliri
ousnice,
Bri
degr
oom ni ghtofl
ov eworki
ngsur el
yandsof t
lyi
ntotheprost
rat
edawn,
Undul
atingintot hewill
i
ngandy iel
dingday,
Losti
nthecl eav eoftheclaspi
ngandsweet -
flesh'
dday.

Thist
henucl eus-
-af
terthechi
l
disbornofwoman,
mani sbor
nofwoman,
Thist
hebat hofbirt
h,thist
hemergeofsmal
landl
arge,
andthe
out
letagain.

Benotashamedwomen, y
ourpri
vi
legeencl
osest
herest
,andisthe
exi
tofther
est,
Youarethegatesoft
hebody
,andy ouar
ethegat
esofthesoul.

Thef
emalecontainsall
qualit
iesandtempersthem,
Shei
sinherpl
aceandmov eswi t
hperfectbal
ance,
Shei
sall
thi
ngsdul yvei
l'
d,sheisbothpassiveandact
ive,
Shei
stoconcei
v edaughtersaswellassons,andsonsaswel
lasdaught
ers.

AsIseemysoul ref
lect
edinNatur
e,
AsIseethroughami st
,Onewit
hinexpr
essibl
ecompl et
eness,
sani
ty,
beauty,
Seethebentheadandar msf
oldedoverthebreast
,theFemaleIsee.

6
Themal eisnotl essthesoul normor e,hetooisinhisplace,
Het ooi sallqualit
ies,heisact i
onandpower ,
Thef l
ushoft heknownuni verseisinhim,
Scornbecomeshi m wel l
,andappet it
eanddef i
ancebecomehi m wel
l,
Thewi ldestlargestpassi ons,bli
ssthati sut
most ,sorr
owt hati
s
utmostbecomehi m well,
pr i
deisforhi m,
Thef ull
-spreadpr i
deofmani scalmingandexcel l
entt
ot hesoul
,
Knowl edgebecomeshi m, hel i
kesitalways,hebr i
ngseverythi
ngto
thetestofhi msel f,
What everthesur vey,what evertheseaandt hesailhestr
ikes
soundi ngsatlastonl yhere,
(Wher eelsedoeshest r
ikesoundi ngsexcepther e?)

Theman' sbodyissacr edandt hewoman' sbodyi ssacr

ed,
Nomat terwhoitis,itissacr
ed--i
sitthemeanestonei nthe
l
aborers'
gang?
I
sitoneoft hedull-
facedimmi grantsjustlandedonthewharf
?
Eachbelongshereorany wherejustasmuchast hewell
-of
f,j
ustas
muchasy ou,
Eachhashisorherpl aceint
hepr ocession.

(Al
li
saprocessi
on,
Theuni
ver
seisaprocessi
onwi
thmeasur
edandper
fectmot
ion.
)

Doy ouknowsomuchy ourselft

haty oucallt
hemeanestignor
ant?
Doy ousupposey ouhav ear i
ghttoagoodsi ght
,andheorshehas
norighttoasi ght?
Doy outhinkmat terhascoher edtogetherfr
om i
tsdif
fusefl
oat,and
thesoilisonthesur face,andwat errunsandveget
ati
onsprouts,
Foryouonl y,andnotf orhim andher ?

7
Aman' sbodyataucti
on,
(Forbefor
ethewarIof t
engotothesl
ave-
martandwat
chthesal
e,
)
Ihelptheauct
ioneer
,thesl
ovendoesnothal
fknowhi
sbusi
ness.

Gent
lemenl
ookont
hiswonder
,
What everthebidsofthebidderst
heycannotbehighenoughf
ori
t,
Foritthegl obelaypr
epari
ngquint
il
li
onsofyearswit
houtone
animal orplant,
Foritther evol
vingcy
clestrul
yandsteadi
l
yroll
'
d.

I
nthisheadtheal
l-
baf
fl
ingbrai
n,
I
nitandbelowitt
hemakingsofher
oes.

Examinet
hesel
imbs,red,bl
ack,
orwhi
te,t
heyar
ecunni
ngi
n
t
endonandnerv
e,
Theyshal
lbest
ri
ptthatyoumayseethem.

Exquisi
tesenses,l
i
fe-
li
tey es,pl
uck,vol
it
ion,
Fl
akesofbr east
-muscl
e, pli
antbackboneandneck,
fleshnotf
labby
,
good-si
zedarmsandl egs,
Andwonder swithi
nther
ey et
.

Withinthererunsblood,
Thesameol dblood!thesamer ed-r
unningblood!
Thereswel lsandjet
sahear t
,thereall
passions,desi
res,
reachings,aspi
rat
ions,
(Doy outhinktheyarenotther
ebecauset heyarenotexpress'
din
parlor
sandl ectur
e-rooms?)

Thi
sisnotonl yoneman,thi
sthefatherofthosewhoshal
lbe
f
athersinthei
rtur
ns,
I
nhimt hestartofpopul
ousstat
esandr ichrepubl
i
cs,
Ofhim count
lessimmortall
i
veswithcount l
essembodi
mentsandenj
oyment
s.

Howdoy ouknowwhoshal lcomef

rom t
heoffspr
ingofhi
sof
fspri
ng
thr
ought hecentur
ies?
(
Whomi ghtyoufindyouhav ecomefr
om your
self
,ify
oucoul
dtrace
backthroughthecenturi
es?)

8
Awoman' sbodyatauction,
Shetooisnotonlyherself
,sheistheteemi
ngmot
herofmother
s,
Shei
st hebeareroft
hem t hatshal
lgr
owandbematestot
hemot her
s.

Havey oueverl
ovedthebodyofawoman?
Havey oueverl
ovedthebodyofaman?
Doy ounotseethatt
heseareexact
lyt
hesamet
oal
li
nal
lnat
ions
andtimesall
overtheear
th?

I
fanyt hi
ngissacredt
hehumanbodyi ssacred,
Andthegl or
yandsweetofamani sthetokenofmanhoodunt
aint
ed,
Andinmanorwomanacl ean,st
rong,f
ir
m- f
ibr
edbody,
ismore
beauti
fult
hanthemostbeauti
fulf
ace.

Havey ouseenthef
oolthatcor
ruptedhisownli
vebody ?ort
hefool
t
hatcorrupt
edherownl i
vebody?
Fortheydonotconceal
themselves,andcannotconcealt
hemselv
es.

9
Omybody !Idarenotdeser tthelikesofy ouinothermenand
women, northel i
kesofthepar tsofy ou,
Ibeli
evethelikesofy ouaretost andorf allwi
ththeli
kesof
t
hesoul ,(
andt hattheyaret hesoul,)
Ibeli
evethelikesofy oushallstandorf allwit
hmypoems, and
t
hattheyar emypoems,
Man's,woman' s,chil
d,yout
h's, wi
fe's,
husband' s,
mother'
s,
fat
her'
s,youngman' s,
youngwoman' spoems,
Head, neck, hai r,ear s, dropandt ympanoft heear s,
Eyes, ey e- fri
nges, irisoft heey e, eyebr ows, andt hewaki ngor
sleepi ngoft hel ids,
Mout h, tongue, lips, teet h, roofoft hemout h, jaws, andt hej aw- hinges,
Nose, nost ril
soft henose, andt hepar ti
tion,
Cheeks, templ es, for ehead, chi n, t
hr oat ,backoft heneck, neck- slue,
Strongshoul der s,manl ybear d, scapul a, hind- shoul der s,andt he
ampl esi de- roundoft hechest ,
Upper -ar m, ar mpi t
, elbow- socket ,lower -arm, ar m- sinews, arm- bones,
Wr i
standwr ist -
joint s, hand, pal m, knuckl es, thumb, f
orefinger ,
finger -joint s, finger -
nai ls,
Broadbr east -front ,cur li
nghai roft hebr east ,br east -bone, breast -
side,
Ribs, bel l
y ,backbone, joint soft hebackbone,
Hips, hi p- socket s,hi p-st rengt h, i
nwar dandout war dround,
man- bal l
s, man- root ,
Strongsetoft highs, wel l car ry i
ngt het r
unkabov e,
Leg- fi
br es, knee, knee- pan, upper -
leg, under -leg,
Ankl es, inst ep, foot -ball,toes, toe-joint s, t
heheel ;
Allat titudes, all theshapel iness, all thebel ongi ngsofmyory our
bodyorofanyone' sbody , mal eorf emal e,
Thel ung- sponges, t hest omach- sac, t
hebowel ssweetandcl ean,
Thebr aini ni tsf oldsi nsidet heskul l
-frame,
Sympat hi es, hear t
-v alves, pal ate- v
al ves, sexual i
ty ,mat ernit
y,
Womanhood, andal l t
hati sawoman, andt hemant hatcomesf rom woman,
Thewomb, thet eat s, nippl es, breast -milk, t
ear s, l
aught er,weepi ng,
lov e- l
ooks, l
ov e-per turbat ionsandr isings,
Thev oi ce, articul ation, l
anguage, whi sper i
ng, shout i
ngal oud,
Food, dr ink, pul se, di gest ion, sweat ,sleep, wal ki ng, swimmi ng,
Poiseont hehi ps, leapi ng, recl i
ning, embr acing, arm- curv i
ngandt i
ghteni
ng,
Thecont inual changesoft hef l
exoft hemout h, andar oundt heey es,
Theski n, thesunbur ntshade, freckl es, hair,
Thecur ioussy mpat hyonef eel swhenf eel i
ngwi tht hehandt henaked
meatoft hebody ,
Theci rcl ingr iver st hebr eat h, andbr eat hingi tinandout ,
Thebeaut yoft hewai st,andt henceoft hehi ps, andt hencedownwar d
towar dt heknees,
Thet hinr edj ellieswi t
hiny ouorwi thi nme, thebonesandt he
mar r owi nt hebones,
Theexqui siter eal i
zat i
onofheal th;
OIsayt hesear enott hepar tsandpoemsoft hebodyonl y,butoft hesoul
,
OIsaynowt hesear et hesoul !

AWomanWai
tsf
orMe

Awomanwai t
sforme, shecont
ainsal
l
, nothingi
slacki
ng,
Yetallwer
elacki
ngifsexwerelacki
ng,orifthemoistur
eofthe
r
ightmanwer el
acking.

Sexcont ainsall,bodies, soul

s,
Meani ngs,proofs,pur it
ies,del
icacies,
results,
promul gations,
Songs, commands, health,pri
de,themat ernalmy st
ery,theseminalmil
k,
Allhopes, benefactions, best
owal s,al
lthepassions,loves,
beaut i
es,deli
ght soft heearth,
Allthegov ernment s,judges,gods, fol
l
ow' dpersonsoft heearth,
Thesear econt ain'
di nsexaspar tsofitsel
fandj ust
ifi
cationsofit
sel
f.

Wi
thoutshamet
hemanIl
ikeknowsandavowsthedel
ici
ousnessofhi
ssex,
Wi
thoutshamet
hewomanIli
keknowsandavowshers.
NowIwi l
ldi
smissmy selffr
om impassivewomen,
Iwillgostaywithherwhowai tsforme, andwiththosewomenthat
arewar m-bl
oodedandsuf fi
cientf
orme,
Iseet hatt
heyunderstandmeanddonotdenyme,
Iseet hatt
heyarewort hyofme, Iwi
llbetherobusthusbandof
thosewomen.

Theyarenotonej otlessthanIam,
Theyaretann'
dint hefacebyshi ni
ngsunsandbl owingwi nds,
Thei
rfl
eshhast heol ddivinesuppl
enessandst r
ength,
Theyknowhowt oswi m, r
ow, r
ide,
wr est
le,shoot,r
un, st
ri
ke,
r
etr
eat,advance,resist,
defendthemsel v
es,
Theyareult
imatei ntheirownright
--t
heyar ecalm,clear,
wel
l-
possess'doft hemselves.

Idrawy oucloset ome,youwomen,

Icannotl etyougo,Iwoulddoy ougood,
Iam fory ou,andyouaref orme,notonlyf
orourownsake,
butf
or
others'sakes,
Envelop'diny ousl
eepgreaterheroesandbar
ds,
Theyr efusetoawakeatt hetouchofanymanbutme.

Iti
sI,youwomen, Imakemyway ,
Iam ster
n, acrid,l
arge, undissuadabl
e,butIlov eyou,
Idonothur ty ouanymor ethanisnecessaryf oryou,
Ipourthest ufftost artsonsanddaught ersfitfortheseSt
ates,
I
presswithsl owr udemuscl e,
Ibracemy selfeffect uall
y,Il
istentonoentreaties,
Idarenotwi thdrawt i
llIdepositwhathassol ongaccumulatedwit
hinme.

ThroughyouIdr aint hepent -upriversofmy sel

f,
InyouIwr apat housandonwar dy ears,
Ony ouIgraftthegr aft
soft hebest -
bel
ovedofmeandAmer i
ca,
ThedropsIdi stilupony oushal lgr owfi
erceandathleticgirl
s,
newar t
ist
s, musi cians, andsinger s,
ThebabesIbegetupony ouar etobegetbabesi nt heirtur
n,
Ishall
demandper fectmenandwomenoutofmyl ove-spendings,
Ishall
expectt hem t oint erpenetratewithother
s,asIandy ou
i
nter-
penet r
atenow,
Ishall
countont hef ruit
soft hegushi ngshowersoft hem, asI
countont hef r
uitsoft hegushi ngshower sIgiv
enow,
Ishall
lookforl ovingcr opsf rom t hebir
th,l
if
e,death,
i
mmor tali
ty,Iplantsol ov i
nglynow.

Spont
aneousMe

Spontaneousme, Natur
e,
Thelovingday ,themount ingsun, thefri
endIam happywi t
h,
Thear m ofmyf r
iendhangi ngidlyovermyshoul der ,
Thehill
sidewhi ten'dwithblossomsoft hemount ainash,
Thesamel ateinaut umn,thehuesofr ed,yel
low,dr ab,purpl
e,and
l
ightanddar kgr een,
Therichcov erl
etoft hegrass, ani
mal sandbirds,thepr i
vate
untri
mm' dbank, t
heprimi t
iveapples,thepebble-stones,
Beautif
ul dr
ippi
ngf r
agment s,thenegligentli
stofoneaf t
er
anotherasIhappent ocal lthem tomeort hinkoft hem,
Thereal poems, (whatwecal lpoemsbei ngmer elypictures,
)
Thepoemsoft hepr i
vacyoft henight,andofmenl ikeme,
Thispoem dr oopingshyandunseent hatIalwayscar r
y,andthatal
l
 mencar ry ,
(Knowoncef oral l,av ow' donpur pose, wher ev erar emenl ikeme, ar e
ourl ust yl urkingmascul inepoems, )
Lov e-thought s, lov e- juice, l
ov e-odor ,lov e-y i
el ding, lov e-climber s,
andt hecl i
mbi ngsap,
Armsandhandsofl ov e, l
ipsofl ov e, phal lict humbofl ov e, breast s
ofl ov e, bel l
iespr ess' dandgl uedt oget herwi thl ov e,
Earthofchast el ov e, li
fet hati sonl yl i
feaf terl ov e,
Thebodyofmyl ov e, thebodyoft hewomanIl ov e, t
hebodyoft he
man, thebodyoft heear th,
Softf orenoonai rst hatbl owf r om t hesout h-west ,
Thehai rywi l
d- beet hatmur mur sandhanker supanddown, thatgr ipesthe
full
-gr ownl ady -flower , cur vesuponherwi thamor ousf i
rml egs, takes
hiswi llofher ,andhol dshi msel ftremul ousandt ightt il
lhei s
satisf ied;
Thewetofwoodst hr ought heear lyhour s,
Twosl eeper satni ghtl yingcl oset oget herast heysl eep, onewi t
h
anar m sl ant ingdownacr ossandbel owt hewai stoft heot her ,
Thesmel lofappl es, aromasf rom cr ush' dsage- plant ,mi nt, birch-bar k,
Theboy '
sl ongi ngs, thegl owandpr essur easheconf idest omewhat
hewasdr eami ng,
Thedeadl eafwhi rlingi t
sspi ral whi rlandf allingst illand
cont entt ot hegr ound,
Theno- for m' dst ingst hatsi ght s,peopl e, obj ect s, st i
ngmewi th,
Thehubb' dst ingofmy sel f,st ingingmeasmuchasi tev ercanany
one,
Thesensi tiv e,or bi c, under lapp' dbr ot her s, thatonl ypr i
vileged
feeler smaybei nt i
mat ewher et heyar e,
Thecur iousr oamert hehandr oami ngal l ov ert hebody , thebashf ul
wi t
hdr awi ngoff leshwher et hef i
nger ssoot hingl ypauseand
edget hemsel v es,
Thel impi dl iqui dwi t hint hey oungman,
Thev ex'dcor rosi onsopensi v eandsopai nf ul,
Thet or ment ,thei rritabl et idet hatwi llnotbeatr est ,
Thel ikeoft hesameIf eel ,thel ikeoft hesamei not her s,
They oungmant hatf l
ushesandf l
ushes, andt hey oungwomant hat
flushesandf l
ushes,
They oungmant hatwakesdeepatni ght ,thehothandseeki ngt o
repr esswhatwoul dmast erhi m,
Themy st icamor ousni ght , thest rangehal f-wel comepangs, v isi
ons, sweats,
Thepul sepoundi ngt hroughpal msandt rembl ingenci rcl i
ngf inger s,
they oungmanal lcol or '
d, red, ashamed, angr y ;
Thesouseuponmeofmyl ov ert hesea, asIl iewi ll
ingandnaked,
Themer r i
mentoft het wi nbabest hatcr awl ov ert hegr assi nt he
sun, t
hemot hernev ert ur ningherv igilantey esf rom t hem,
Thewal nut -trunk, thewal nut -husks, andt her ipeni ngorr ipen' d
long- roundwal nut s,
Thecont inenceofv eget ables, bi r
ds, animal s,
Theconsequentmeannessofmeshoul dIskul korf indmy sel findecent ,
whi lebi r
dsandani mal snev eronceskul korf indt hemsel v esi ndecent ,
Thegr eatchast ityofpat erni ty ,tomat cht hegr eatchast i
tyofmat ernity
,
Theoat hofpr ocr eat ionIhav eswor n, myAdami candf reshdaught ers,
Thegr eedt hateat smedayandni ghtwi thhungr ygnaw, ti
l
l Isat urat e
whatshal l produceboy st of illmypl acewhenIam t hr ough,
Thewhol esomer elief ,repose, cont ent ,
Andt hi sbunchpl uck' datr andom f rom my sel f,
Ithasdonei tswor k- -Itossi tcar elessl yt of all wher ei tmay .

OneHourt
oMadnessandJoy
Onehourt omadnessandj oy!Of uri
ous!Oconf i
nemenot!
(Whatisthist
hatfreesmesoi nstor
ms?
Whatdomyshout sami dli
ghtningsandragi
ngwi ndsmean?)
Ot odri
nkthemy sti
cdelir
iadeeperthananyot herman!
Osav ageandtenderachings!(Ibequeatht
hem t oyoumychi
ldr
en,
Itel
lthem t
oyou, f
orreasons,Obr i
degroom andbride.
)

Ot
obey iel
dedtoyouwhoeveryouar
e, andy
outobeyi
eldedtome
i
ndefianceoftheworl
d!
Ot
oreturntoParadi
se!Obashful
andfemini
ne!
Ot
odrawy outome, t
oplantonyouforthef
ir
stt
imet
hel i
psof
adet
er min'
dman.

Othepuzzl
e,thethri
ce-ti
edknot,thedeepanddar kpool
,al
l
unti
edandi l
lumin'
d!
Otospeedwher ethereisspaceenoughandai renoughatlast
!
Tobeabsolv
'df r
om previousti
esandconv ent
ions,If
rom mineand
youfrom yours!
Tofi
ndanewunt hought-
ofnonchal ancewi
ththebestofNature!
Tohavethegagr emov '
dfrom one'smouth!
Tohavethefeeli
ngto-dayoranydayIam suf f
ici
entasIam.

Osomet hi
ngunpr ov'd!somet hi
nginat r
ance!
Toescapeut terl
yf r
om ot hers'anchorsandhol ds!
Todri
vef r
ee!t olovef ree!todashr eckl
essanddanger ous!
Tocourtdest r
uctionwi t
ht aunts,withinvi
tat
ions!
Toascend, t
ol eapt otheheav ensoft heloveindicat
edtome!
Tori
sethitherwi t
hmyi nebriatesoul!
Tobelostifitmustbeso!
Tofeedther emai nderofl ifewi t
honehouroff ul
nessandfreedom!
Wit
honebr i
efhourofmadnessandj oy.

Outoft
heRol
l
ingOceant
heCr
owd

Outofther ol
lingoceant hecrowdcameadr opgentl
ytome,
WhisperingIlov eyou,befor
elongIdie,
Ihavetravel'
dal ongwaymer el
ytolookonyoutotouchy
ou,
ForIcouldnotdi etil
lIoncelook'
dony ou,
ForIfear'dImi ghtaft
erwardloseyou.

Nowwehav emet ,wehav elook'd,wear esafe,

Returninpeacetot heoceanmyl ove,
It
ooam par tofthatoceanmyl ove,wear enotsomuchsepar ated,
Beholdthegreatrondur e,
thecohesionofal l
,howper fect!
Butasf orme,foryou, t
heirr
esi
st i
bleseaistosepar at
eus,
Asf oranhourcarryingusdiver
se, yetcannotcarryusdi v
erseforev
er;
Benoti mpati
ent-
-alitt
lespace-
-knowy ouIsal ut
et heair,
the
oceanandt heland,
Everydayatsundownf oryourdearsakemyl ove.

AgesandAgesRet
urni
ngatI
nter
val
s

Agesandagesretur
ningatint
ervals,
Undestr
oy'
d,wanderi
ngimmor t
al,
Lust
y,phal
li
c,wi
ththepotentori
ginall
oins,
per
fect
lysweet
,
I
,chant
erofAdami csongs,
Thr
oughthenewgar dentheWest,t
hegreatci
tiescal
li
ng,
Del
ir
iat
e,t
huspreludewhatisgener
ated,
offer
ingthese,of
fer
ingmy
sel
f,
Bat
hingmysel
f,bathi
ngmysongsi nSex,
Off
spri
ngofmyl oi
ns.

WeTwo,
HowLongWeWer
eFool
'
d

Wet wo, howl ongwewer ef ool'd,

Nowt ransmut ed,weswi ftl
yescapeasNat ureescapes,
Wear eNat ure, l
onghav ewebeenabsent ,butnowwer eturn,
Webecomepl ants, t
r unks, foliage, r
oots, bark,
Wear ebeddedi nthegr ound, wear erocks,
Wear eoaks, wegr owi nt heopeni ngssidebysi de,
Webr owse, wear et woamongt hewi l
dher dsspont aneousasany ,
Wear et wof i
shesswi mmi ngi nt heseat oget her,
Wear ewhatl ocustbl ossomsar e,wedr opscentar oundlanesmor ni
ngs
andev eni ngs,
Wear eal sot hecoar sesmutofbeast s,veget ables,minerals,
Wear et wopr edat oryhawks, wesoarabov eandl ookdown,
Wear et wor esplendentsuns, wei ti
swhobal anceour selvesor bic
andst ell
ar ,wear east wocomet s,
Wepr owl f
ang' dandf our -foot edi nthewoods, wespr i
ngonpr ey,
Wear et wocl oudsf or enoonsandaf t
ernoonsdr ivingoverhead,
Wear eseasmi ngling, wear et wooft hosecheer fulwav esroll
ing
overeachot herandi nt erwet tingeachot her ,
Wear ewhatt heat mospher ei s, tr
anspar ent,recept i
ve,pervious,imperv
ious,
Wear esnow, r
ain,col d, dar kness, wear eeachpr oductandi nfl
uence
ofthegl obe,
Wehav ecircl edandci rcledt i
l
l wehav ear ri
vedhomeagai n, wet wo,
Wehav ev oidedal l butf reedom andal l
butourownj oy.

OHy
men!OHy
menee!

Ohy men!Ohy menee!whydoy outant

ali
zemethus?
Owhyst i
ngmef oraswi ftmomentonly?
Whycany ounotcontinue?Owhydoy ounowcease?
I
si tbecauseifyoucontinuedbey
ondtheswif
tmomenty
ouwoul
d
sooncer t
ainl
ykil
lme?

IAm HeThatAcheswi
thLov
e

Iam hethatacheswithamorousl
ove;
Doestheearthgrav
itat
e?doesnotal
lmatt
er,
achi
ng,
att
ractal
lmat
ter
?
Sothebodyofmet oal l
Imeetorknow.

Nat
iveMoment
s

Nat
ivemoments--
whenyoucomeuponme-
-ahy
ouar
eher
enow,
Gi
vemenowlibidi
nousj
oysonl
y,
Givemet hedr enchofmypassi ons,givemel i
fecoar seandrank,
To-dayIgoconsor twi t
hNat ure'sdar l
ings,to-nighttoo,
Iam f orthosewhobel i
evei nloosedel ights,Ishar ethemidni
ght
orgiesofy oungmen,
Idancewi t
hthedancer sanddr i
nkwi ththedr i
nker s,
Theechoesr ingwi thouri ndecentcal ls,Ipickoutsomel owperson
formydear estf r
iend,
Heshal lbelawl ess, r
ude, i
lli
terate,heshal lbeonecondemn' dby
other sfordeedsdone,
Iwillplayapar tnol onger, whyshoul dIexilemy sel
ffrom mycompani
ons?
Oy oushunn' dper sons, Iatleastdonotshuny ou,
Icomef or t
hwi thiny ourmi dst,Iwillbey ourpoet ,
Iwillbemor et oy out hant oanyoft herest.

OnceIPass'
dThr
oughaPopul
ousCi
ty

OnceIpass'dt hroughapopul ouscityimpri

ntingmybr ainforf
utur
e
usewithitsshows, archit
ectur
e,customs, tr
aditi
ons,
Yetnowofal lthatci t
yIr ememberonl yawomanIcasual l
ymet
ther
ewhodet ain'dmef orl
oveofme,
Daybydayandni ghtbyni ghtwewer etogether--
allel
sehaslong
beenforgottenbyme,
IrememberIsayonl ythatwomanwhopassi onatel
yclungtome,
Againwewander , welov e,weseparateagain,
Againshehol dsmebyt hehand,Imustnotgo,
Iseeherclosebesi demewi t
hsil
entl i
pssadandt r
emulous.

IHear
dYouSol
emn-
SweetPi
pesoft
heOr
gan

Iheardy ousol emn- sweetpipesoft heorganaslastSundaymor nI

pass'dthechur ch,
Windsofaut umn, asIwalk'dthewoodsatduskIhear dy ourlong-
str
etch'dsighsupabov esomour nful
,
Iheardt heper fectItal
iantenorsingingattheopera,Iheardthe
sopranoi nt hemi dstofthequar tetsi
nging;
Heartofmyl ov e!yout ooIheardmur muri
nglowthroughoneoft he
wri
stsar oundmyhead,
Heardt hepul seofy ouwhenal lwasst i
l
lri
ngingli
ttl
ebellslast
ni
ghtundermyear .

Faci
ngWestf
rom Cal
i
for
nia'
sShor
es

Facingwestf r om Cali
fornia'sshor es,
Inquir
ing, ti
reless,seekingwhati sy etunf ound,
I,achild,veryol d,overwav es, t
owar dst hehouseofmat erni
ty,
thelandofmi grati
ons, lookaf ar,
Lookof ftheshor esofmyWest ernsea, thecircl
eal mostcir
cled;
Forstar ti
ngwest wardf rom Hi ndust an,from thev al
esofKashmer e,
From Asi a,from thenor th, fr
om t heGod, thesage, andthehero,
From thesout h,from thef lower ypeni nsulasandt hespiceisl
ands,
Longhav ingwander '
dsi nce, roundt heear thhavingwander '
d,
NowIf acehomeagai n, verypl eas'dandj oyous,
(Butwher ei swhatIst artedf orsol ongago?
Andwhyi
sity
etunf
ound?
)

AsAdam Ear
lyi
ntheMor
ning

AsAdam earl
yinthemor ni
ng,
Walki
ngf
orthfrom thebowerref
resh'dwit
hsleep,
Behol
dmewher eIpass,
hearmyv oice,
approach,
Touchme,touchthepalm ofy
ourhandt omybodyasIpass,
Benotaf
raidofmybody .

BOOKV.CALAMUS

I
nPat
hsUnt
rodden

Inpat hsunt rodden,

Inthegr owt hbymar ginsofpond- wat ers,
Escapedf r om t helifethatexhi bi
tsitsel f,
From al lthest andar dshi t
hertopubl ish'd, f
rom thepleasures,
prof i
ts,conf ormi t
ies,
Whi cht ool ongIwasof feri
ngt ofeedmysoul ,
Cleart omenowst andar dsnoty etpubl ish'd,cl
eartomet hatmysoul
,
Thatt hesoul oft hemanIspeakf orr ej
oi cesincomr ades,
Her ebymy sel fawayf r
om t heclankoft hewor ld,
Tallyi
ngandt alk'
dt oher ebyt onguesar omat i
c,
Nol ongerabash' d, (
forint hissecludedspotIcanr espondasI
woul dnotdar eelsewher e,)
Stronguponmet hel i
fethatdoesnotexhi bitit
sel
f,yetcontai
ns
allther est ,
Resol v'
dt osi ngnosongst o-daybutt hoseofmanl yatt
achment,
Projectingt hem al ongt hatsubstant iallife,
Bequeat hinghencet ypesofat hl
eticl ove,
Afternoont hisdel i
ciousNi nth-mont hi nmyf orty-
fi
rstyear
,
Iproceedf oral lwhoar eorhav ebeeny oungmen,
Tot ellthesecr etmyni ght sandday s,
Tocel ebr atet heneedofcomr ades.

Scent
edHer
bageofMyBr
east

Scentedher bageofmybr east ,

Leavesf r
om y ouIgl ean, Iwr i
te,tobeper usedbestaf t
erwar ds,
Tomb- l
eav es, body -
leav esgr owingupabov emeabov edeath,
Perennialroot s,talll
eav es, Ot hewintershallnotfr
eezey ou
deli
catel eav es,
Everyyearshal lyoubl oom agai n,outfrom whereyour et
iredy ou
shallemer geagai n;
OIdonotknowwhet hermanypassi ngbywi l
ldi
scoveryouori nhal
e
yourfaintodor ,butIbel ieveaf ewwi ll;
Oslenderl eav es!Obl ossomsofmybl ood!Ipermityoutot elli
n
yourownwayoft hehear tthatisundery ou,
OIdonotknowwhaty oumeant hereunder neat
hyourselves,y ouare
nothappi ness,
Youar eoftenmor ebittert hanIcanbear ,youburnandst i
ngme,
Yety ouar ebeaut iful t
omey ouf aintt ingedr oots, youmakeme
thinkofdeat h,
Deat hisbeaut iful from y ou, (whati ndeedi sf inallybeaut iful
exceptdeat handl ove? )
OIt hinki tisnotf orl if
eIam chant ingher emychantofl ov ers,
Ithinki tmustbef ordeat h,
Forhowcal m, howsol emni tgr owst oascendt ot heat mospher eoflover
s,
Deat horl ifeIam t heni ndi ffer ent ,mysoul declinest opr ef er,
(Iam notsur ebutt hehi ghsoul ofl ov erswel comesdeat hmost ,)
IndeedOdeat h,It hinknowt hesel eav esmeanpr eciselyt hesameas
youmean,
Growupt allersweetl eav est hatImaysee!gr owupoutofmybr east!
Springawayf rom t heconceal '
dhear tthere!
Donotf oldy our sel fsoi ny ourpi nk- tingedr oot st i
mi dleav es!
Donotr emai ndownt her esoashamed, herbageofmybr east !
ComeIam det ermi n'dt ounbar et hisbr oadbr eastofmi ne, Ihav e
longenoughst i
fledandchoked;
Embl emat icandcapr i
ciousbl adesIl eav ey ou, nowy ouser vemenot ,
IwillsaywhatIhav etosaybyi tself ,
Iwillsoundmy selfandcomr adesonl y,Iwi llnev eragai nut tera
callonl yt hei rcal l,
Iwillraisewi thi timmor t al rev er ber at i
onst hrought heSt at es,
Iwillgiveanexampl etol ov er st ot akeper manentshapeandwi ll
throught heSt ates,
Throughmeshal l thewor dsbesai dt omakedeat hexhi lar ati
ng,
Givemey ourt onet heref or eOdeat h, thatImayaccor dwi thit ,
Givemey our sel f,f orIseet haty oubel ongt omenowabov eal l,and
aref oldedi nsepar ablyt oget her ,y oul oveanddeat har e,
Norwi l
lIal l
owy out obal kmeanymor ewi thwhatIwascal li
ngl if
e,
Fornowi ti sconv ey 'dtomet haty ouar ethepur portsessent ial,
Thaty ouhi dei nt heseshi ftingf or msofl ife,forr easons, andt hat
theyar emai nl
yf ory ou,
Thaty oubey ondt hem comef or tht or emai n, t
her ealreality,
Thatbehi ndt hemaskofmat er i
al sy oupat ient l
ywai t
,nomat terhowl ong,
Thaty ouwi ll onedayper hapst akecont rol ofal l
,
Thaty ouwi ll per hapsdi ssi pat et hi sent i
reshowofappear ance,
Thatmay -bey ouar ewhati ti sal l for ,butitdoesnotl astsov erylong,
Buty ouwi lllastv er ylong.

Whoev
erYouAr
eHol
dingMeNowi
nHand

Whoeveryouareholdingmenowi nhand,
Wit
houtonet hi
ngallwil
lbeuseless,
Igi
vey ouf
airwarni
ngbef or
ey ouatt
emptmef ur
ther
,
Iam notwhatyousupposed, butf
ardif
fer
ent
.

Whoi
shethatwoul
dbecomemyfol
lower
?
Whowoul
dsignhi
msel
facandi
dat
eformyaf
fect
ions?

Thewayi ssuspicious,theresultuncer t
ain,perhapsdest
ructi
ve,
Youwoul dhav et
ogi veupal lelse,Ialonewoul dexpecttobeyour
soleandexclusivestandard,
Yournov i
ti
atewoul deventhenbel ongandexhaust i
ng,
Thewhol epasttheoryofy ourlifeandal lconformit
ytotheli
ves
aroundyouwoul dhav etobeabandon' d,
Thereforerel
easemenowbef or etroubli
ngy oursel
fanyfur
ther,
let
goy ourhandfrom myshoul ders,
Putmedownanddepar tonyourway .
Orelsebyst ealt
hi nsomewoodf ortri
al,
Orbackofar ocki ntheopenai r,
(Forinanyroof '
dr oom ofahouseIemer genot,norincompany ,
Andinl i
brar
iesIl i
easonedumb, agawk, orunborn,ordead,)
Butjustpossiblywi t
hy ouonahi ghhi l
l,f
ir
stwatchinglestany
personformi l
esar oundapproachunawar es,
Orpossiblywithy ousai l
ingatsea,oront hebeachoft heseaor
somequi etisland,
Heretoputy ourl i
psuponmi neIper mityou,
Withthecomr ade'sl ong-dwell
i
ngki ssorthenewhusband' skiss,
ForIam thenewhusbandandIam t hecomrade.

Orifyouwil
l,
thrustingmebeneathy ourclot
hing,
Wher eImayfeel t
hethrobsofyourheartorrestupony
ourhi
p,
Carrymewheny ougof or
thoverlandorsea;
Forthusmerelytouchingyouisenough,isbest,
Andt hust
ouchingy ouwouldIsil
entl
ysleepandbecarri
edet
ernal
l
y.

Buttheseleavesconni
ngy ouconatperil
,
Fortheseleavesandmey ouwil
lnotunderstand,
Theywi l
lel
udey ouatf
irstandsti
llmoreafterward,Iwi
l
l
cert
ainl
yeludeyou.
Evenwhi l
eyoushouldthinkyouhadunquest ionabl
ycaughtme,
behol
d!
Alr
eadyy ouseeIhaveescapedf r
om you.

Foritisnotf orwhatIhav eputintoitthatIhavewri

ttenthi
sbook,
Norisitbyr eadingityouwillacquirei
t,
Nordot hoseknowmebestwhoadmi remeandv aunti
nglypraiseme,
Norwi l
lthecandi datesformyl ove(unlessatmostav er
yf ew)
provev i
ctori
ous,
Norwi l
lmypoemsdogoodonl y,t
heywi l
ldojustasmuchev i
l
,
perhapsmor e,
Forallisuselesswi t
houtthatwhi chyoumayguessatmanyt imes
andnothi t,thatwhichIhintedat;
Thereforereleasemeanddepar tonyourway .

ForYou,
ODemocr
acy

Come,Iwillmaket heconti
nentindi
ssol
ubl
e,
Iwi
llmaket hemostsplendidracethesunevershoneupon,
Iwi
llmakedi vi
nemagnet i
clands,
Withtheloveofcomr ades,
Withtheli
fe-l
ongloveofcomr ades.

Iwil
lpl
antcompani onshi
pthi
ckast r
eesalongal
ltheri
ver
sofAmer ica,
andal
ongt heshoresofthegreatl
akes,andal
lovert
heprai
ries,
Iwil
lmakeinseparableci
ti
eswiththei
rarmsabouteachother
'snecks,
Bytheloveofcomr ades,
Bythemanl yl
ov eofcomrades.

Fory
outhesef
rom me,ODemocracy,t
oser
vey
oumaf
emme!
Fory
ou,
foryouIam t
ri
ll
i
ngthesesongs.

TheseISi
ngi
ngi
nSpr
ing

TheseIsi
ngi
ngi
nspr
ingcol
l
ectf
orl
over
s,
(ForwhobutIshoul dunder standl ov ersandal ltheirsor rowandj oy?
AndwhobutIshoul dbet hepoetofcomr ades? )
Col l
ect ingIt rav erset hegar dent hewor ld, butsoonIpasst hegat es,
Nowal ongt hepond- side, nowwadi ngi nal itt
le, f
ear i
ngnott hewet ,
Nowbyt hepost -
and- rai lfenceswher et heol dst onest hrownt here,
pick' df rom t hef ields, hav eaccumul ated,
(Wi l
d- flower sandv inesandweedscomeupt hr ought hest onesand
par tlycov ert hem, bey ondt heseIpass, )
Far ,fari nt hef or est ,orsaunt eri
ngl at erinsummer ,bef oreI
thinkwher eIgo,
Solitar y,smel li
ngt heear thysmel l,stoppi ngnowandt heni nthesi l
ence,
AloneIhadt hought ,yetsoonat roopgat her sar oundme,
Somewal kbymysi deandsomebehi nd, andsomeembr acemyar msorneck,
Theyt hespi ritsofdearf ri
endsdeadoral i
v e,thickertheycome, a
gr eatcr owd, andIi nt hemi ddle,
Col l
ect ing, dispensi ng, singing, t
her eIwanderwi ththem,
Plucki ngsomet hingf ort okens, tossi ngt owar dwhoev eri snearme,
Her e, l
ilac, withabr anchofpi ne,
Her e, outofmypocket , somemosswhi chIpul l'
dof fal iv
e-oaki n
Flor idaasi thungt railingdown,
Her e, somepi nksandl aur elleaves, andahandf ulofsage,
Andher ewhatInowdr awf rom thewat er ,wadi ngi nt hepondsi de,
(Oher eIl astsawhi mt hatt ender lylov esme, andr etur nsagai n
nev ert osepar atef rom me,
Andt hi s,Ot hi sshal lhencef or t
hbet het okenofcomr ades, this
cal amus- r
ootshal l
,
Interchangei ty out hswi theachot her !letnoner enderi tback! )
Andt wi gsofmapl eandabunchofwi l
dor angeandchest nut,
Andst emsofcur rantsandpl um- blows, andt hear omat i
ccedar ,
TheseIcompass' dar oundbyat hickcl oudofspi rit
s,
Wander i
ng, poi ntt oort ouchasIpass, ort hrowt hem l oosel yfrom me,
Indicat ingt oeachonewhatheshal lhav e, givingsomet hi
ngt oeach;
ButwhatIdr ewf rom t hewat erbyt hepond- side, t
hatIr eserve,
Iwi l
l giv eofi t,butonl yt ot hem t hatl ov easImy selfam capabl e
ofl ov i
ng.

NotHeav
ingf
rom MyRi
bb'
dBr
eastOnl
y

Notheav i
ngf rom myr ibb'dbreastonl y,
Notinsighsatni ghti nr agedissat isf i
edwi thmy sel
f,
Notinthosel ong- drawn, i
ll
-suppr estsi ghs,
Notinmanyanoat handpr omi sebr oken,
Notinmywi l
ful andsav agesoul '
sv olit
ion,
Notinthesubt l
enour ishmentoft heai r,
Notinthisbeat i
ngandpoundi ngatmyt empl esandwr ists,
Notinthecur ioussy stoleanddi ast olewi thinwhi chwil
l onedaycease,
Notinmanyahungr ywi sht ol
dt ot heski esonl y,
Notincries,l
aught er,def i
ancies, thr ownf r
om mewhenal onef arin
thewil
ds,
Notinhuskypant i
ngst hroughcl inch' dteet h,
Notinsoundedandr esoundedwor ds,chat teringwords,echoes, deadwor
ds,
Notinthemur mur sofmydr eamswhi l
eIsl eep,
Northeot hermur mur soft hesei ncr edibledr eamsofev eryday ,
Norinthel i
mbsandsensesofmybodyt hatt akeyouanddi smissyou
cont
inually
--nott her e,
Notinanyoral loft hem Oadhesi v eness!Opul seofmyl ife!
NeedIthaty ouexi standshowy our selfanymor ethanint hesesongs.
Oft
heTer
ri
bleDoubtofAppear
ances

Oft het err

ibledoubtofappear ances,
Oft heuncer taint yafterall,thatwemaybedel uded,
Thatmay -
ber elianceandhopear ebutspecul ationsaf terall
,
Thatmay -
bei dent it
ybey ondt hegr aveisabeaut iful
fabl eonly,
May -bet het hingsIper cei
v e, t
heani mals,plants, men, hill
s,
shiningandf l
owi ngwat ers,
Theski esofdayandni ght,col ors,densit
ies,forms, may -
bet hese
are( asdoubt lesst heyar e)onl yappar i
ti
ons, andt her eal
somet hinghasy ettobeknown,
(Howof tent heydar toutoft hemsel vesasi ftoconf oundmeandmockme!
Howof tenIt hi nknei t
herIknow, noranymanknows, aughtoft hem, )
May -beseemi ngt omewhatt heyar e(asdoubt lesst heyi ndeedbutseem)
asf rom mypr esentpoi ntofv iew,andmi ghtpr ove(asofcour sethey
woul d)noughtofwhatt heyappear ,ornoughtany how, fr
om entirel
y
changedpoi ntsofv i
ew;
Tomet heseandt hel i
keoft hesear ecuriouslyanswer '
dbymy
l
ov ers, mydearf ri
ends,
Whenhewhom Il ovetravel swi thmeorsi t
sal ongwhi leholdingme
byt hehand,
Whent hesubt l
eai r
,theimpal pable,thesenset hatwor dsandr eason
holdnot ,sur roundusandper vadeus,
ThenIam char gedwi thunt ol dandunt ell
abl ewisdom, Iam si l
ent,I
requir enot hingf urt
her ,
Icannotanswert hequest i
onofappear ancesort hatofi dentit
y
bey ondt hegr av e,
ButIwal korsi tindi f
ferent,Iam sat i
sfi
ed,
Heahol dofmyhandhascompl etelysati
sfiedme.

TheBaseofAl
lMet
aphy
sics

Andnowgentl
emen,
AwordIgiv
etoremai
niny ourmemori
esandmi
nds,
Asbaseandfi
nal
etooforallmet
aphy
sics.

(Sotothestudentst
heol
dprofessor
,
Atthecloseofhiscr
owdedcourse.
)

Havingst udiedthenewandant ique, t

heGr eekandGer manicsyst
ems,
Kanthav i
ngst udiedandst ated,FichteandSchel li
ngandHegel ,
Stat
edt hel oreofPlato,andSocr atesgreaterthanPl ato,
Andgr eaterthanSocr atessoughtandst at
ed, Christdi
v i
nehavi
ng
st
udi edlong,
Iseeremi niscentto-dayt hoseGr eekandGer mani csystems,
Seethephi losophiesal l
,Christi
anchur chesandt enetssee,
Yetunder neathSocr atesclearlysee, andunder neathChr i
stt
hedivi
neIsee,
Thedearl ov eofmanf orhiscomr ade,theattr
act i
onoff ri
endtofr
iend,
Ofthewel l
-marri
edhusbandandwi fe,ofchil
drenandpar ent
s,
Ofcityforci t
yandl andf orland.

Recor
der
sAgesHence

Recor
der
sageshence,
Come, Iwi llt
akey oudownunder neat hthisimpassi veext eri
or,I
willt
el ly
ouwhatt osayofme,
Publishmynameandhangupmypi ctureast hatoft het ender estlover
,
Thef ri
endt hel over'
spor tr
ait,
ofwhom hi sfriendhi slov erwasf ondest,
Whowasnotpr oudofhi ssongs, butoft hemeasur elessoceanofl ove
withinhim, andf reel ypour'di tforth,
Whoof tenwal k'dlonesomewal kst hinkingofhi sdearf riends, hislover
s,
Whopensi veawayf r om onehel ov'
dof t
enl aysl eeplessand
dissatisfi
edatni ght ,
Whoknewt oowel lthesi ck,sickdr eadl estt heonehel ov '
dmi ght
secretlybei ndiff
er enttohi m,
Whosehappi estday swer efarawayt hroughf iel
ds,inwoods, onhi l
ls,
heandanot herwander inghandi nhand, theyt wainapar tf
rom ot hermen,
Whoof tashesaunt er'dthest reetscur v
'dwi thhi sarmt heshoul der
ofhisf ri
end, whilet hear m ofhi sf ri
endr est eduponhi m al so.

WhenIHear
datt
heCl
oseoft
heDay

WhenIhear datt hecl oseoft hedayhowmynamehadbeenr eceiv'

d
withpl audi tsi nt hecapi tol
, sti
lli
twasnotahappyni ghtf or
met hatf ollow' d,
Andel sewhenIcar ous' d,orwhenmypl answer eaccompl i
sh'd, sti
ll
Iwasnothappy ,
ButthedaywhenIr oseatdawnf r
om t hebedofper fectheal t
h,
refr
esh' d, singing, inhal i
ngt her i
pebr eat hofaut umn,
WhenIsawt hef ull mooni nthewestgr owpal eanddi sappeari nthe
mor ningl ight ,
WhenIwander 'dal oneov erthebeach, andundr essingbat hed,
l
aughi ngwi ththecool water s,andsawt hesunr i
se,
AndwhenIt houghthowmydearf r
iendmyl overwasonhi sway
comi ng, Ot henIwashappy ,
Ot heneachbr eat ht astedsweet er,andal lthatdaymyf ood
nourish'dmemor e, andt hebeaut if
ul daypass' dwel l,
Andt henextcamewi t
hequal j
oy ,
andwi ththenextatev eni ngcame
myf riend,
Andt hatni ghtwhi leal lwasst il
lIhear dt hewat ersrol l
slowl y
continual lyupt heshor es,
Iheardt hehi ssingr ust l
eoft hel iquidandsandsasdi r
ect edt ome
whisper ingt ocongr atulateme,
FortheoneIl ovemostl aysleepi ngbymeundert hesamecov eri
n
thecool ni ght,
Inthest il
lnessi nt heaut umnmoonbeamshi sfacewasi nclinedt owardme,
Andhi sar ml ayl ight lyar oundmybr east -
-andthatni ghtIwashappy .

Ar
eYout
heNewPer
sonDr
awnTowar
dMe?

Areyouthenewper sondr awntowar dme?

Tobeginwithtakewarning,Iam surelyfardiff
erentf r
om whaty ousuppose;
Doyousupposey ouwi l
lfindinmey ourideal
?
Doyouthinkitsoeasytohav emebecomey ourlover?
Doyouthinkthefri
endshipofmewoul dbeunal l
oy'dsati
sfaction?
DoyouthinkIam trust
yandf ait
hf ul
?
Doyouseenof ur
thert
hant hisfacade,thissmoot handtolerant
mannerofme?
Doyousupposey oursel
fadv ancingonr ealgroundt owar
dar ealher
oicman?
Haveyounot houghtOdr eamert hatitmaybeal lmay a,i
ll
usion?
Root
sandLeav
esThemsel
vesAl
one

Root sandl eav est hemsel vesal onear ethese,

Scent sbr oughtt omenandwomenf rom thewi ldwoodsandpond- si
de,
Breast-sor rel andpi nksofl ov e,fingersthatwi ndar oundt i
ghter
thanv ines,
Gushesf rom t het hr oatsofbi rdshi dinthef oli
ageoft r
eesast he
suni sr i
sen,
Breezesofl andandl ovesetf rom l i
vi
ngshor estoy ouont helivi
ng
sea, t
oy ouOsai lors!
Frost-mel low' dber ri
esandThi rd-mont htwigsof fer'
df r
esht oyoung
personswander i
ngouti nthef i
eldswhent hewi nterbreaksup,
Love-budsputbef or ey ouandwi t
hiny ouwhoev ery ouar e,
Budst obeunf ol dedont heol dt erms,
Ifyoubr ingt hewar mt hofthesunt othem t heywi l
lopenandbr i
ng
form, col or ,per f
ume, t
oy ou,
Ifyoubecomet heal imentandt hewett heywi ll
becomef l
owers,
fruit
s,tal lbr anchesandt rees.

NotHeatFl
amesUpandConsumes

Notheatf l
amesupandconsumes,
Notsea- wav eshur r
yi nandout ,
Nottheai rdel i
ciousanddr y
,theai rofripesummer ,bearsl
ightl
y
al
ongwhi t
edown- bal
lsofmy ri
adsofseeds,
Waited, sai
linggr acef ul
ly,t
odr opwher et heymay ;
Notthese, Ononeoft hesemor ethant heflamesofme, consuming,
burningf orhisl ovewhom Il ove,
Ononemor et hanIhur ryi
nginandout ;
Doest het i
dehur ry,seekingsomet hi
ng, andnev ergiveup?OIt hesame,
Onordown- ball
snorper fumes, nort hehighrain-emitti
ngclouds,
arebor net hrought heopenai r,
Anymor ethanmysoul i
sbor nethrought heopenai r
,
Waftedi nal ldi
rect i
onsOl ove,forfri
endshi p,
fory ou.

Tr
ickl
eDr
ops

Trickledrops!mybl uev einsleav i

ng!
Odr opsofme!t ri
ckle,sl
owdr ops,
Candi dfrom mef all
ing,drip,bleedingdr ops,
From woundsmadet ofreey ouwhencey ouwer epri
son'd,
From myf ace,fr
om myf oreheadandl ips,
From mybr east,f
rom wi t
hinwher eIwasconceal '
d,pressfort
hred
dr ops,confessi
ondr ops,
Stainev erypage,stainever ysongIsi ng, everywordIsay,bloodydr
ops,
Lett hem knowy ourscar l
etheat ,l
etthem gl i
sten,
Sat urat
et hem wit
hy ourselfallashamedandwet ,
Glowuponal lIhavewr itt
enorshal lwrite,bleedi
ngdrops,
Leti tal
lbeseeni ny ourli
ght ,blushingdr ops.
Ci
tyofOr
gies

Cit
yofor gies, walksandj oys,
Cit
ywhom t hatIhav eliv
edandsungi ny ourmi dstwil
lonedaymake
Notthepageant sofyou,noty ourshifti
ngt ableaus,y
our
spectacles,repayme,
Notthei nterminablerowsofy ourhouses, nort heshipsatthewharves,
Northepr ocessi onsinthest r
eet s,northebr i
ghtwindowswi th
goodsi nthem,
Nortoconv ersewi t
hlearn'dper sons,orbearmyshar einthesoir
ee
orfeast;
Notthose, butasIpassOManhat t
an, yourfrequentandswiftfl
ash
ofeyesof feringmel ove,
Offer
ingr esponset omyown- -theser epayme,
Lovers,continual l
overs,onlyrepayme.

Behol
dThi
sSwar
thyFace

Beholdthisswar thyface,thesegr ayeyes,

Thisbeard,thewhi tewool uncliptuponmyneck,
Mybr ownhandsandt hesilentmannerofmewi t
houtcharm;
YetcomesoneaManhat taneseandev eratparti
ngkissesmeli
ght
ly
onthelipswi throbustlove,
AndIont hecr ossingofthest reetoront heship'
sdeckgivea
ki
ssinr et
ur n,
Weobser vet hatsaluteofAmer icancomradeslandandsea,
Wear ethoset wonat uralandnonchal antpersons.

ISawi
nLoui
sianaaLi
ve-
OakGr
owi
ng

Isawi nLoui sianaal ive-oakgr owi ng,

Allal
onest oodi tandt hemosshungdownf rom thebr anches,
Withoutanycompani oni tgrewt hereutteringjoyousofdar kgreen,
Andi t
sl ook,rude, unbendi ng,lusty ,
mademet hinkofmy self
,
ButIwonder '
dhowi tcoul dutterjoyousl eavesst andingalonethere
withoutitsf ri
endnear ,forIknewIcoul dnot ,
AndIbr okeof fat wi gwi thacer tainnumberofl eav esuponi tand
twinedar oundi tal it
tlemoss,
Andbr oughti taway ,andIhav epl acedi tinsightinmyr oom,
Iti
snotneededt or emi ndmeasofmyowndearf r
iends,
(ForIbel i
evelatel yIt hinkofl i
ttl
eel sethanoft hem, )
Yetitremai nst omeacur i
oust oken, i
tmakesmet hinkofmanl yl
ove;
Forallthat,andt hought hel i
ve-oakgl i
stenst her
ei nLoui si
ana
soli
taryinawi dei nawi deflatspace,
Utter
ingj oyousl eav esal l i
tsli
fewi thoutaf ri
endal overnear,
Iknowv erywel lIcoul dnot .

ToaSt
ranger

Passi
ngstr
anger
!youdonotknowhowlongi
nglyIl
ookuponyou,
YoumustbeheIwasseeki
ng,orsheIwasseeki
ng,(i
tcomestome
asofadream,
)
Ihav esomewher esur el
yl i
vedal i
feofjoywi thyou,
Allisrecal
l'
daswef li
tbyeachot her,
flui
d, af
fect
ionate,
chaste,matured,
Yougr ewupwi thme, wereaboywi thmeoragi rlwit
hme,
Iatewi t
hy ouandsl eptwi t
hy ou,yourbodyhasbecomenoty ours
onlynorleftmybodymi neonly,
Yougi vemet hepleasur eofy oureyes,face,fl
esh,aswepass,you
takeofmybear d,breast,hands,inreturn,
Iam nott ospeakt oyou, Iam tothinkofy ouwhenIsi tal
oneor
wakeatni ghtalone,
Iam t owait,
IdonotdoubtIam t omeety ouagai n,
Iam t oseetoitthatIdonotl osey ou.

Thi
sMomentYear
ningandThought
ful

Thismomenty earni
ngandt houghtf
ulsit
tingalone,
Itseemst omet hereareothermeni notherlandsyearningandthought
ful
,
Itseemst omeIcanl ookoverandbeholdt hem i
nGer many ,I
tal
y,
France,Spai
n,
Orfar ,
faraway,inChina,orinRussi
aort alki
ngotherdialect
s,
Andi tseemstomei fIcouldknowthosemenIshoul dbecome
attachedtothem asIdot omeni nmyownl ands,
OIknowweshoul dbebr et
hrenandlovers,
IknowIshoul dbehappywi t
hthem.

IHearI
tWasChar
gedAgai
nstMe

Ihearitwaschar gedagai nstmet hatIsoughtt odestr

oyinsti
tut
ions,
ButreallyIam nei therfornoragainsti
nsti
t uti
ons,
(Whati ndeedhav eIincommonwi t
hthem?orwhatwi ththe
destructionoft hem? )
OnlyIwi l
l establi
shint heMannahat t
aandi never
ycityofthese
Statesinlandandseaboar d,
Andi nthef ieldsandwoods, andaboveev erykeell
itt
leorlar
ge
thatdent st hewat er
,
Withoutedi ficesorrulesortrusteesoranyar gument,
Thei nsti
tutionoft hedearloveofcomr ades.

ThePr
air
ie-
GrassDi
vi
ding

Theprai
rie-gr
assdivi
ding,itsspeci alodorbr eathing,
Idemandofi tthespir
it
ual correspondi ng,
Demandt hemostcopi ousandcl osecompani onshi pofmen,
Demandt hebladestoriseofwor ds,act s,beings,
Thoseoft heopenatmospher e, coarse, sunlit
,fresh, nut
ri
ti
ous,
Thosethatgot hei
rowngai t,erect,steppi ngwi thfreedom and
command, leadi
ngnotf oll
owi ng,
Thosewithanev er-
quell
'daudaci ty,thosewi t
hsweetandl ust y
fl
eshclearoftai
nt,
Thosethatlookcarel
esslyint hef acesofPr esidentsandgov ernor
s,
astosayWhoar eyou?
Thoseofear t
h-bor
npassi on,simpl e,nev erconst r
ain'd,neverobedient
,
ThoseofinlandAmer i
ca.
WhenIPer
uset
heConquer
'dFame

WhenIper usetheconquer '

df ameofheroesandt hevictoriesof
mightygenerals,
Idonotenv ythegenerals,
NorthePresidentinhisPr esidency,norther i
chinhisgr eathouse,
ButwhenIhearoft hebrother hoodoflovers,howitwaswi ththem,
Howt ogethert
hroughl if
e,throughdanger s,odium,unchangi ng,l
ong
andlong,
Throughyouthandt hr
oughmi ddleandoldage, howunf al
teri
ng,how
aff
ecti
onateandf aithf
ul t
heywer e,
ThenIam pensi v
e--Ihasti
lywal kawayf i
l
l'dwi t
hthebit
t erestenvy.

WeTwoBoy
sToget
herCl
i
ngi
ng

Wet woboy st ogethercl i

nging,
Onet heot hernev erleav i
ng,
Upanddownt heroadsgoi ng, NorthandSout hexcur si
onsmaki ng,
Powerenj oyi
ng, el
bowsst retching,fingersclutchi
ng,
Arm' dandf earless,eating,drinking,sleeping,lovi
ng.
Nol awl essthanour selvesowni ng, sail
ing,soldi
eri
ng, t
hieving,
t
hr eatening,
Miser s,menials,priestsalarmi ng,airbreathing,waterdrinking,
on
t
het urforthesea- beachdanci ng,
Cit
ieswr enchi
ng, easescor ni
ng, statutesmocki ng,feeblenesschasi
ng,
Ful
fill
ingourf oray.

APr
omi
set
oCal
i
for
nia

Apr omisetoCali
fornia,
Orinlandtothegreatpast or
alPlains,
andont oPugetsoundandOregon;
Soj
our ni
ngeastawhi lelonger,soonIt r
avelt
owardyou,t
oremain,
t
ot eachrobustAmer i
canlove,
ForIknowv erywellthatIandr obustlovebel
ongamongy ou,
i
nland,andalongtheWest er
nsea;
FortheseStatestendi nl
andandt owar dtheWest
ernsea,andIwil
lal
so.

Her
etheFr
ail
estLeav
esofMe

Her
ethefrai
l
estleavesofmeandy etmyst
rongestl
ast
ing,
Her
eIshadeandhi demythoughts,
Imysel
fdonotexposethem,
Andyett
heyexposememor ethanal
lmyotherpoems.

NoLabor
-Sav
ingMachi
ne

Nolabor-sav
ingmachi
ne,
Nordiscoveryhav
eImade,
Norwill
Ibeabl etoleavebehindmeanyweal thybequestt
ofound
hospi
talorli
brar
y,
Norremini
scenceofanydeedofcour ageforAmer i
ca,
Norli
ter
arysuccessnori nt
ell
ect;
norbookf orthebook-
shel
f,
Butafewcar ol
sv i
brati
ngthroughtheairIl
eave,
Forcomradesandl overs.

AGl
i
mpse

Aglimpsethroughani ntersti
cecaught,
Ofacr owdofwor kmenanddr iv
ersinabar-room ar oundt hestove
l
ateofawi nterni ght,
andIunr emark'
dseat edinacor ner,
Ofay outhwhol ov esmeandwhom Il ove,sil
entlyappr oachingand
seati
nghimsel fnear,thathemayhol dmebyt hehand,
Alongwhi l
eami dt henoi sesofcomingandgoi ng, ofdr i
nkingand
oathandsmut tyj est,
Therewet wo,cont ent,happyinbeingtogether,speakingl i
ttl
e,
perhapsnotawor d.

ALeaff
orHandi
nHand

Aleafforhandi nhand;
Younaturalpersonsol dandyoung!
Youont heMississippiandonal l
thebr anchesandbayousof
t
heMi ssi
ssippi!
Youfri
endlyboat menandmechani cs!your oughs!
Youtwain!andal lprocessi
onsmov i
ngal ongthestr
eet
s!
Iwishtoinf
usemy selfamongy out i
llIseeitcommonf ory
out
o
walkhandinhand.

Ear
th,
MyLi
keness

Eart
h,myl ikeness,
Thoughy oul ooksoi mpassive,ampleandsphericthere,
Inowsuspectt hatisnotall
;
Inowsuspectt hereissomethingf i
erceinyoueli
gibletobur
stfort
h,
Foranat hleteisenamour'dofme, andIofhim,
Buttowar dhimt hereissomet hingfi
erceandterr
ibleinmeeligi
ble
t
obur stf ort
h,
Idarenott elli
tinwords,notev eninthesesongs.

IDr
eam'
dinaDr
eam

Idream'dinadr eam Isawaci tyinv

incibl
etot
heat tacksofthe
wholeofther estoftheear t
h,
Idream'dthatwast henewci tyofFriends,
Nothingwasgr eatertherethanthequalit
yofrobustlove,
itl
edther
est
,
Itwasseenev eryhouri ntheacti
onsoft hemenoft hatci
ty,
Andi nal
lthei
rlooksandwor ds.
WhatThi
nkYouITakeMyPeni
nHand?

Whatt hinky ouItakemypeni nhandt orecor d?

Thebat tl
e-ship,perfect
-model '
d, majestic,thatIsawpasst he
off
ingt o-dayunderf ul
lsail?
Thespl endor softhepastday ?ort hespl endorofthenightt hat
envelopsme?
Orthev aunt edgloryandgr owt hoft hegr eatcit
yspreadar oundme?--
no;
Butmer elyoft wosi mplemenIsawt o-dayont hepierinthemi dst
ofthecr owd, part
ingthepar tingofdearf ri
ends,
Theonet oremai nhungont heot her
'sneckandpassi onatelyki
ss'
dhi
m,
Whiletheonet odepar tt
ightlypr esttheonet oremaininhisar ms.

Tot
heEastandt
otheWest

TotheEastandt otheWest ,
Tothemanoft heSeasi deSt ateandofPennsyl
vani
a,
TotheKanadianoft henor t
h, t
otheSouther
nerIlove,
Thesewi t
hperfecttrusttodepi ctyouasmyself
,theger msareinal
lmen,
Ibel
ievethemai npurpor toftheseStatesi
stofoundasuper b
fr
iendshi
p,exalt
e,prev i
ouslyunknown,
BecauseIperceiveitwai ts,
andhasbeenal wayswai t
ing,l
atenti
nal
lmen.

Somet
imeswi
thOneILov
e

Somet i
meswi t
honeIl oveIfi
llmysel
fwithragef
orfearIeffuse
unret
urn'
dlove,
ButnowIt hi
nkthereisnounr et
urn'
dlov
e,thepayiscert
ainone
wayoranother,
(Il
ovedacertai
nper sonardentl
yandmyl ovewasnotreturn'
d,
YetoutofthatIhavewr i
tt
enthesesongs.)

ToaWest
ernBoy

Manythingst
oabsor bIteachtohelpyoubecomeel
eveofmi
ne;
Yeti
fbloodli
kemi necir
clenotinyourvei
ns,
I
fyoubenotsilentl
yselectedbylover
sanddonotsi
l
entl
ysel
ectl
over
s,
Ofwhatuseisitthatyouseektobecomeel ev
eofmine?

FastAnchor
'dEt
ernal
OLov
e!

Fast-
anchor '
det er
nal Olov e!OwomanIl ov e!
Obr i
de!Owi f
e!mor eresistlessthanIcantell
,thet
houghtofy
ou!
Thensepar ate,asdisembodi edoranotherborn,
Ether
eal,thelastathleti
cr eali
ty,
myconsol ati
on,
Iascend,Ifloatintheregionsofy ourl
oveOman,
Oshar erofmyr ovi
nglif
e.
Amongt
heMul
ti
tude

Amongt hemenandwoment hemultit

ude,
Ipercei
veonepi ckingmeoutbysecretanddivi
nesigns,
Acknowledgingnoneel se,
notpar
ent,wif
e,husband,br
other
,chi
l
d,
anynearerthanIam,
Somear ebaffled,butt
hatoneisnot
--t
hatoneknowsme.

Ahlov
erandperf
ectequal
,
Imeantt
hatyoushoul
ddiscovermesobyfai
nti
ndi
rect
ions,
AndIwhenImeetyoumeant odiscov
ery
oubythel
ikeinyou.

OYouWhom IOf
tenandSi
l
ent
lyCome

Oyouwhom Ioftenandsi
lentl
ycomewher eyouarethatImaybewithyou,
AsIwalkbyyoursi
deorsitnear,orremai
nint
hesamer oom wi
thyou,
Li
tt
leyouknowthesubtl
eelectr
icfir
ethatf
oryoursakeis
play
ingwithi
nme.

ThatShadowMyLi
keness

Thatshadowmylikenesst hatgoestoandf roseeki

ngali
vel
ihood,
chat
ter
ing,
chaf
feri
ng,
Howof t
enIfi
ndmy selfstandingandlookingatitwher
eitf
li
ts,
Howof t
enIquest
ionanddoubtwhet herthatisreal
l
yme;
Butamongmyl over
sandcar oli
ngthesesongs,
OIneverdoubtwhetherthatisreal
lyme.

Ful
lofLi
feNow

Ful
lofl
i
f enow, compact,vi
sibl
e,
I
,for
tyyearsoldtheeight
y-t
hirdyearoft
heSt
ates,
Tooneacent uryhenceoranynumberofcentur
ieshence,
Toyouyetunbor nthese,
seekingyou.

Wheny oureadtheseIthatwasv i
sibl
eam becomeinvisi
ble,
Nowi tisyou,compact,visi
ble,
real
izi
ngmypoems, seeki
ngme,
Fancyinghowhappyy ouwer eifIcouldbewithyouandbecomey ourcomr
ade;
Beitasi fIwerewithyou.(Benottoocert
ainbutIam nowwi t
hyou.)

BOOKVI

Sal
utauMonde!

1
OtakemyhandWal tWhi t
man!
Suchgli
dingwonder
s!suchsi ght
sandsounds!
Suchjoi
n'
dunendedlinks,eachhook'
dtothenext
,
Eachansweri
ngall
,eachshar i
ngtheear
thwit
hall
.

WhatwidenswithinyouWal tWhi t
man?
Whatwavesandsoi lsexuding?
Whatcl
imes?whatper sonsandci t
iesar ehere?
Whoaretheinfants,somepl ay
ing,somesl umberi
ng?
Whoarethegirl
s?whoar ethemar riedwomen?
Whoarethegroupsofol dmengoi ngsl owlywit
htheirarmsabout
eachother'
snecks?
Whatri
versarethese?whatf orestsandf ruit
sarethese?
Whatarethemount ainscall
'dthatri
sesohi ghi
nthemi sts?
Whatmy r
iadsofdwel li
ngsaretheyf il
l
'dwi t
hdwell
ers?

2
Withinmel ati
tudewi dens,longitudelengt hens,
Asia, Af
ri
ca,Europe,aret otheeast --
Amer i
cai sprovi
dedf ori
nthewest
,
Bandi ngthebulgeoft heear t
hwi ndst hehotequat or,
Curiouslynort
handsout hturnt heaxi s-
ends,
Withinmei sthelongestday ,t
hesunwheel sinslantingr i
ngs,i
t
doesnotsetf ormont hs,
Str
et ch'
dinduet imewi thi
nmet hemi dnightsunj ustrisesabove
thehor i
zonandsi nksagai n,
Withinmezones, seas,cataracts,forests,volcanoes, groups,
Mal aysi
a,Polynesia,andthegr eatWestI ndianisl
ands.

3
Whatdoy
ouhearWal
tWhi
tman?

Ihearthewor kmansi ngi ngandt hef armer '

swi fesingi ng,
Ihearinthedi stancet hesoundsofchi l
drenandofani mal searl
y
i
nt heday ,
Ihearemul ousshout sofAust ralianspur sui ngt hewi l
dhor se,
IheartheSpani shdancewi thcast anet sint hechest nutshade, t
o
therebeckandgui tar,
Ihearcontinual echoesf rom t heThames,
Ihearfier
ceFr enchl i
ber tysongs,
IhearoftheI t alianboat -
scul lert hemusi cal recitat
iveofol dpoems,
Ihearthelocust si nSy riaast heyst rikethegr ainandgr asswi t
h
theshower soft heirter ri
bl ecl ouds,
IheartheCopt i
cr efraint owar dsundown, pensi vel
yf all
ingont he
breastoft hebl ackv ener abl ev astmot hert heNi l
e,
Ihearthechi rpoft heMexi canmul et eer,
andt hebel l
soft hemul e,
IheartheAr abmuezzi ncal li
ngf rom t hetopoft hemosque,
IheartheChr istianpr i
est satt heal tarsoft heirchur ches, Ihear
theresponsi vebaseandsopr ano,
Ihearthecr yoft heCossack, andt hesai lor'sv oiceput ti
ngt osea
atOkotsk,
Ihearthewheezeoft hesl av e-cof fleast hesl av esmar chon, asthe
huskygangspassonbyt wosandt hr
ees, fasten'dt ogether
withwrist-chai nsandankl e- chai ns,
IheartheHebr ewr eadi nghi sr ecor dsandpsal ms,
Ihearther hythmi cmy thsoft heGr eeks, andt hest rongl egendsof
theRomans,
Ihearthet al
eoft hedi vinel ifeandbl oodydeat hoft hebeaut i
ful
Godt heChr ist,
IheartheHi ndoot eachi nghi sf av oritepupi lthel oves, wars,
adages,t r
ansmi t
tedsaf el yt ot hisdayf rom poet swhowr ot
ethree
thousandy ear sago.
 4
Whatdoy ouseeWal tWhi tman?
Whoar etheyyousal ut e,andthatoneaf teranot hersal
utey ou?
Iseeagreatroundwonderr ol
li
ngt hr
oughspace,
Iseediminutefarms, haml ets,rui
ns,graveyards, j
ail
s,f
actories,
pal
aces,hovels,hut sofbar bari
ans,tentsofnomadsupont hesur
face,
Iseetheshadedpar tononesi dewher ethesl eepersaresleeping,
andthesunli
tpar tont heot herside,
Iseethecuri
ousr apidchangeoft heli
ghtandshade,
Iseedist
antlands, asr ealandneart othei nhabitant
softhem as
mylandistome.

Iseeplenteouswat ers,
Iseemount ai npeaks, Iseet hesi er rasofAndeswher et heyr ange,
Iseeplainlyt heHi mal ayas,ChianShahs, Al
tays,Ghaut s,
Iseethegi antpi nnaclesofEl bruz, Kazbek, Bazar dj
usi,
IseetheSt y rianAl ps, andt heKar nacAl ps,
IseethePy renees, Balks, Carpathi ans, andt othenor ththe
Dofr
af i
elds, andof fatseamountHecl a,
IseeVesuv iusandEt na,themount ainsoft heMoon, andt heRed
mount ainsofMadagascar ,
IseetheLy bian, Arabian, andAsi aticdeser ts,
Iseehugedr eadf ulArct i
candAnt ar cticicebergs,
Iseethesuper ioroceansandt hei nfer i
orones, theAtlanti
cand
Paci
fic,theseaofMexi co,theBr azili
ansea, andt heseaofPer u,
Thewat ersofHi ndust an, t
heChi nasea, andthegul fofGui nea,
TheJapanwat ers,thebeaut i
ful bayofNagasaki land-l
ock'di nits
mount ains,
Thespreadoft heBal tic,Caspian, Bot hnia,theBriti
shshor es, and
thebayofBi scay ,
Theclear-sunn' dMedi ter
ranean, andf rom onet oanot herofi tsisl
ands,
TheWhi tesea, andt heseaar oundGr eenl and.

Ibehol
dthemari
nersoftheworl
d,
Someareinst
orms,somei nt
henightwi
tht
hewatchonthel
ookout
,
Somedrif
ti
nghel
plessl
y,somewithcont
agi
ousdi
seases.

Ibeholdthesai landst eamshi psoft hewor ld,somei ncl ust er

sin
port
,someont hei rvoy ages,
Somedoubl et hecapeofSt orms, somecapeVer de,otherscapes
Guardafui ,Bon, orBaj ador e,
OthersDondr ahead, other spasst hest rait
sofSunda, other scape
Lopatka, other sBehr ing'sst r
aits,
OtherscapeHor n, ot herssai lthegul fofMexi cooral ongCubaor
Hayti
,other sHudson' sbayorBaf fi
n'sbay ,
Otherspasst hest raitsofDov er,ot hersent ertheWash, othersthe
fi
rt
hofSol way ,ot hersr oundcapeCl ear,
ot herstheLand' sEnd,
Otherstraverset heZuy derZeeort heSchel d,
Othersascomer sandgoer satGi br alt
arort heDar danel l
es,
Otherssternlypusht heirwayt hrought henor thernwi nter-
packs,
Othersdescendorascendt heObi ort heLena,
OtherstheNi gerort heCongo, other st heIndus, theBur ampoot er
andCambodi a,
Otherswai tst eam' dupr eadyt ost ar ti
nt hepor tsofAust r
al i
a,
WaitatLi v
er pool ,Gl asgow, Dublin, Mar seil
les,Lisbon, Napl es,
Hambur g,Br emen, Bor deaux, theHague, Copenhagen,
WaitatVal par aiso, Ri oJanei ro,Panama.

5
Iseet
hetr
acksoftherai
lr
oadsoftheear
th,
Iseet
hem i
nGreatBri
tai
n,Iseet
hem i
nEurope,
Iseet
hem i
nAsiaandinAfri
ca.
Iseetheelect
ri
ctel
egraphsoft
heear
th,
Iseethefi
lamentsofthenewsoft
hewars,
deat
hs,
losses,
gai
ns,
passi
ons,ofmyrace.

Iseethel
ongr iver-
str
ipesoft heear t
h,
IseetheAmazonandt hePar aguay,
Iseethefourgreatriv
er sofChi na,t
heAmour ,theYellowRi
ver
,
theYi
ang-t
se, andthePear l
,
IseewheretheSei neflows, andwher etheDanube,theLoir
e,t
he
Rhone,andtheGuadal qui
verf l
ow,
Iseethewindingsoft heVol ga,theDnieper,
theOder,
IseetheTuscangoi ngdownt heAr no,andtheVenetianal
ongthePo,
IseetheGreekseamansai l
i
ngoutofEgi nabay.

6
Iseethesit
eoft heoldempir
eofAssyr
ia,andthatofPer
sia,
and
thatofI
ndia,
Iseethefal
li
ngoft heGangesov
erthehighri
m ofSaukara.

Iseetheplaceoft heideaoft heDei t

yincarnat
edbyavatarsin
humanf orms,
Iseethespot softhesuccessi onsofpr i
estsontheeart
h,oracles,
sacr
if
icers,brahmins,sabi
ans, l
lamas, monks,muft
is,exhort
ers,
Iseewheredr uidswalk'
dt hegr ov
esofMona, Iseet
hemi stl
etoe
andvervain,
Iseethetempl esofthedeat hsoft hebodiesofGods,Iseetheol d
si
gnif
iers.

IseeChr i
steat i
ngt hebreadofhi slastsupperinthemidstof
youthsandol dper sons,
Iseewher et hest r
ongdiviney oungmant heHer cul
estoi
l'
d
fait
hfull
yandl ongandt hendi ed,
Iseet heplaceoft heinnocentr ichlif
eandhapl essfat
eoft he
beautif
ul noct
ur nalson,thef ull
-l
imb'dBacchus,
IseeKneph, bl
oomi ng,drestinbl ue,wit
hthecr ownoffeather
son
hishead,
IseeHer mes, unsuspected, dying,well-
belov'
d,sayi
ngtothepeopl
e
Donotweepf orme,
Thisisnotmyt ruecount r
y ,Ihavelivedbanish'
df r
om mytrue
country,Inowgobackt here,
Iretur
nt othecel esti
alspher ewher eeveryonegoesi nhi
st ur
n.

7
Iseethebatt
le-
fi
eldsoftheear
th,
grassgrowsuponthem and
bl
ossomsandcor n,
Iseethetr
acksofancientandmodernexpedi
ti
ons.

Iseethenamelessmasonri
es,vener
abl
emessagesoft
heunknown
event
s,her
oes,recor
dsoftheeart
h.

Iseet heplacesoft hesagas,

Iseepi ne-
treesandf i
r-t
reestornbynor t
her
nblasts,
Iseegr ani
tebowl dersandcl i
ff
s, Iseegreenmeadowsandl akes,
Iseet hebur i
al-
cair
nsofScandi nav i
anwar r
ior
s,
Iseet hem raisedhighwithstonesbyt hemargeofr estl
essoceans,
thatthedeadmen' sspiri
tswhent heyweari
edoft hei
rquiet
gravesmi ghtriseupthrought hemoundsandgazeont hetossi
ng
bil
lows,andber efr
esh'dbystor ms, i
mmensity
,libert
y,acti
on.

Iseet
hesteppesofAsi
a,
Iseet
hetumuliofMongol
i
a,Iseet
het
ent
sofKal
mucksandBaski
rs,
Iseethenomadict r
ibeswithherdsofoxenandcows,
Iseethetabl
e-l
andsnot ch'
dwithravi
nes,Iseet
hejunglesanddeser
ts,
Iseethecamel,thewildsteed,
thebustard,t
hefat
-t
ail
'
dsheep,
theant
elope,
andt heburrowingwolf

Iseet
hehi ghlandsofAbyssi
nia,
Iseef
locksofgoat sfeedi
ng,andseethefi
g-t
ree,t
amari
nd,dat
e,
Andseefieldsofteff
-wheatandplacesofv
erdureandgol
d.

IseetheBrazi
lianvaquero,
IseetheBoli
vianascendingmountSor at
a,
IseetheWachocr ossingtheplai
ns,Iseethei
ncompar
abl
eriderof
hor
seswi t
hhi sl
assoonhi sarm,
Iseeovert
hepampast hepur
suitofwil
dcattl
efort
hei
rhi
des.

8
Iseetheregionsofsnowandi ce,
Iseethesharp- eyedSamoi edeandt heFinn,
Iseetheseal-seekeri nhisboatpoi singhislance,
IseetheSiberianonhi ssl
ight-builtsledgedr awnbydogs,
Iseetheporpoi se-hunter
s, Iseet hewhal e-crewsofthesout
h
Paci
fi
candt henor thAtlantic,
Iseethecli
ffs,glaciers,t
orrent s,
v all
eys,ofSwi t
zer
land-
-I
markthelongwi ntersandt hei solati
on.

Iseetheciti
esoft heear thandmakemy sel
fatr andom apar tofthem,
Iam ar eal
Par isian,
Iam ahabitanofVi enna, St.Peter sbur
g, Berl
in,Constant i
nople,
Iam ofAdelaide, Sidney,Mel bour ne,
Iam ofLondon, Manchest er,
Br i
st ol
,Edinburgh,Limerick,
Iam ofMadr id, Cadiz,Barcelona, Oporto, Ly
ons, Brussels,Berne,
Frankfor
t,Stut t
gart,Turin,Florence,
Ibel
ongi nMoscow, Cracow, War saw,ornor thwardinChr isti
aniaor
Stockhol
m, orinSi ber
ianI r
kut sk,orinsomest reetinIceland,
Idescenduponal lt
hoseci ti
es, andr i
sef rom them again.

10
Iseev apor sexhal ingf r
om unexpl oredcount ri
es,
Iseet hesav aget ypes,thebowandar r
ow, thepoi son'dspl int
, t
he
feti
ch, andt heobi .
IseeAf ri
canandAsi ati
ct owns,
IseeAl giers,Tr i
poli,Derne, Mogador e,Timbuct oo, Monr ov i
a,
Iseet heswar msofPeki n,Cant on, Benar es, Delhi, Calcutta,Tokio,
Iseet heKr umani nhi shut ,andt heDahomanandAshant ee- maninthei
rhut
s,
Iseet heTur ksmoki ngopi um inAl eppo,
Iseet hepi cturesquecr owdsatt hef air
sofKhi v aandt hoseofHer at,
IseeTeher an, IseeMuscatandMedi naandt hei nterveningsands,
seet hecar av anst oil
ingonwar d,
IseeEgy ptandt heEgy ptians, Iseet hepy r
ami dsandobel isks.
Il
ookonchi sell'
dhi stori
es, recordsofconquer ingki ngs,
dynast i
es, cuti nslabsofsand- stone, orongr ani te-
blocks,
IseeatMemphi smummy -pitscont aini
ngmummi esembal m' d,
swat hedi nl i
nencl oth,lyingt heremanycent uries,
Il
ookont hef all
'nTheban, thel arge- bal
l'
dey es, the
side-droopi ngneck, t
hehandsf oldedacr osst hebr east.

Iseeall t
hemeni al
soft heeart
h, l
aboring,
Iseeall t
hepr isonersinthepri
sons,
Iseethedef ect i
vehumanbodi esoft heear t
h,
Theblind,thedeafanddumb, i
diots,hunchbacks,l
unat
ics,
Thepirates,thieves,betray
ers,
mur derers,sl
ave-
makersoftheear
th,
Thehel pl
essi nfants,andthehelpl
essol dmenandwomen.
Iseemal eandf emal eeverywhere,
Iseetheser enebr otherhoodofphi l
osophs,
Iseetheconst ructivenessofmyr ace,
Iseetheresul tsoft heperseveranceandi ndust
ryofmyr
ace,
Iseeranks, colors,barbari
sms, ci
vil
izat
ions,Igoamongt
hem,I
mixindiscriminately,
AndIsaluteal ltheinhabitantsoftheear t
h.

11
Youwhoev ery ouar e!
Youdaught erorsonofEngl and!
Youoft hemi ght ySl av ict ribesandempi res!y ouRussi nRussi a!
Youdi m- descended, black, di vi
ne- soul '
dAf r i
can, lar ge, fine-headed,
nobly-form' d, super blydest i
n'd, onequal termswi thme!
YouNor wegi an!Swede!Dane!I cel ander !youPr ussi an!
YouSpani ar dofSpai n!y ouPor t uguese!
YouFr enchwomanandFr enchmanofFr ance!
YouBel ge!y oul i
berty -l
ov eroft heNet her l
ands!( youst ockwhenceI
my selfhav edescended; )
Youst urdyAust r
ian!y ouLombar d!Hun!Bohemi an!f ar merofSt yri
a!
Younei ghboroft heDanube!
Youwor king- manoft heRhi ne, theEl be, ort heWeser !y ouwor king-womant oo!
YouSar di ni
an!y ouBav ar ian!Swabi an!Saxon!Wal lachi an!Bul gar i
an!
YouRoman!Neapol i
tan!y ouGr eek!
Youl i
themat adori nt hear enaatSev il
le!
Youmount aineerl ivi
ngl awl esslyont heTaur usorCaucasus!
YouBokhhor se- herdwat chi ngy ourmar esandst al l
ionsf eeding!
Youbeaut iful-bodi edPer sianatf ull speedi nt hesaddl eshoot ing
arrowst ot hemar k!
YouChi namanandChi nawomanofChi na!y ouTar t
arofTar t
ary !
Youwomenoft heear thsubor dinat edaty ourt asks!
YouJewj our ney ingi ny ourol daget hr oughev eryr i
skt ost andonce
onSy riangr ound!
Youot herJewswai tingi nal l l
andsf ory ourMessi ah!
Yout hought ful Ar meni anponder ingbysomest ream oft heEuphr ates!
youpeer i
ngami dt her ui nsofNi nev eh!y ouascendi ngmountAr arat
!
Youf oot-wor npi lgri
m wel comi ngt hef ar-awayspar kleoft hemi narets
ofMecca!
Youshei ksal ongt hest ret chf rom Suezt oBab- el -mandebr uli
ngy our
famili
esandt r
ibes!
Youol i
ve- growert endi ngy ourf ruitonf i
eldsofNazar eth, Damascus,
orlakeTi ber ias!
YouThi bett r
aderont hewi dei nl andorbar gai ningi nt heshopsofLassa!
YouJapanesemanorwoman!y oul iveri nMadagascar , Cey l
on, Sumat r
a,Borneo!
Allyoucont inent al
sofAsi a, Africa, Eur ope, Aust ralia,indi ffer
ent
ofplace!
Allyouont henumber lessi slandsoft hear chipelagoesoft hesea!
Andy ouofcent ur i
eshencewheny oul istent ome!
Andy oueachandev erywher ewhom Ispeci fynot ,buti ncl udej ustthesame!
Healthtoy ou!goodwi lltoy oual l,from meandAmer icasent !

Eachofusi
nevit
able,
Eachofusl
imitl
ess--
eachofuswithhisorherri
ghtupont
heear
th,
Eachofusal
low'dtheeternal
pur
portsoftheeart
h,
Eachofushereasdivinel
yasanyishere.

12
YouHott
entotwithcl
i
cki
ngpalat
e!youwooll
y-hair
'dhordes!
Youown'dpersonsdr
oppi
ngsweat-dr
opsorblood-drops!
Youhumanf ormswit
hthefat
homlessever
-i
mpr essi
v ecount
enancesofbr
utes!
Youpoorkoboowhom themeanestofther
estlookdownuponf oral
l
 yourglimmer i
ngl anguageandspi r
ituali
ty!
Youdwar f'
dKamt schatkan,Greenl
ander ,Lapp!
YouAust ral negro,naked,red,sooty,
wi thprotrusiveli
p,
grovel
ing, seekingy ourfood!
YouCaf fre,Berber,Soudanese!
Youhaggar d,uncout h,unt
utor'
dBedowee!
Youplague- swar msi nMadr as,Nankin,Kaubul ,Cair
o!
Youbeni ghtedr oamerofAmazoni a!youPat agonian!youFeej
eeman!
Idonotpr eferotherssov erymuchbef oreyouei t
her,
Idonotsayonewor dagainsty ou,
awaybackt herewhereyoustand,
(Youwi l
lcomef orwar dinduet i
met omysi de.)

13
Myspi r
ithaspass'
dincompassi
onanddeter
minati
onar oundt
hewhol
eear
th,
Ihav elook'df
orequal
sandlover
sandfoundthem readyformein
alllands,
Ithinksomedi vi
nerappor
thasequal
i
zedmewi ththem.

Youv apor
s, IthinkIhav erisenwi thyou,mov edawaytodistant
conti
nents, andf all
endownt here,forr
easons,
Ithi
nkIhavebl ownwi t
hy ouy ouwi nds;
Youwat er
sIhav ef inger
'dev eryshorewithyou,
Ihaverunthr oughwhatanyr i
verorstrai
toftheglobehasrunthrough,
Ihavetakenmyst andont hebasesofpeni nsulasandonthehigh
embeddedr ocks, tocryt hence:

Whatcit
iest
heli
ghtorwarmthpenetr
atesIpenet
rat
ethosecit
iesmy
sel
f,
Al
li
slandstowhi
chbirdswingt
heirwayIwingmywaymy sel
f.

Towardy oual
l,i
nAmer i
ca'
sname,
Irai
sehightheperpendi
cul
arhand,Imaket
hesi
gnal
,
Toremainaftermeinsightf
orever
,
Forall
thehauntsandhomesofmen.

BOOKVI
I

Songoft
heOpenRoad

1
Afootandli
ght-
hear
tedItaketot
heopenroad,
Healt
hy,f
ree,t
heworldbeforeme,
Thelongbrownpathbeforemeleadi
ngwherev
erIchoose.

Hencef
orthIasknotgood- f
ortune,Imy sel
fam good-fort
une,
Hencef
orthIwhimpernomor e,postponenomor e,neednot hi
ng,
Donewithindoorcomplaint
s,li
brari
es,querul
ouscrit
icisms,
St
rongandcont entIt
ravelt
heopenr oad.

Theeart
h,thati
ssuffi
cient
,
Idonotwanttheconstell
ati
onsanynearer
,
Iknowtheyareverywellwheret
heyare,
Iknowtheysuff
icefort
hosewhobel ongtothem.

(St
il
lhereIcarr
ymyolddeli
ciousbur dens,
Icar
rythem,menandwomen, Icarrythem wit
hmewher
everIgo,
Isweariti
simpossi
bleformet ogetr i
dofthem,
Iam fi
l
l'
dwi t
hthem,andIwil
lfil
lthem inret
urn.
)
 2
YouroadIenteruponandl
ookaround,Ibel
i
evey
ouar
enotal
l
t
hatisher
e,
Ibel
iev
ethatmuchunseenisal
soher e.

Heret hepr ofoundl essonofr ecept i

on, norpreferencenordeni al,
Thebl ackwi t
hhi swool l
yhead, thef el
on, thediseas'd,the
i
lli
terateper son, arenotdeni ed;
Thebi rt
h, thehast ingaf terthephy sici
an, thebeggar 'str
amp, the
drunkar d'sst agger ,
thel aughi ngpartyofmechani cs,
Theescapedy outh, t
her ichper son'scar ri
age,thef op,theelopingcoupl
e,
Theear lymar ket-man, thehear se,themov ingoff urnit
urei
ntot he
town, ther eturnbackf rom t hetown,
Theypass, Ialsopass, anyt hingpasses, nonecanbei nter
dicted,
Nonebutar eaccept ed,nonebutshal lbedeart ome.

3
Youairthatservesmewi thbreatht ospeak!
Youobjectsthatcallf
rom di
ffusi
onmymeani ngsandgivethem shape!
Youli
ghtthatwr apsmeandal lthingsindelicat
eequableshowers!
Youpathswor nintheirr
egularhollowsbyt heroadsi
des!
Ibel
i
ev eyouarel at
entwithunseenexi st
ences,youaresodeartome.

Youf l
agg'dwal ksoftheci ti
es!youst rongcur bsatt heedges!
Youf erri
es!y ouplanksandpost sofwhar ves!youtimber -
li
ned
side!youdi stantships!
Your owsofhouses!y ouwi ndow-pierc'dfacades!y our oofs!
Youpor chesandent r
ances!y oucopi ngsandi ronguar ds!
Youwi ndowswhoset ransparentshellsmi ghtexposesomuch!
Youdoor sandascendi ngsteps!youar ches!
Yougr ayst onesofi nterminablepav ement s!youtroddencr ossi
ngs!
From allthathast ouch' dyouIbelievey ouhav eimpar t
edt o
yourselves, andnowwoul di mpartt hesamesecr etlytome,
From thel i
vingandt hedeady ouhav epeopledy ouri mpassi v
esurfaces,
andt hespi ri
tsthereofwoul dbeev i
dentandami cabl ewithme.

4
Theeart
hexpandingrighthandandlef
thand,
Thepict
ureali
ve,ever
ypartinit
sbestli
ght
,
Themusicf al
l
inginwhereiti
swanted,andst
oppi
ngwhereiti
s
notwanted,
Thecheerf
ul v
oiceofthepubli
croad,t
hegayfr
eshsent
imentoft
her
oad.

Ohi
ghwayItrav
el,doyousaytomeDonotleaveme?
DoyousayVentur
enot--
ifyoul
eavemeyouarelost
?
DoyousayIam al
readyprepar
ed,
Iam wel
l
-beat
enandundeni
ed,
adher
etome?

Opubli
cr oad,
IsaybackIam notaf
rai
dtoleaveyou,
yetIl
ovey
ou,
Youexpressmebettert
hanIcanexpressmy sel
f,
Youshal
l bemoretomet hanmypoem.

It
hinkheroi
cdeedswer eal
lconcei
v'
dintheopenair
,andal
l
freepoemsal so,
It
hinkIcoul
dst opheremysel
fanddomi r
acles,
It
hinkwhateverIshall
meetontheroadIshalll
i
ke,
andwhoever
beholdsmeshal ll
ikeme,
It
hinkwhoeverIseemustbehappy .

5
Fr
om t
hishourIordai
nmy
sel
floos'
doflimi
tsandimagi
nar
yli
nes,
Goi
ngwhereIli
st,
myownmast ert
otal
andabsolut
e,
Li
steningtoothers,
consideri
ngwellwhattheysay
,
Pausing,sear
ching,r
eceivi
ng,cont
emplati
ng,
Gentl
y ,butwi
thundeniabl
ewi l
l,
div
esti
ngmy sel
fofthehol
dst
hat
wouldholdme.

Ii
nhal
egreatdraught
sofspace,
Theeastandthewestar
emi ne,
andt
henor
thandt
hesout
har
emi
ne.

Iam l
arger
,bet
tert
hanIt
hought
,
Idi
dnotknowIheldsomuchgoodness.

Allseemsbeaut if
ultome,
canr epeatov ertomenandwomenYouhav edonesuchgoodtome
Iwoul ddot hesamet oyou,
Iwillrecruitf
ormy selfandy ouasIgo,
Iwillscattermy sel
famongmenandwomenasIgo,
Iwilltossanewgl adnessandr oughnessamongthem,
Whoev erdeniesmei tshallnottr
oubleme,
Whoev eracceptsmeheorsheshal lbeblessedandshal
lbl
essme.

6
Nowifathousandperf
ectmenwer
etoappeari
twouldnotamazeme,
Nowifathousandbeauti
ful
for
msofwomenappear
'ditwoul
dnot
ast
oni
shme.

NowIseet
hesecr
etoft
hemaki
ngofthebestper
sons,
I
tist
ogrowint
heopenai
randt
oeatandsleepwi
ththeear
th.

Hereagreatper
sonal deedhasroom,
(
Suchadeedsei zesupont heheartsofthewhol
eraceofmen,
I
tseffusi
onofstrengthandwill
ov erwhel
mslawandmocksall
aut
hori
tyandallargumentagainstit
.)

Hereisthet estofwi sdom,

Wisdom isnotf inall
ytestedi nschool
s,
Wisdom cannotbepass' dfrom onehavingi
ttoanot hernothavi
ngit
,
Wisdom isoft hesoul ,isnotsuscepti
bleofproof,isit
sownpr oof
,
Appli
est oallstagesandobj ectsandquali
ti
esandi scontent,
I
st hecertai
ntyoft her eali
tyandimmor t
ali
tyofthings,andthe
excell
enceoft hings;
Somet hi
ngt hereisint hefloatofthesi
ghtofthingsthatprovokes
i
toutoft hesoul .

NowIr e-
examinephil
osophi
esandr el
igions,
Theymaypr ovewell
inlect
ure-
rooms, yetnotpr
oveatal
lunderthe
spaci
ouscloudsandalongthelandscapeandflowi
ngcurr
ents.

Hereisreali
zati
on,
Hereisamant al
li
ed-
-hereal
izesherewhathehasinhim,
Thepast,thefutur
e,majesty
,love-
-i
ftheyar
evacantofyou,
you
ar
ev acantofthem.

Onl
ytheker
nelofeveryobj
ectnour
ishes;
Wherei
shewhot earsofft
hehusksforyouandme?
Wherei
shethatundoesstrat
agemsandenvelopesf
ory
ouandme?

Her
eisadhesi
veness,i
tisnotprevi
ousl
yfashi
on'
d,i
tisapr
opos;
Doyouknowwhatitisasy oupasstobelovedbyst
ranger
s?
Doyouknowthetalkofthoseturni
ngeye-
ball
s?

7
Her
eist
heef
fl
uxoft
hesoul
,
Theef f
luxoft hesoul comesf r
om wi thi
nt hroughembower 'dgates,
everprov oki ngquest i
ons,
Thesey ear ningswhyar ethey?theset hought sint hedarknesswhyar et
hey
?
Whyar et her emenandwoment hatwhi l
et heyareni ghmet hesunli
ght
expandsmybl ood?
Whywhent heyl eavemedomypennant sofj oysinkf l
atandlank?
Whyar et her et r
eesInev erwalkunderbutl argeandmel odi
ous
thought sdescenduponme?
(It
hinktheyhangt herewi nt
erandsummeront hoset r
eesandal ways
dropfruitasIpass; )
Whati sitIi nterchangesosuddenl ywi t
hst rangers?
Whatwi thsomedr i
verasIrideont heseatbyhi ssi de?
Whatwi thsomef ishermandr awi nghisseinebyt heshor easIwal kby
andpause?
Whatgi vesmet obef reetoawoman' sandman' sgood- wil
l?what
givesthem t obef r
eet omi ne?

8
Theeff
luxofthesouli
shappi
ness,hereishappiness,
It
hinki
tpervadestheopenai
r,wai
ti
ngatal l
times,
Nowitflowsuntous,wearer
ight
lycharged.

Hererisesthef l
uidandat t
achingchar
acter,
Thefluidandat t
achingcharacteri
sthefreshnessandsweetnessof
manandwoman,
(Theher bsofthemor ningsproutnofr
esherandsweetereveryday
outoft herootsofthemselves,t
hanitsproutsfr
eshandsweet
continual
lyoutofitself
.)

Towardt hefl
uidandatt
achi
ngcharact
erexudesthesweatofthe
lov
eofy oungandold,
From itf
all
sdisti
l
l'
dthecharmthatmocksbeautyandatt
ainments,
Towarditheavestheshudderi
nglongi
ngacheofcontact
.

9
Al
lons!whoevery
ouarecometravelwi
thme!
Tr
aveli
ngwithmey ouf
indwhatnevert
ir
es.

Theeart
hnev ertir
es,
Theeart
hi srude,sil
ent,i
ncomprehensi
bleatf
irst
,Natur
eisrude
andi
ncompr ehensibleatfi
rst
,
Benotdiscouraged,keepon, t
herearedi
vinet
hingswellenv
elop'
d,
Isweart
oy out herearedivi
nethi
ngsmor ebeauti
ful
thanwordscantel
l
.

Al
lons!wemustnotst ophere,
Howev ersweettheselaid-
upstores,howeverconveni
entt
hisdwel
li
ng
wecannotr emainhere,
Howev ershelt
er'
dthisportandhowev ercal
mt hesewater
swemust
notanchorhere,
Howev erwelcomet hehospit
ali
tythatsurr
oundsuswear epermi
tt
ed
torecei
veitbutal i
tt
lewhil
e.

10
Al
l
ons!thei
nducement sshall
begreat
er,
Wewill
sail
pathlessandwildseas,
Wewill
gowher ewindsblow,wavesdash,andt
heYankeecl
i
pper
speedsbyunderf ul
lsai
l.

Al
lons!wi t
hpower ,l
i
berty,t
heearth,
theel
ement s,
Healt
h, defi
ance,gayet
y,self
-est
eem,cur
iosi
ty;
Al
lons!f r
om allf
ormules!
Fr
om y ourformules,Obat-eyedandmateri
ali
sti
cpriest
s.
Thest
alecadav
erbl
ocksupt
hepassage-
-t
hebur
ial
wai
tsnol
onger
.

Al
lons!yettakewarning!
Hetraveli
ngwi t
hmeneedst hebestblood,thews,endur
ance,
Nonemaycomet othetri
alt
il
lheorshebr i
ngcourageandhealth,
Comenother ei
fyouhav eal
readyspentthebestofyoursel
f,
Onlythosemaycomewhocomei nsweetanddetermin'
dbodies,
Nodiseas'dperson,norum-dri
nkerorvener
ealtai
ntispermit
tedhere.

(
Iandminedonotconvincebyar
gument
s,si
mil
es,
rhy
mes,
Weconv
incebyourpresence.
)

11
Li
st en!Iwi l
lbehonestwi thyou,
Idonotof f
ert heol dsmoot hpr izes, butoff
erroughnewpr i
zes,
Thesear etheday st hatmusthappent oyou:
Youshal lnotheapupwhati scal l'
dr i
ches,
Youshal lscatterwi thlavi
shhandal lthatyouearnorachieve,
Youbutar r
iveatt heci t
ytowhi chy ouwer edestin'
d,youhardl
y
set tl
ey ourselftosat isf
actionbef oreyouarecall'
dbyan
i
rr esisti
blecal l
t odepar t
,
Youshal lbet reatedt otheironical smi l
esandmocki ngsofthose
whor emai nbehi ndy ou,
Whatbeckoni ngsofl oveyour eceiv eyoushallonlyanswerwith
passi onateki ssesofpar t
ing,
Youshal lnotal l
owt heholdoft hosewhospr eadtheirr
each'
dhands
towar dyou.

12
All
ons!af t
erthegr eatCompani ons, andt obel ongt ot hem!
Theyt ooar eont her oad- -t
heyar et heswi ftandmaj est icmen- -
they
aret hegr eatestwomen,
Enjoy er sofcalmsofseasandst or msofseas,
Sailorsofmanyashi p, walker sofmanyami leofl and,
Habi tuesofmanydi stantcount ri
es, habi tuesoff ar-distantdwel lings,
Trust ersofmenandwomen, obser ver sofci ti
es, solitaryt oil
ers,
Pauser sandcont empl atorsoft ufts, blossoms, shel lsoft heshor e,
Dancer satweddi ng- dances, kisser sofbr ides, tenderhel persof
chi l
dr en,bear ersofchi l
dr en,
Soldier sofr evolts, stander sbygapi nggr av es,lower er s-downofcof fi
ns,
Jour ney ersov erconsecut i
veseasons, ov ert hey ear s, thecur ious
year seachemer gi
ngf rom t hatwhi chpr ecededi t,
Jour ney ersaswi thcompani ons,namel yt heirowndi ver sephases,
Forth- steppersf rom t hel atentunr ealizedbaby -day s,
Jour ney ersgay lywi t
ht hei rowny out h,jour ney erswi tht heirbear ded
andwel l-
grain'dmanhood,
Jour ney erswi ththei rwomanhood, ampl e, unsur pass' d, content ,
Jour ney erswi ththei rownsubl imeol dageofmanhoodorwomanhood,
Oldage, cal
m, expanded, broadwi tht hehaught ybr eadt hoft heuni verse,
Oldage, fl
owingf r eewi ththedel iciousnear -byf reedom ofdeat h.

13
Al
lons!tot hatwhichisendl essasi twasbegi nni
ngl ess,
Tounder gomuch, t
rampsofday s,r
estsofni ght
s,
Tomer geal lint
het r
avel t
heyt endt o,
andt heday sandni ghts
theytendt o,
Agai nt
omer gethem inthest artofsuper i
orjour
ney s,
Toseenot hingany wherebutwhaty oumayr eachi tandpassi t
,
Toconcei venot i
me, howev erdistant,butwhaty oumayr eachitandpassi
t,
Tol ookupordownnor oadbuti tst
retchesandwai tsforyou,
howev erlongbutitstretchesandwai tsforyou,
Toseenobei ng, notGod' sorany ,butyoual sogot hi
ther,
Toseenopossessi onbuty oumaypossessi t
,enjoyi
ngal lwi thout
labororpur chase, abstracti
ngthef easty etnotabst r
act i
ngone
particleofi t,
Totaket hebestoft hef armer'sf
arm andt her i
chman' sel egant
vill
a,andt hechast eblessingsoft hewel l-
mar ri
edcoupl e, and
thef ruitsofor char dsandf lowersofgar dens,
Totaket oy ouruseoutoft hecompactci tiesasy oupasst hrough,
Tocarrybui l
dingsandst r
eetswithy ouafter wardwher every ougo,
Togathert hemi ndsofmenoutoft heirbrainsasy ouencount er
them, togat hert hel ov eoutoftheirhear ts,
Totakey ourlov ersont her oadwithy ou,foral lt
hatyoul eav e
them behi ndy ou,
Toknowt heuni versei tselfasaroad, asmanyr oads,asr oadsf or
travelingsoul s.

Al
lpartsawayf ortheprogressofsoul
s,
Al
lrel
igi
on, al
lsoli
dthings,art
s,gov
ernments-
-al
lthatwasori s
appar entuponthisglobeoranyglobe,f
all
sint
oni chesandcorner
s
beforet heprocessi
onofsoul sal
ongthegrandroadsoft heuni
ver
se.

Ofthepr
ogr
essofthesoulsofmenandwomenal ongthegrandroadsof
t
heuni
ver
se,al
lotherpr
ogressi
stheneededemblem andsust
enance.

Foreveral i
v e,f
oreverfor
war d,
Statel
y, solemn, sad,wit
hdrawn, baffl
ed,mad, t
urbulent,
feeble,
dissatisfi
ed,
Desper ate,proud, f
ond,si
ck, acceptedbymen, rejectedbymen,
Theygo!t heygo!Iknowt hattheygo, butIknownotwher etheygo,
ButIknowt hattheygotowar dt hebest--
towardsomet hinggreat
.

Whoev
eryouare, comefort
h!ormanorwomancomef orth!
Youmustnotstaysleepi
nganddall
yi
ngther
einthehouse,t
hough
y
oubui
lti
t,orthoughithasbeenbui
ltf
oryou.

Outofthedarkconfi
nement!outfr
om behi
ndthescr
een!
I
tisuselesst
oprotest,
Iknowallandexposei
t.

Beholdthr
oughy ouasbadast herest
,
Throughthelaughter
,danci
ng,dini
ng,suppi
ng, ofpeopl
e,
I
nsideofdressesandor naments,i
nsi
deoft hosewash'dandt
ri
mm'
dfaces,
Beholdasecretsil
entloat
hinganddespair.

Nohusband, nowi fe, nof ri

end,trustedt oheart heconf ession,
Anot herself,adupl icateofev eryone, skul ki
ngandhi dingitgoes,
Forml essandwor dlesst hrought hest reetsoft heci ti
es,polit
eand
blandi nthepar lors,
I
nt hecar sofr ai
lroads, i
nst eamboat s,int hepubl i
cassembl y,
Homet othehousesofmenandwomen, atthet able,i
nt hebedroom,
ever ywhere,
Smar tlyatti
red,count enancesmi l
ing, form upright,deat hunderthe
breast -
bones, hell undert heskul l
-bones,
Undert hebr oadclot handgl oves,undert her i
bbonsandar ti
fi
cial
flower
s,
Keepi ngfairwitht hecust oms, speaki ngnotasy ll
ableofi t
self
,
Speaki ngofanyt hingel sebutnev erofi tself.

14
All
ons!t
hroughstr
uggl
esandwars!
Thegoalthatwasnamedcannotbecount
ermanded.

Havethepastst
ruggl
essucceeded?
Whathassucceeded?your
self
?yournat
ion?Nat
ure?
Nowunderstandmewel l
--
iti
spr ov
idedintheessenceoft
hingsthat
fr
om anyfr
uit
ionofsuccess,nomatterwhat,shall
comefort
h
somethi
ngtomakeagr eaterstr
ugglenecessary.

Mycall
isthecal
lofbat
tl
e,Inourishacti
verebel
l
ion,
Hegoi
ngwi thmemustgowel larm'd,
Hegoi
ngwi thmegoesoft
enwi thsparediet
,pover
ty,
angr
yenemi
es,
desert
ions.

15
All
ons!t her oadi sbeforeus!
Iti
ssaf e--Ihav etri
edi t
--
myownf eethav etri
editwel
l--
benot
detain'd!
Letthepaperr emainont hedeskunwr it
ten,andthebookonthe
shelfunopen' d!
Letthet ool sremai nintheworkshop!letthemoneyr emai
nunearn'
d!
Lettheschool stand!mindnotthecr yoftheteacher
!
Letthepr eacherpr eachinhi
spul pi
t!l
etthelawyerpleadi
nthe
court,andt hej udgeexpoundt helaw.

Camerado,Igi
veyoumyhand!
Igi
veyoumyl ovemorepreciousthanmoney,
Igi
veyoumy sel
fbeforepreachi
ngorlaw;
Wil
lyougiv
emey our
self
?wi l
lyoucometravel
wit
hme?
Shal
lwestickbyeachotheraslongaswel i
ve?

BOOKVI
II

Cr
ossi
ngBr
ookl
ynFer
ry

1
Fl
ood-t
idebel
owme!Iseeyouf
acetoface!
Cl
oudsofthewest
--
sunther
ehal
fanhourhigh-
-Iseey
oual
sof
ace
toface.

Crowdsofmenandwomenat ti
redintheusualcost
umes, howcurious
youaret ome!
Ont heferr
y-boat
st hehundr
edsandhundr edsthatcross,
retur
ning
home, aremorecur i
oustomet hany ousuppose,
Andy outhatshallcrossf
rom shoretoshoreyearshencearemor e
tome, andmor einmymedi tati
ons,t
hany oumightsuppose.

2
Theimpalpablesustenanceofmef rom al
lthingsatallhoursoftheday
,
Thesimple,compact ,well
-j
oin'
dscheme, my selfdi
si
ntegrated,
every
onedisi
ntegrat
edy etpartofthescheme,
Thesimili
tudesofthepastandt hoseoft hefuture,
Theglor
iesst r
ungli
kebeadsonmysmal l
estsightsandhear i
ngs,on
thewalkinthestreetandthepassageov ertheri
ver,
Thecurrentrushi
ngsoswi f
tl
yandswi mmi ngwi thmef araway,
Theothersthataretof ol
lowme, theti
esbet weenmeandt hem,
Thecertai
ntyofothers, t
heli
fe,l
ove,si
ght,hear i
ngofothers.

Ot
her
swill
ent
erthegat esofthefer
ryandcrossf
rom shor
etoshor
e,
Ot
her
swill
watchther unofthefl
ood-t
ide,
Ot
her
swill
seetheshi ppi
ngofManhattannort
handwest,andt
he
hei
ght
sofBrooklynt ot
hesouthandeast,
Ot
her
swill
seetheislandslar
geandsmal l
;
Fi
ft
yy ear
shence,otherswil
lseethem astheycross,thesunhal
f
anhourhi gh,
Ahundredy ear
shence,oreversomanyhundr edy ear
shence,ot
her
s
willseethem,
Wil
lenjoythesunset
,thepouri
ng-i
noft hefl
ood-
tide,t
he
fall
i
ng-backtotheseaoftheebb- t
ide.

3
Itavail
snot ,ti
menorpl ace-
-distanceav ail
snot ,
Iam wi t
hy ou, y
oumenandwomenofagener at
ion,oreversomany
generationshence,
Justasy ouf eel wheny oulookont heriverandsky ,soIfelt
,
Justasanyofy ouisoneofal ivingcrowd, Iwasoneofacr owd,
Justasy ouar er ef
resh'dbyt hegl adnessoft heriv
erandt he
brightfl
ow, Iwasr efresh'
d,
Justasy oust andandl eanont her ai
l,yethurrywiththeswift
current
, Istoody etwashur ried,
Justasy oul ookont henumber l
essmast sofshipsandt he
thi
ck-stemm' dpi pesofsteamboat s,Ilook'
d.

Itoomanyandmanyat imecr oss' dt her iverofol d,

Wat chedt heTwel fth-mont hsea- gulls, sawt hem hi ghi ntheai r
fl
oat ingwi thmot i
onl esswi ngs, osci llatingt hei rbodi es,
Sawhowt hegl isteningy el l
owl i
tuppar tsoft heirbodi esandl eft
ther esti nst rongshadow,
Sawt hesl ow- wheel ingci rclesandt hegr adual edgi ngt owar dt hesouth,
Sawt her eflectionoft hesummerskyi nt hewat er ,
Hadmyey esdazzl edbyt heshi mmer ingt rackofbeams,
Look'datt hef inecent rifugal spokesofl i
ghtr oundt heshapeofmy
headi nt hesunl itwat er,
Look'dont hehazeont hehi l
lssout hwar dandsout h-west war d,
Look'dont hev aporasi tflewi nf leecest ingedwi thv iolet
,
Look'dt owar dt hel owerbayt onot i
cet hev essel sar rivi
ng,
Sawt hei rappr oach, sawaboar dt hoset hatwer enearme,
Sawt hewhi tesai l
sofschooner sandsl oops, sawt heshi psatanchor ,
Thesai lor satwor ki nt her i
ggi ngoroutast ridet hespar s,
Ther oundmast s,theswi ngi ngmot ionoft hehul ls, thesl ender
serpent i
nepennant s,
Thel ar geandsmal l steamer si nmot i
on, thepi l
ot si nt heirpi l
othouses,
Thewhi tewakel eftbyt hepassage, thequi ckt remul ouswhi r
l ofthewheel
s,
Thef lagsofal l nat i
ons, thef alli
ngoft hem atsunset ,
Thescal lop-edgedwav esi nt het wilight ,thel adledcups, the
frolic-somecr est sandgl isteni ng,
Thest ret chaf argr owi ngdi mmeranddi mmer ,thegr aywal lsoft he
grani t est orehousesbyt hedocks,
Ont her ivert heshadowygr oup, thebi gst eam- tugcl osel yflank'don
eachsi debyt hebar ges, thehay -
boat ,thebel atedl ighter,
Ont henei ghbor ingshor et hef ir
esf rom t hef oundr ychi mney sbur ni
ng
highandgl ar inglyi ntot heni ght ,
Cast i
ngt heirflickerofbl ackcont rast edwi thwi ldr edandy ell
ow
li
ghtov ert het opsofhouses, anddowni nt ot hecl ef t
sofst reets.

4
Theseandal l
elsewer etomet hesameast heyar
etoyou,
Ilovedwellt
hoseciti
es,lov
edwel lt
hestat
elyandrapi
driv
er,
ThemenandwomenIsawwer eal
lneartome,
Othersthesame--ot
herswhol ookbackonmebecauseIl ook'
dfor
war
d
tothem,
(Thetimewillcome,thoughIstophereto-
dayandto-ni
ght.
)

5
Whati
sitt
henbet
weenus?
Whati
sthecountoft
hescor
esorhundr
edsofy
ear
sbet
weenus?

Whateveritis,
itavail
snot -
-dist
anceav ail
snot ,
andpl aceavai
l
snot
,
Itooli
ved,Brooklynofampl ehill
swasmi ne,
Itoowalk'
dt hestreet
sofManhat tani sland,andbathedi nt
he
watersaroundit,
Itoofel
tthecur i
ousabr uptquestioningsst irwit
hinme,
Inthedayamongcr owdsofpeopl esomet imestheycameuponme,
Inmywal kshomel at
eatni ghtorasIl ayi nmybedt heycameuponme,
Itoohadbeenst ruckfrom thef l
oatf oreverheldinsoluti
on,
Itoohadr ecei
v'
didentit
ybymybody ,
ThatIwasIknewwasofmybody , andwhatIshoul dbeIknewI
shoul
dbeofmybody .

6
Iti
snotupony oual onethedar kpatchesf all
,
Thedar kthrewi t
spat chesdownuponmeal so,
ThebestIhaddoneseem' dtomebl ankandsuspi cious,
Mygr eatthoughtsasIsupposedt hem, weretheynoti nreal
it
ymeagre?
Norisityoual onewhoknowwhati tistobeev il
,
Iam hewhoknewwhati twast obeev il
,
Itooknitt
edt heol dknotofcont r
ariety,
Blabb'
d,blush'd,resented,l
ied,st
ole,grudg'd,
Hadgui l
e,anger ,l
ust,hotwishesIdar ednotspeak,
Wasway ward, v
ain,greedy,shall
ow, sly,cowardl
y ,
mal i
gnant,
Thewol f,
thesnake, t
hehog, notwant inginme.
Thecheat i
ngl ook,thefriv
olouswor d,theadulterouswi sh,
notwant
ing,

Refusal s,hates, post ponement s,meanness,lazi

ness,noneoft hesewanting,
Wasonewi tht her est ,
t hedaysandhapsoft her est,
Wascal l'
dbymyni ghestnamebycl earloudvoicesofy oungmenas
theysawmeappr oachingorpassi ng,
FelttheirarmsonmyneckasIst ood,orthenegli
gentleaningof
theirfleshagai nstmeasIsat ,
SawmanyIl ovedi nt hest r
eetorf er
ry-
boatorpublicassembl y,
yet
nev ertoldt hem awor d,
Li
v edt hesamel i
fewi t
ht herest,
thesameol dlaughing,gnawing,sl
eeping,
Play'
dt hepar tthatst il
l l
ooksbackont heact
ororact r
ess,
Thesameol dr ole, ther ol
ethatiswhatwemakei t
,asgr eataswelike,
Orassmal laswel ike, orbothgreatandsmal l.

7
CloseryetIapproachyou,
Whatt houghtyouhaveofmenow, Ihadasmuchofyou-
-Il
aidi
nmy
stor
esi nadvance,
Iconsider'
dlongandseriousl
yofy
oubeforey
ouwereborn.

Whowast oknowwhatshouldcomehomet ome?

WhoknowsbutIam enjoyi
ngt hi
s?
Whoknows,foral
lthedi
stance,butIam asgoodasl
ooki
ngaty
ou
now,foral
lyoucannotseeme?

8
Ah,whatcanev erbemor est at el
yandadmi rabletomet han
mast-
hemm' dManhat t
an?
Ri
verandsunsetandscal lop-edg'dwav esofflood-
ti
de?
Thesea-gull
soscil
lat
ingt heirbodi es,thehay-boatinthe
t
wil
ight,andthebelatedl i
ght er
?
Whatgodscanexceedt heset hatclaspmebyt hehand,andwi
thvoicesI
l
ovecallmepr omptlyandl oudlybymyni ghestnameasapproach?
Whatismor esubtlet
hant hiswhi chtiesmet othewomanormant hat
l
ooksinmyf ace?
Whi
chf
usesmei
ntoy
ounow,
andpour
smymeani
ngi
ntoy
ou?

Weunderstandthendowenot ?
WhatIpromis'
dwi t
houtmenti
oningit,
haveyounotaccept
ed?
Whatthestudycouldnott
each--
whatt hepr
eachi
ngcouldnot
accomplishisaccompli
sh'
d,i
si tnot
?

9
Fl
owon, river!flowwi tht hef lood- tide, andebbwi ththeebb- tide!
Frolicon, crest edandscal lop- edg' dwav es!
Gor geouscl oudsoft hesunset !dr enchwi thyourspl endorme, orthe
menandwomengener at i
onsaf terme!
Crossf rom shor et oshor e, count lesscr owdsofpassenger s!
Standup, tallmast sofMannahat t a!st andup, beaut if
ul hil
lsofBr ookl
yn!
Throb, baf fl
edandcur iousbr ain!thr owoutquest ionsandanswer s!
Suspendher eandev ery wher e,eter nal floatofsol uti
on!
Gaze, lovingandt hirstingey es, i
nt hehouseorst reetorpubl i
cassembl y
!
Soundout ,voicesofy oungmen!l oudl yandmusi callycallmebymy
nighestname!
Li
v e,oldl i
fe!pl ayt hepar tt hatl ooksbackont heact ororact ress!
Playt heol dr ole,t her olet hati sgr eatorsmal laccordingasone
makesi t !
Consi der,y ouwhoper useme, whet herImaynoti nunknownway sbe
lookingupony ou;
Bef irm,rail overt her iver ,tosuppor tthosewhol eani dl
y ,y
et
hast ewi tht hehast ingcur rent;
Fl
yon, sea- birds!f lysideway s, orwheel i
nl argeci rcl
eshi ghi nt heair;
Recei vethesummersky , youwat er ,andf ai t
hfullyholdi tti
llall
downcastey eshav et i
met ot akei tfrom y ou!
Diverge, fi
nespokesofl i
ght , fr
om t heshapeofmyhead, orany
one' shead, int hesunl itwat er!
Comeon, shi psf rom t hel owerbay !passupordown, white-sai l
'd
schooner s, sloops, l
ight ers!
Fl
auntaway ,fl
agsofal l nat i
ons!bedul yl ower '
datsunset !
Burnhi ghy ourf ires,foundr ychi mney s!castbl ackshadowsat
night f
all!castr edandy ell
owl ightov ert het opsoft hehouses!
Appear ances, noworhencef or t
h, indi catewhaty ouar e,
Younecessar yf ilm, cont inuet oenv elopt hesoul ,
Aboutmybodyf orme, andy ourbodyf ory ou,behungourdi vinestaromas,
Thrive,cities--bringy ourf reight ,br ingy ourshows, ampl eand
suf fi
cientr i
v ers,
Expand, bei ngt hanwhi chnoneel sei sper hapsmor espi r
it
ual ,
Keepy ourpl aces, object st hanwhi chnoneel sei smor elasting.

Youhav ewaited,youalwayswai t
,youdumb, beautif
ul mini
ster
s,
Wer eceiv ey
ouwi thfreesenseatlast ,andareinsati
atehenceforwar
d,
Noty ouanymor eshallbeabletof oilus,orwithhol
dy oursel
vesfr
om us,
Weusey ou,
anddonotcasty ouasi de--weplantyouper manentl
ywit
hinus,
Wef athom y ounot--
wel ov
ey ou--
therei sperf
ectioninyoualso,
Youf urnishyourpartstowardeternity,
Greatorsmal l
,youfurni
shy ourpartstowar dthesoul.

BOOKI
X

Songoft
heAnswer
er

1
Nowli
stt
omymor
ning'
sromanza,
Itel
lthesi
gnsoft
heAnswer
er,
Tot
heci
ti
esandf
armsIsi
ngast
heyspr
eadi
nthesunshi
nebef
oreme.

Ay oungmancomest omebear ingamessagef r

om hi
sbrother
,
Howshal lt
hey oungmanknowt hewhet herandwhenofhi sbrother
?
Tellhi
mt osendmet hesigns.AndIst andbef orethey
oungman
facetoface,andtakehisrighthandi nmyl efthandandhis
l
efthandinmyr ighthand,
AndIanswerf orhisbrotherandf ormen, andIanswerforhimt hat
answersforall
,andsendt hesesi gns.

Hi
m allwai
tfor,
him al
lyi
eldupto,hiswordisdeci
siv
eandfinal
,
Hi
mt heyaccept
,inhimlave,
inhim percei
vethemsel
vesasamidli
ght
,
Hi
mt heyimmerseandhei mmersest hem.

Beautiful women, thehaught iestnations,laws,thelandscape,

peopl e, animals,
Thepr of oundear t
handi t
sat tri
butesandt heunqui etocean,(
so
tell
Imymor ning'sr
omanza, )
Allenjoy ment sandpr oper ti
esandmoney , andwhat ev
ermoneywi ll
buy,
Thebestf arms, ot
herst oil
ingandpl antingandheunav oidabl
yreaps,
Thenobl estandcost l
iestci t
ies,ot
her sgradingandbui ldi
ngandhe
domi cilest here,
Not hi
ngf oranyonebutwhati sforhim, nearandf arareforhi
m,
theshi psi nt heoffi
ng,
Theper pet ualshowsandmar chesonl andar ef
orhi miftheyareforany
body
.

Heputsthingsintheiratt
it
udes,
Heputsto-dayoutofhi mselfwi
thplasti
ci
tyandlove,
Hepl
aceshi sownt imes,remini
scences,parent
s,brot
her
sand
si
sters,associat
ions,employment,pol
iti
cs,sothatt
herest
nevershamet hem af t
erward,
norassumet ocommandt hem.

HeistheAnswerer
,
Whatcanbeanswer '
dheanswers,andwhatcannotbeanswer
'dhe
showshowi tcannotbeanswer'
d.

Amani sasummonsandchal lenge,

(
Itisvai
ntoskulk-
-doyouhearthatmocki
ngandl
aught
er?doy
ou
heart
heir
onicalechoes?
)

Books,fri
endships,
philosopher
s,pri
est
s, act
ion,
pleasure,pr
ide,
beatupanddownseeki ngtogivesati
sfacti
on,
Heindicatesthesati
sfacti
on,andindi
catesthem thatbeatupand
downal so.

Whi
chevert
hesex,whatevertheseasonorplace,hemaygofreshl
y
andgentl
yandsafel
ybydayorbyni ght
,
Hehasthepass-
keyofhearts,t
ohimt heresponseoft
hepry
ingof
handsontheknobs.

Hiswelcomeisuniv
ersal
,thef
lowofbeautyi
snotmorewel comeor
uni
versal
thanheis,
Thepersonhefavorsbydayorsl
eepswithatni
ghti
sblessed.

Everyexistencehasi tsi
diom,ever
ythinghasanidi
om andtongue,
Her esol
v esalltonguesintohi
sownandbest owsituponmen,and
anymant ranslat
es,andanymant ransl
ateshi
mselfal
so,
Onepar tdoesnotcount eractanot
herpart,
heisthejoi
ner
,hesees
howt heyjoin.

Hesay
sindiff
erent
lyandal
i
keHowar
eyouf
ri
end?t
othePr
esi
dent
athi
slevee,
Andhesay
sGood-daymybrot
her,
toCudgethathoesi
nthesugar
-f
iel
d,
Andbot
hunder
standhi
m andknowthathi
sspeechisr
ight
.

Hewalkswit
hperfecteaseinthecapit
ol,
HewalksamongtheCongr ess,andoneRepr
esent
ati
vesay
stoanot
her
,
Hereisourequalappeari
ngandnew.

Thent hemechani cstakehi mf oramechanic,

Andt hesoldi
erssupposehi mt obeasol di
er,andthesai lor
sthat
hehasf oll
ow'dt hesea,
Andt heauthorstakehimf oranauthor,andthear t
istsforanar t
ist
,
Andt helaborer
sper cei
v ehecoul dl
aborwi t
ht hem andl ovethem,
Nomat t
erwhatt hewor kis,thatheistheonet ofollowitorhas
foll
ow'dit
,
Nomat t
erwhatt henation, t
hathemi ghtfi
ndhi sbrothersand
sist
ersthere.

TheEngl
ishbeli
evehecomesofthei
rEngl
i
shstock,
AJewtot heJewheseems,aRusstotheRuss,
usualandnear
,
r
emovedf r
om none.

Whoev erhelooksati nthetr

aveler'
scof f
ee-houseclai
mshim,
TheItali
anorFr enchmanissure, t
heGer mani ssure,t
heSpani
ard
i
ssur e,andtheislandCubanissur e,
Theengi neer
,thedeck-handont hegr eatl
akes,orontheMissi
ssi
ppi
orSt.LawrenceorSacr amento,orHudsonorPaumanoksound, cl
aimshi
m.

Thegentl
emanofper fectbl
oodacknowledgeshisperfectblood,
Theinsul
ter
,theprost
itut
e,t
heangryperson,thebeggar,see
t
hemselvesintheway sofhi
m,hestrangelytr
ansmut esthem,
Theyarenotvil
eanymor e,t
heyhardl
yknowt hemselvest heyaresogr
own.

2
Thei ndicat
ionsandt al
lyoft i
me,
Perfectsanityshowst hemast eramongphi l
osophs,
Ti
me, alwayswi t
houtbr eak, i
ndi
catesitselfi
nparts,
Whatal waysindicatest hepoeti sthecrowdoft hepleasantcompany
ofsingers,andt heirwor ds,
Thewor dsoft hesinger sar ethehoursormi nutesoft heli
ghtordar
k,
butt hewor dsoft hemakerofpoemsar ethegener alli
ghtanddar
k,
Themakerofpoemsset t
lesjusti
ce,reali
ty,i
mmor tal
ity,
Hisinsightandpowerenci rcl
ethingsandt hehumanr ace,
Heist hegloryandext ractt husfarofthingsandoft hehumanr ace.

Thesingersdonotbeget ,onlythePoetbegets,
Thesingersarewelcom'd, underst
ood,appearoft
enenough,
butr
are
hasthedaybeen, l
ikewisethespot,ofthebir
thofthemaker
ofpoems, t
heAnswer er,
(Noteverycentur
ynorev eryfivecent
uri
eshascont ai
n'
dsucha
day,f
oralli
tsnames. )

Thesingersofsuccessi
vehour sofcenturi
esmayhav eostensibl
e
names,butthenameofeachoft hem isoneoft hesingers,
Thenameofeachi s,
eye-singer
,ear-
singer
,head-singer
,
sweet-
singer
,night
-si
nger ,
parl
or-
singer,
love-
singer,
wei
rd-si
nger,orsomethingelse.

Allt
histi
meandatal lt
imeswai tt
hewor dsoftruepoems,
Thewor dsoftr
uepoemsdonotmer el
yplease,
Thetruepoetsarenotfol
l
ower sofbeautybuttheaugustmaster
sofbeaut
y;
Thegreatnessofsonsistheexudingofthegreatnessofmot
hers
andfather
s,
Thewor
dsoft
ruepoemsar
ethet
uftandf
inal
appl
auseofsci
ence.

Di
vinei
nstinct,breadthofvisi
on,thel
awofreason,heal
th,
r
udenessofbody ,wit
hdrawnness,
Gayet
y,sun-tan,air
-sweetness,suchar
esomeoft hewor dsofpoems.

Thesai
lorandtr
avel
erunder
liethemakerofpoems, t
heAnswerer,
Thebui
lder,
geometer
,chemist,
anatomist
,phr
enologist
,ar
ti
st,
all
t
heseunderl
i
ethemakerofpoems, theAnswerer.

Thewor dsoft hetruepoemsgi vey oumor et hanpoems,

Theygiv ey out oformfory ourselfpoems, reli
gions,
polit
ics,war
,
peace, behav i
or,hi
stori
es, essays,dailyl
ife,andeverythingel
se,
Theybal ancer anks,color
s, races,creeds,andt hesexes,
Theydonotseekbeaut y,
theyar esought ,
Forevertouchi ngthem orcl oseupont hem foll
owsbeaut y,l
ongi
ng,
fai
n,lov e-si
ck.

Theyprepar
ef ordeath,y etaretheynott
hefinish,
butrat
hertheout set
,
Theybri
ngnonet ohisorhert erminusortobecontentandfull,
Whom theytaket heytakei nt
ospacet obeholdthebir
thofstars,t
o
l
earnoneoft hemeani ngs,
Tolaunchoffwi t
habsol utefait
h,tosweepthroughtheceaseless
r
ingsandnev erbequi etagain.

BOOKX

OurOl
dFeui
l
lage

Alway sourol df eui ll

age!
Alway sFl orida'sgr eenpeni nsul a--alway st hepr i
celessdel taof
Loui siana--alway st hecot ton-fieldsofAl abamaandTexas,
Alway sCal i
fornia' sgol denhi ll
sandhol lows, andt hesi l
ver
mount ainsofNewMexi co- -
alway ssof t-
br eath'dCuba,
Alway st hev astsl opedr ai
n' dbyt heSout her nsea, insepar ablewi th
thesl opesdr ai n'dbyt heEast er nandWest ernseas,
Thear eat heei ght y-thir
dy earoft heseSt ates, thet hreeandahal f
mi l
lionsofsquar emi l
es,
Theei ght eent housandmi lesofsea- coastandbay -coastont hemai n,
thet hirtythousandmi lesofr ivernav igation,
Thesev enmi ll
ionsofdi stinctf ami li
esandt hesamenumberofdwel li
ngs--
alway st hese, andmor e, branchi ngf or t
hi nt onumber lessbr anches,
Alway st hef reer angeanddi v ersity--alway st hecont i
nentofDemocr acy;
Alway st hepr airies, past ures, forest s, vastci ti
es,trav el
ers,
Kanada, t
hesnows;
Alway st hesecompactl andst iedatt hehi pswi tht hebel tst r
inging
thehugeov allakes;
Alway st heWestwi t
hst rongnat i
v eper sons, theincr easingdensi tythere,
thehabi tans, friendly,thr eateni ng, ironical ,scorni nginv ader s;
Allsights, Sout h, Nor th,East --alldeeds, promi scuousl ydoneatal lti
mes,
Allchar acters, mov ement s, growt hs, af ewnot i
ced, my ri
adsunnot i
ced,
ThroughMannahat ta'sst r
eet sIwal king, theset hi
ngsgat her i
ng,
Oni nteriorr i
ver sbyni ghti nt hegl areofpi neknot s, steamboat s
woodi ngup,
Sunlightbydayont hev all
eyoft heSusquehanna, andont hev al
l
ey s
oft hePot omacandRappahannock, andt hev all
ey soft heRoanoke
andDel awar e,
I
nt heirnor t
her l
ywi ldsbeast sofpr eyhaunt ingt heAdi r
ondackst he
 hill
s, orl appi ngt heSagi nawwat er st odr ink,
Inal onesomei nletashel drakel ostf rom t hef lock, sittingont he
wat err ocki ngsi lent ly,
Infar mer s' bar nsoxeni nt hest abl e, t heirhar v estl abordone, they
restst andi ng, t heyar et oot ired,
Afaronar ct i
ci cet heshe- wal rusl yingdr owsi l
ywhi l
ehercubspl ayar ound,
Thehawksai l
ingwher emenhav enoty etsai l
'd, thef arthestpol ar
sea, rippl y, cr yst al l
ine, open, bey ondt hef l
oes,
Whi tedr iftspooni ngaheadwher et heshi pi nt het empestdashes,
Onsol idl andwhati sdonei nci tiesast hebel lsst rikemi dni ghtt ogether,
Inpr i
mi tiv ewoodst hesoundst her eal sosoundi ng, thehowl oft he
wol f ,thescr eam oft hepant her ,andt hehoar sebel l
owoft heel k,
Inwi nt erbeneat ht hehar dbl uei ceofMooseheadl ake, insummer
visibl et hr ought hecl earwat er s, thegr eatt routswi mmi ng,
Inlowerl at itudesi nwar merai ri nt heCar olinast hel ar gebl ack
buzzar df loat ingsl owl yhi ghbey ondt het reet ops,
Below, ther edcedarf est oon' dwi tht ylandr ia,t hepi nesand
cy pr essesgr owi ngoutoft hewhi tesandt hatspr eadsf arandf lat
,
Rudeboat sdescendi ngt hebi gPedee, climbi ngpl ant s, par asiteswi th
col or '
df lower sandber riesenv elopi nghuget rees,
Thewav i
ngdr aper yont hel i
v e- oakt rai l
ingl ongandl ow,
noi sel essl ywav edbyt hewi nd,
ThecampofGeor giawagoner sj ustaf t
erdar k, thesupper -fir
esand
thecooki ngandeat ingbywhi tesandnegr oes,
Thirtyorf or t ygr eatwagons, themul es, cat tle, hor ses, feedi ng
from t roughs,
Theshadows, gleams, upundert hel eav esoft heol dsy camor e-tr
ees,
thef lameswi t ht hebl acksmokef rom t hepi tch- pi necur l
ingandr ising;
Sout her nf i
sher menf ishi ng, thesoundsandi nlet sofNor th
Car ol ina' scoast , theshad- fisher yandt heher ring- fi
sher y,the
l
ar gesweep- sei nes, thewi ndl assesonshor ewor k'dbyhor ses, the
clear i
ng, cur i
ng, andpacki ng- houses;
Deepi nt hef or esti npi neywoodst ur pent inedr oppi ngf rom t he
i
nci si onsi nt het rees, therear et het urpent inewor ks,
Ther ear et henegr oesatwor ki ngoodheal th, thegr oundi nal l
direct ionsi scov er'dwi thpi nest r aw;
InTennesseeandKent uckysl av esbusyi nt hecoal ings, att hef orge,
byt hef ur nace- blaze, oratt hecor n-shucki ng,
InVir gini a, thepl ant er '
ssonr etur ningaf teral ongabsence,
j
oy fullywel com' dandki ss'dbyt heagedmul at tonur se,
Onr iver sboat mensaf el ymoor 'datni ght fal lint hei rboat sunder
shel t erofhi ghbanks,
Someoft hey oungermendancet ot hesoundoft hebanj oorf iddle,
other ssi tont hegunwal esmoki ngandt alking;
Latei nt heaf t ernoont hemocki ng- bir d,t heAmer icanmi mi c,singing
i
nt heGr eatDi smal Swamp,
Ther ear et hegr eeni shwat ers, t her esi nousodor ,thepl ent eous
moss, thecy pr ess- tree, andt hej uni per -
t ree;
Nor t
hwar d, y oungmenofMannahat ta, thet ar getcompanyf r
om an
excur sionr et ur ninghomeatev eni ng, themusket -muzzl esal l
bearbunchesoff lower spr esent edbywomen;
Childr enatpl ay , oronhi sf ather '
sl apay oungboyf al lenasl eep,
(howhi sl i
psmov e!howhesmi l
esi nhi ssl eep! )
Thescoutr idingonhor sebackov ert hepl ai nswestoft he
Mi ssi ssi ppi , heascendsaknol l andsweepshi sey esar ound;
Califor ni al ife, themi ner ,bear ded, dr ess' di nhi sr udecost ume,
thest anchCal ifor niaf riendshi p, thesweetai r,thegr av esone
i
npassi ngmeet ssol itar yjustasi det hehor se- pat h;
Downi nTexast hecot ton- f
ield, t henegr o- cabi ns, dr iver sdr iving
mul esoroxenbef or er udecar ts, cot t
onbal espi ledonbanks
andwhar v es;
Encircl ingal l,v ast -dar ti
ngupandwi de, theAmer icanSoul ,wi th
 equal hemi spher es, oneLov e, oneDi lat i
onorPr ide;
I
nar rier et hepeace- tal kwi tht heI roquoi st heabor igines, the
cal umet ,thepi peofgood- wi ll,ar bitrat ion, andi ndor sement ,
Thesachem bl owi ngt hesmokef i
r stt owar dt hesunandt hent owar d
theear th,
Thedr amaoft hescal p- danceenact edwi thpai nt edf acesandgut tural
excl amat i
ons,
Theset t i
ngoutoft hewar -
par ty, thel ongandst eal thymar ch,
Thesi ngl ef il
e, theswi ngi nghat chet s, thesur priseandsl aught er
ofenemi es;
Alltheact s, scenes, way s, per sons, at titudesoft heseSt at es,
remi ni scences, inst itutions,
AlltheseSt at escompact ,ev er ysquar emi leoft heseSt at eswi thout
except i
ngapar ticle;
Mepl eas' d, rambl i
ngi nl anesandcount ryf iel ds, Paumanok' sf ields,
Obser v ingt hespi r al flightoft wol ittley ellowbut terflies
shuf flingbet weeneachot her , ascendi nghi ghi nt heai r,
Thedar tingswal low, thedest roy erofi nsect s, thef allt rav eler
sout hwar dbutr et ur ni ngnor thwar dear lyi nt hespr ing,
Thecount ryboyatt hecl oseoft hedaydr i
v ingt heher dofcowsand
shout ingt ot hem ast heyl oitert obr owsebyt her oadsi de,
Theci tywhar f,Bost on, Phi l
adel phi a, Bal ti
mor e, Char l
est on, New
Or leans, SanFr anci sco,
Thedepar ti
ngshi pswhent hesai l
or sheav eatt hecapst an;
Eveni ng- -mei nmyr oom- -theset t i
ngsun,
Theset t i
ngsummersunshi ningi nmyopenwi ndow, showi ngt he
swar m off li
es, suspended, bal anci ngi nt heai ri nt hecent re
oft her oom, dar tingat hwar t,upanddown, cast ingswi ft
shadowsi nspecksont heopposi tewal lwher et heshi nei s;
Theat hlet icAmer icanmat ronspeaki ngi npubl i
ct ocr owdsofl i
st eners,
Mal es, femal es, i
mmi gr ant s, combi nat ions, thecopi ousness, the
i
ndi vidual ityoft heSt at es, eachf ori tsel f--themoney maker s,
Fact or ies, machi ner y ,themechani cal for ces, thewi ndl ass, lev er ,
pul ley , allcer tai nt ies,
Thecer t aintyofspace, incr ease, freedom, fut urity ,
I
nspacet hespor ades, thescat ter '
di sl ands, thest ar s--ont hef i
r m
ear th, thel ands, myl ands,
Olands!al lsodeart ome- -whaty ouar e, (what ev eri ti s,)Iput tingi t
atr andom i nt hesesongs, becomeapar toft hat ,what ev eri ti s,
Sout hwar dther e, Iscr eami ng, wi thwi ngssl owf lappi ng, wi tht he
my riadsofgul lswi nt er i
ngal ongt hecoast sofFl orida,
Other way st her eat wi xtt hebanksoft heAr kansaw, theRi oGr ande,
theNueces, theBr azos, theTombi gbee, theRedRi ver ,the
Saskat chawanort heOsage, Iwi tht hespr i
ngwat er sl aughi ng
andski ppi ngandr unni ng,
Nor thwar d, ont hesands, onsomeshal l
owbayofPaumanok, Iwi th
par tiesofsnowyher onswadi ngi nt hewett oseekwor msand
aquat icpl ant s,
Retreat ing, tr i
umphant lyt wi ttering, theki ng- bird, from pi er cing
thecr owwi t
hi t sbi ll,foramusement --andIt riumphant lyt wi ttering,
Themi gr ati
ngf lockofwi ldgeeseal ight ingi naut umnt or ef resh
themsel ves, thebodyoft hef lockf eed, thesent i
nel sout si de
mov ear oundwi ther ectheadswat chi ng, andar ef rom t imet ot i
me
reliev '
dbyot hersent i
nel s- -andIf eedi ngandt aki ngt urns
wi tht her est ,
I
nKanadi anf orest st hemoose, l
ar geasanox, cor ner 'dbyhunt ers,
ri
si ngdesper at el yonhi shi nd- feet , andpl ungi ngwi thhi s
for e-f eet ,thehoof sasshar paskni ves- -
andI ,pl ungi ngatt he
hunt er s, cor ner 'danddesper at e,
I
nt heMannahat ta, st reet s, pier s, shi ppi ng, stor e-houses, andt he
count lesswor kmenwor ki ngi nt heshops,
AndIt oooft heMannahat ta, singi ngt her eof --andnol essi nmy sel f
 thant hewhol eoft heMannahat taini tsel
f,
Si
ngi ngt hesongofThese, myev er-unitedlands--mybodynomor e
i
nev i
tabl yuni ted, parttopar t
,andmadeoutofat housand
diversecont ribut i
onsonei dent ity,anymor et hanmyl ands
arei nev itablyuni t
edandmadeONEI DENTITY;
Nativiti
es, cli
mat es, t
hegr assoft hegr eatpastoralPlai
ns,
Cit
ies, labor s,deat h,animals,product s,war,goodandev i
l-
-t
heseme,
Theseaf fording, inal lt
heirparti
cul ars,t heol
df eui
ll
agetome
andt oAmer ica, howcanIdol esst hanpasst heclewoft heunion
oft hem, t
oaf fordt heli
ket oyou?
Whoev ery ouar e!howcanIbutof fery oudivineleaves,t
haty ou
alsobeel igibleasIam?
HowcanIbutasher echant i
ng,inv it
ey ouforyourselft
ocollect
bouquet soft hei ncompar ablef euill
ageoft heseSt at
es?

BOOKXI

ASongofJoy
s

Otomakethemostjubi
lantsong!
Ful
lofmusi
c--
ful
lofmanhood,womanhood,inf
ancy!
Ful
lofcommonemployments--
ful
lofgr
ainandtrees.

Of
ort
hevoicesofani
mals-
-Ofortheswi
ft
nessandbal
anceoff
ishes!
Of
ort
hedroppingofr
aindr
opsinasong!
Of
ort
hesunshineandmotionofwavesi
nasong!

Othejoyofmyspiri
t-
-i
tisuncaged-
-i
tdart
sli
kel
ight
ning!
Iti
snotenoughtohavethi
sglobeoracertai
nti
me,
Iwil
lhavet
housandsofglobesandallt
ime.

Otheengineer'
sjoys!togowit
halocomoti
ve!
Tohearthehissofsteam,themer
ryshri
ek,t
hesteam-whi
stl
e,t
he
laughi
nglocomot ive!
Topushwi t
hresist
lesswayandspeedoffi
nthedist
ance.

Ot hegleesomesaunterov
erfiel
dsandhi
ll
si
des!
Theleav esandfl
owersofthecommonestweeds,t
hemoistf
resh
sti
ll
nessofthewoods,
Theexqui si
tesmell
oftheeart
hatdaybr
eak,andal
lthr
ought
heforenoon.

Othehorseman'
sandhorsewoman' sj
oys!
Thesaddle,
thegal
l
op,thepressur
eupontheseat
,thecool
gur
gli
ngbytheearsandhair.

Othefireman'sjoys!
Ihearthealar
m atdeadofnight
,
Ihearbell
s,shouts!Ipasst
hecr
owd,
Irun!
Thesightofthef l
amesmaddensmewithpl
easur
e.

Ot
hejoyofthestr
ong-brawn'
dfi
ghter
,toweringint
hear
enain
per
fectcondi
ti
on,consci
ousofpower,thi
rsti
ngtomeethi
sopponent
.

Othej
oyofthatv
astelement
alsympathywhichonl
ythehumansoul i
s
capabl
eofgenerat
ingandemit
ti
nginsteadyandl
imit
lessf
loods.

Othemother'
sjoy
s!
Thewat
ching,t
heendur
ance,
thepr
eci
ousl
ove,
theangui
sh,
the
 pat
ient
lyy
iel
dedl
i
fe.

Otheofi
ncr
ease,gr
owth,r
ecuper
ati
on,
Thej
oyofsoot
hingandpaci
fyi
ng,t
hejoyofconcor
dandhar
mony
.

Otogobackt otheplacewher
eIwasborn,
Tohearthebi
rdssingoncemor e,
Torambleaboutthehouseandbarnandoverthefi
eldsoncemor
e,
Andthr
oughtheor char
dandalongtheol
dlanesoncemor e.

Ot ohav ebeenbr oughtuponbay s,l

agoons, cr
eeks, oralongt hecoast,
Tocont inueandbeempl oy '
dt hereal l
myl i
fe,
Thebr i
nyanddampsmel l,
t heshor e,thesal tweedsexposedatl owwat er
,
Thewor koffi
sher men,thewor koftheeel -
fisherandcl am- fi
sher;
Icomewi thmycl am-rakeandspade, Icomewi thmyeel -spear ,
Isthetideout?IJoi nthegr oupofcl am- di
gger sont heflats,
Ilaughandwor kwi t
hthem, Ijokeatmywor kli
keamet tl
esomey oungman;
InwinterItakemyeel -
basketandeel -
spearandt raveloutonf oot
onthei ce-
-Ihaveasmal laxet ocuthol esint heice,
Beholdmewel l-
clothedgoi nggay l
yorr eturningintheaf ternoon,
mybr oodoft oughboy saccompany ingme,
Mybr oodofgr ownandpar t-grownboy s,whol ovet obewi thno
oneel sesowel lastheyl ov etobewi thme,
Bydayt owor kwit hme, andbyni ghttosl eepwi t
hme.

Anothert
imei nwarm weat heroutinaboat ,
toliftthelobster
-pot
s
wheretheyaresunkwi t
hheav ystones,(Iknowt hebuoys,)
Othesweet nessoftheFi f
th-
mont hmor ni
ngupont hewaterasIrow
j
ustbeforesunri
set owardthebuoy s,
Ipullt
hewickerpotsupsl anti
ngly,thedarkgr eenlobstersare
desper
atewi t
htheirclawsasIt aket hem out,Iinsert
woodenpegsi nthe'ointsoftheirpincer
s,

Igotoallt
heplacesoneaft
eranot
her,
andthenrowbacktotheshor
e,
Thereinahugekettl
eofboi
li
ngwatert
helobst
ersshal
lbeboil
'
d
t
il
lthei
rcol
orbecomesscarl
et.

Anot herti
memacker el-
taking,
Voracious, madf orthehook, nearthesur
face,theyseem tof i
l
l the
wat erformi l
es;
Anot herti
mef i
shingf orrock-fi
shinChesapeakebay ,Ioneoft he
brown- facedcrew;
Anot herti
met rai
l
ingf orblue-fi
shoffPaumanok, Ist
andwi t
hbr acedbody
,
Myl eftfooti sonthegunwal e,myr i
ghtar
mt hrowsf aroutthe
coilsofsl enderrope,
I
nsi ghtar oundmet hequi ckv eer
inganddarti
ngoff i
ftyski
ffs,my
compani ons.

Oboat i
ngont heriver
s,
Thev oyagedownt heSt .Lawrence,thesuperbscener
y,t
hesteamers,
Theshi pssai
li
ng,theThousandI sl
ands,theoccasi
onalt
imber-
raf
t
andther af
tsmenwi thl ong-
reachi
ngsweep- oar
s,
Thelitt
lehutsontheraft s,andthestream ofsmokewhentheycook
supperatev eni
ng.

(Osomethi
ngpernici
ousanddread!
Somethi
ngfarawayfrom apunyandpiousli
fe!
Somethi
ngunproved!somethi
nginatrance!
Somethi
ngescapedfrom t
heanchorageanddriv
ingf
ree.
)

Otoworkinmines,orf
orgi
ngi
ron,
Foundr
ycast
ing,t
hefoundr
yit
sel
f,t
her
udehi
ghr
oof
,theampl
e
 andshadow'dspace,
Thefurnace,
thehotli
qui
dpour
'doutandr
unni
ng.

Otoresumethej oysofthesol dier

!
Tofeelt
hepresenceofabr avecommandi ngof f
icer
--
tofeelhi
ssympat
hy!
Tobeholdhi
scal mness--
tobewar m'dintheraysofhissmile!
Togotobattl
e--toheart
hebugl esplayandthedrumsbeat !
Tohearthecrashofarti
ll
ery -
-t
oseet hegli
tt
eringofthebayonets
andmusket -barr
elsi
nt hesun!

Toseemenf all
anddieandnotcomplai
n!
Totastethesavaget
asteofbl
ood-
-t
obesodev i
l
ish!
Togloatsooverthewoundsanddeat
hsoftheenemy.

Ot hewhal eman' sj oys!OIcr uisemyol dcr ui

seagai n!
Ifeel t
heshi p'smot i
onunderme, IfeeltheAt l
anticbr eezesf anningme,
Iheart hecr yagai nsentdownf r
om t hemast -head, Ther e--
shebl ows!
AgainIspr ingupt her i
ggi ngt ol ookwi t
ht herest-
-wedescend,
wildwi thexci tement ,
Il
eapi nt hel ower 'dboat , wer owt owar dourpr eywher ehel ies,
Weappr oachst ealthyandsi lent,Iseet hemount ainousmass,
lethargi c, baski ng,
Iseet hehar pooneerst andi ngup, Iseet heweapondar tfr
om hi s
vigorousar m;
Oswi f
tagai nf arouti nt heoceant hewoundedwhal e,settl
ing,
runningt owi ndwar d, towsme,
AgainIseehi mr iset obr eat he, wer owcl oseagai n,
Iseeal ancedr ivent hroughhi ssi de,press'ddeep, turn'dint hewound,
Againwebackof f,Iseehi m set tl
eagai n,thelif
ei sleav inghi mf ast,
Asher i
seshespout sbl ood, Iseehi m swi mincirclesnar rowerand
nar r
ower ,swi ftl
ycut tingt hewat er
--Iseehim die,
Hegi vesoneconv ulsi
vel eapi nt hecent reoftheci rcle,andt hen
fall
sf latandst i
llinthebl oodyf oam.

Otheoldmanhoodofme, mynoblestjoyofall
!
Mychil
drenandgrand-
chi
ldr
en,mywhi tehai
randbeard,
Mylar
geness,cal
mness,majest
y,outofthelongst
ret
chofmyl
i
fe.

Oripen'djoyofwomanhood!Ohappi nessatlast
!
Iam mor ethanei
ghtyy ear
sofage,Iam themostv enerabl
emother
,
Howcl earismymi nd-
-howallpeopl
edr awnightome!
Whatat tr
acti
onsarethesebeyondanybef or
e?whatbl oom mor
e
t
hant hebloom ofyouth?
Whatbeaut yist
histhatdescendsuponmeandr i
sesoutofme?

Otheorator'sjoy
s!
Toinfl
atethechest ,
torol
lthethunderoft
hev oi
ceoutfrom t
he
ribsandt hroat
,
Tomaket hepeopl erage,weep,hat
e,desi
re,
wi t
hyoursel
f,
ToleadAmer i
ca-
-toquell
Amer i
cawi t
hagreattongue.

Ot hej oyofmysoul l
eaningpoi s'doni t
self,r
ecei vi
ngidentitythrough
mat er i
alsandl ovi
ngt hem,obser vingchar actersandabsor bingthem,
Mysoul vi
bratedbackt omef r
om t hem, from si ght,
hearing,touch,
reason, arti
culati
on, comparison, memor y
, andt heli
ke,
Ther eal l
ifeofmysensesandf lesht ranscendi ngmysensesandf l
esh,
Mybodydonewi thmat er
ial
s,mysi ghtdonewi thmymat eri
al eyes,
Provedt omet hi
sdaybey ondcav i
lthatitisnotmymat er i
aley es
whi chf i
nall
ysee,
Normymat er
ialbodywhi chf i
nal l
yl oves,wal ks, l
aughs,shout s,
embr aces,procreates.
Othef armer '
sjoys!
Ohioan's,I
ll
inoisi
an's,
Wisconsinese',Kanadian'
s,I
owan'
s,
Kansian'
s, Missouri
an'
s,Oregonese' j
oys!
Toriseatpeepofdayandpassf ort
hnimbl ytowork,
Toploughl andi nthefal
lforwinter-
sowncr ops,
Toploughl andi nthespri
ngf ormaize,
Totrainorchards, t
ograftthetrees,t
ogat herappl
esint
hefal
l
.

Otobathei
ntheswimming-bat
h,orinagoodplaceal
ongshore,
Tospl
ashthewater
!towalkankl
e-deep,
orracenakedal
ongtheshor
e.

Ot orealizespace!
Thepl enteousnessofall
,thattherearenobounds,
Toemer geandbeoft hesky ,ofthesunandmoonandf
lyi
ng
clouds, asonewiththem.

Othejoyamanl yself-
hood!
Tobeservi
letonone, todefertonone,nottoanyt yr
antknownorunknown,
Towalkwit
her ectcarri
age,astepspr i
ngyandelasti
c,
Tolookwit
hcal m gazeorwi t
haf l
ashingeye,
Tospeakwithaf ull
andsonor ousvoiceoutofabr oadchest,
Toconfr
ontwithy ourpersonal
ityal
ltheotherpersonal
it
iesoftheear
th.

Knowistthoutheexcellentjoysofy outh?
Joysofthedearcompani onsandoft hemer r
ywordandl aughi
ngface?
Joyofthegladlight
-beami ngday ,
joyoft hewide-
breath'
dgames?
Joyofsweetmusi c,joyoft heli
ghtedbal l
-r
oom andthedancers?
Joyoftheplenteousdinner ,st
rongcar ouseanddri
nking?

YetOmysoul supr eme!

Knowistt houthej oysofpensi vethought ?
Joysoft hefreeandl onesomehear t,t
het ender,
gloomyhear t
?
Joysoft hesolitarywal k,thespiritbow'dy etproud,thesuff
eri
ng
andt hestruggle?
Theagoni sti
ct hroes,theecst asies,joysoft hesolemnmusi ngsday
ornight?
Joysoft hethoughtofDeat h,thegr eatspher esTi
meandSpace?
Prophet i
cjoysofbet ter,loft
ierlove'sideals,thedi
v i
newife,
thesweet ,eternal,
per fectcomr ade?
Joysall t
hineownundy ingone, joyswor thytheeOsoul .

OwhileIl
ivetobetherulerofli
fe,notasl av
e,
Tomeetlif
easapower fulconquer or,
Nofumes,noennui,nomor ecompl ai
ntsorscornf
ulcri
ti
cisms,
Totheseproudlawsoftheai r
,thewat erandtheground,prov
ing
myint
eri
orsoul i
mpregnable,
Andnothi
ngexteri
orshallevertakecommandofme.

Fornotl i
fe'
sjoysaloneIsing,repeat i
ng--
thejoyofdeath!
Thebeaut if
ul t
ouchofDeat h,soothingandbenumbi ngaf ewmoment s,
f
orr easons,
Myselfdischargingmyexcr ementitiousbodyt obeburn'd,orr
ender'
d
t
opowder ,orburi
ed,
Myreal bodydoubt l
esslefttomef orotherspheres,
Myv oidedbodynot hingmor etome, ret
urni
ngt othepurif
icat
ions,
f
urtheroffices,et
ernalusesoftheear th.

Otoattr
actbymorethanattracti
on!
HowitisIknownot-
-yetbehold!thesomet
hingwhi
chobey
snone
oft
herest,
I
tisoff
ensive,
nev
erdefensive--
yethowmagneti
citdr
aws.
Otostruggleagai
nstgr eatodds,tomeetenemi esundaunt
ed!
Tobeent i
rel
yalonewi ththem,tofindhowmuchonecanst and!
Tol
ookst ri
fe,t
orture,pri
son,popularodium,
facetoface!
Tomountt hescaffold,toadvancet othemuzzl
esofgunswi t
h
perf
ectnonchal ance!
TobeindeedaGod!

Otosai
ltoseainaship!
Tol
eavethi
ssteadyunendur
ablel
and,
Tol
eavetheti
resomesamenessofthest
reets,
thesidewal
ksandt
he
houses,
Tol
eaveyouOy ousol
i
dmotionl
essl
and,andenter
ingaship,
Tosai
landsai
l andsai
l!

Otohavelif
ehencef or
thapoem ofnewj oys!
Todance,cl
aphands, exul
t,shout,ski
p,leap,r
ollon,
floaton!
Tobeasai l
orofthewor l
dboundf orallports,
Ashi
pitself
,(seeindeedthesesail
sIspr eadtothesunandai r
,)
Aswif
tandswel li
ngshipfullofri
chwor ds,ful
lofjoy
s.

BOOKXI
I

Songoft
heBr
oad-
Axe

1
Weaponshapely,naked,wan,
Headfrom themother'
sbowelsdrawn,
Woodedf l
eshandmet albone,
li
mbonl yoneandli
ponlyone,
Gray
-bl
ueleafbyred-heatgr
own,helv
epr oducedf
rom al
it
tl
eseedsown,
Rest
ingthegrassami dandupon,
Tobelean'dandtoleanon.

Strongshapesandat t
ri
but
esofst rongshapes,
masculi
net
rades,
sightsandsounds.
Longv ari
edtrai
nofanembl em,dabsofmusi c,
Fi
nger softheorgani
stski
ppingstaccat
oov ert
hekey
softhegreator
gan.

2
Welcomear eallear t
h'slands, eachf ori tskind,
Welcomear elandsofpi neandoak,
Welcomear elandsoft hel emonandf ig,
Welcomear elandsofgol d,
Welcomear elandsofwheatandmai ze, welcomet hoseoft hegrape,
Welcomear elandsofsugarandr i
ce,
Welcomet hecot ton-l
ands, wel
comet hoseoft hewhi tepot
atoand
sweetpot ato,
Welcomear emount ains,f l
ats,sands, forests, prai
ries,
Welcomet herichbor der sofr i
vers,tabl e-
lands, openi ngs,
Welcomet hemeasur elessgr azing-l
ands, wel comet heteemingsoilof
orchards,fl
ax, honey ,hemp;
Welcomej ustasmucht heot hermor ehar d-facedl ands,
Landsr i
chasl andsofgol dorwheatandf ruitlands,
Landsofmi nes,landsoft hemanl yandr uggedor es,
Landsofcoal ,copper ,lead, ti
n,zinc,
Landsofi ron--
landsoft hemakeoft heaxe.

3
Thel
ogatt
hewood-
pil
e,t
heaxesuppor
tedbyi
t,
Thesy lv anhut ,thev ineov ert hedoor way ,thespacecl ear '
df orgar den,
Thei rregul art appi ngofr aindownont hel eav esaf t
ert hest or mi sl ul
l'd,
Thewal lingandmoani ngati nter val s, thet houghtoft hesea,
Thet houghtofshi psst rucki nt hest orm andputont hei rbeam ends,
andt hecut tingawayofmast s,
Thesent imentoft hehuget imber sofol d- fashi on' dhousesandbar ns,
Ther emember '
dpr i
ntornar rative, thev oy ageatav ent ureofmen,
fami l
ies, goods,
Thedi sembar kat i
on, thef oundi ngofanewci ty,
Thev oy ageoft hosewhosoughtaNewEngl andandf oundi t,t heout set
any wher e,
Theset t l
ement soft heAr kansas, Col or ado, Ot tawa, Wi ll
amet te,
Thesl owpr ogr ess, thescantf are, theaxe, rifle, saddl e-bags;
Thebeaut yofal ladv ent ur ousanddar ingper sons,
Thebeaut yofwood- boy sandwood- menwi tht hei rclearunt rimm' dfaces,
Thebeaut yofi ndependence, depar tur e, act ionst hatr el yont hemsel ves,
TheAmer icancont emptf orst atutesandcer emoni es, theboundl ess
i
mpat ienceofr est rai nt,
Thel oosedr i
f tofchar act er ,t
hei nkl i
ngt hroughr andom t ypes, the
sol i
di ficat ion;
Thebut cheri nt hesl aught er-house, thehandsaboar dschooner sand
sloops, ther af t
sman, thepi oneer ,
Lumber meni nt hei rwi ntercamp, day br eaki nt hewoods, st ripesof
snowont hel imbsoft r ees, theoccasi onal snappi ng,
Thegl adcl earsoundofone' sownv oi ce, themer rysong, thenat ural
l
ifeoft hewoods, thest rongday '
swor k,
Thebl azi ngf ireatni ght , thesweett ast eofsupper ,t
het al k, the
bedofheml ock- boughsandt hebear -
ski n;
Thehouse- bui lderatwor ki nci tiesorany wher e,
Thepr epar at or yj oint ing, squar ing, sawi ng, mor tising,
Thehoi st -upofbeams, thepushoft hem i nt hei rpl aces, lay ingt hem
regul ar ,
Settingt hest udsbyt hei rt enonsi nt hemor tisesaccor di ngast hey
wer epr epar ed,
Thebl owsofmal let sandhammer s, theat titudesoft hemen, thei r
cur v'dl imbs,
Bendi ng, st andi ng, ast ri
det hebeams, dr ivi
ngi npi ns,hol dingonby
post sandbr aces,
Thehook' dar m ov ert hepl ate, t
heot herar m wi el dingt heaxe,
Thef loor -menf orci ngt hepl ankscl oset obenai l'd,
Theirpost ur esbr ingi ngt hei rweaponsdownwar dont hebear er s,
Theechoesr esoundi ngt hr ought hev acantbui ldi ng:
Thehugest or ehousecar riedupi nt heci tywel lunderway ,
Thesi xf rami ng- men, twoi nt hemi ddl eandt woateachend, car ef ull
y
bear ingont hei rshoul der saheav yst i
ckf oracr oss- beam,
Thecr owdedl ineofmasonswi tht rowel sint hei rr ighthandsr api dly
l
ay ingt hel ongsi de- wal l, t
wohundr edf eetf rom f rontt or ear ,
Thef lexi bl er iseandf allofbacks, thecont inual clickoft he
trowel sst riki ngt hebr icks,
Thebr icksoneaf teranot hereachl aidsowor kmanl i
kei ni tspl ace,
andsetwi thaknockoft het rowel -handl e,
Thepi l
esofmat er i
als, themor taront hemor tar -boar ds, andt he
steadyr epl eni shi ngbyt hehod- men;
Spar -maker si nt hespar -
y ar d,theswar mi ngr owofwel l
-gr ownappr ent i
ces,
Theswi ngoft hei raxesont hesquar e-hew' dl ogshapi ngi tt owar d
theshapeofamast ,
Thebr iskshor tcr ackl eoft hest eel dr ivensl ant ingl yint ot hepi ne,
Thebut ter -col or '
dchi psf ly i
ngof fi ngr eatf lakesandsl i
v er s,
Thel imbermot ionofbr awnyy oungar msandhi psi neasycost umes,
Theconst ruct orofwhar v es, bridges, pier s, bul k-heads, f
loat s,
stay sagai nstt hesea;
Theci t yf ireman, thef iret hatsuddenl ybur st sf ort hint he
 close- pack'dsquar e,
Thear rivingengi nes, thehoar seshout s, theni mbl esteppi nganddar ing,
Thest rongcommandt hr ought hef ire-trumpet s,thef alli
ngi nl
ine,
ther iseandf all oft hear msf orcingt hewat er,
Thesl ender ,
spasmi c, blue- whi t
ej ets, thebr ingingt obearoft he
hooksandl adder sandt hei rexecut ion,
Thecr ashandcutawayofconnect ingwood- wor k, orthroughf loor s
i
ft hef iresmoul dersundert hem,
Thecr owdwi tht heirl i
tf aceswat chi ng, thegl areanddenseshadows;
Thef or gerathi sf or ge- furnaceandt heuserofi ronaf terhi m,
Themakeroft heaxel argeandsmal l,andt hewel derandt emper er,
Thechooserbr eat hinghi sbr eat hont hecol dst eel andt ryi
ngt he
edgewi thhi st humb,
Theonewhocl ean- shapest hehandl eandset si tfirmlyint hesocket ;
Theshadowypr ocessi onsoft hepor traitsoft hepastuser salso,
Thepr imal pat i
entmechani cs, t
hear chi t
ect sandengi neers,
Thef ar -offAssy rianedi ficeandMi zraedi fice,
TheRomanl ictor spr ecedi ngt heconsul s,
Theant iqueEur opeanwar r i
orwi thhi saxei ncombat ,
Theupl iftedar m, thecl atterofbl owsont hehel met edhead,
Thedeat h-howl ,thel i
mpsyt umbl i
ngbody , ther ushoff ri
endandf oe
thither ,
Thesi egeofr ev oltedl iegesdet ermi n'df orl i
ber t
y ,
Thesummonst osur render ,thebat teringatcast legat es,thetr uce
andpar ley,
Thesackofanol dci t
yi nitst ime,
Thebur stingi nofmer cenar iesandbi got st umul tuousl yanddi sorderly,
Roar ,flames, bl ood, dr unkenness, madness,
Goodsf reelyr ifl
edf rom housesandt empl es, scr eamsofwomeni nthe
gripeofbr igands,
Craftandt hiev eryofcamp- f
ol lower s,menr unning, oldper sonsdespai ri
ng,
Thehel l ofwar ,thecr uel t
iesofcr eeds,
Thel i
stofal lexecut ivedeedsandwor dsj ustorunj ust ,
Thepowerofper sonal ityjustorunj ust.

4
Muscl eandpluckforever!
Whati nvi
gorat
eslifeinvi
gorat
esdeath,
Andt hedeadadv anceasmuchast heli
vingadvance,
Andt hefutur
eisnomor euncert
ainthanthepresent,
Fortheroughnessoft heearthandofmanencl osesasmuchast
he
deli
catesseoftheear t
handofman,
Andnot hingenduresbutpersonalquali
ti
es.

Whatdoy outhinkendures?
Doy outhinkagr eatcit
yendures?
Orat eemingmanuf act
uri
ngstate?orapr
epar edconsti
tut
ion?ort
he
bestbuiltst
eamshi ps?
Orhot el
sofgraniteandi r
on?oranychef-
d'oeuvresofengi
neeri
ng,
fort
s,armament s?

Away!thesearenottobecher i
sh'dforthemsel
v es,
Theyfi
l
l t
heirhour,t
hedancersdance, themusicianspl
ayf
ort
hem,
Theshowpasses, alldoeswellenoughofcourse,
All
doesv er
ywel l
til
loneflashofdefiance.

Agreatci
tyi
sthatwhi
chhasthegreat
estmenandwomen,
I
fitbeafewraggedhut
siti
ssti
ll
thegreat
estci
tyi
nthe
whol
eworld.

5
Thepl
acewher
eagr
eatci
tyst
andsi
snott
hepl
aceofst
ret
ch'
d
 wharves,docks,manuf actures,depositsofproducemer el
y,
Northeplaceofceasel esssal utesofnew- comersorthe
anchor-
li
ftersofthedepar ti
ng,
Northeplaceoft hetall
estandcost l
iestbuil
dingsorshops
sel
li
nggoodsf r
om ther estoft heearth,
Northeplaceoft hebestl i
brariesandschool s,nort
heplacewher
e
moneyi splenti
est,
Northeplaceoft hemostnumer ouspopul ati
on.

Wher etheci tyst andswi tht hebr awni estbr eedofor atorsandbards,
Wher etheci tyst andst hati sbel ov'dbyt hese, andl ovesthem in
retur
nandunder standst hem,
Wher enomonument sexi stt oher oesbuti nt hecommonwor dsanddeeds,
Wher ethri
fti sini t
spl ace, andpr udencei sini t
spl ace,
Wher ethemenandwoment hinklightlyoft hel aws,
Wher ethesl aveceases, andt hemast erofsl av esceases,
Wher ethepopul acer iseatonceagai nstt henev er-endingaudaci
tyof
elect
edper sons,
Wher efi
ercemenandwomenpourf orthast heseat othewhistl
eof
deathpour sitssweepi ngandunr i
ptwav es,
Wher eoutsideaut hor i
tyent ersalway safterthepr ecedenceofinside
authori
ty ,
Wher etheci ti
zeni salway st heheadandi deal ,andPr esident
,
May or,Gov ernorandwhatnot ,ar eagent sf orpay ,
Wher echildrenar etaughtt obel awst ot hemsel ves,andt odependon
themsel ves,
Wher eequani mi tyisi l
lustrat edinaf fair
s,
Wher especul ationsont hesoul areencour aged,
Wher ewomenwal kinpubl i
cpr ocessi onsi nt hest reetsthesameast hemen,
Wher etheyent ert hepubl icassembl yandt akepl acest hesameast hemen;
Wher etheci tyoft hef aithful estfri
endsst ands,
Wher etheci tyoft hecl eanl inessoft hesexesst ands,
Wher etheci tyoft heheal thiestfather sst ands,
Wher etheci tyoft hebest -bodi edmot hersst ands,
Therethegr eatci t
yst ands.

6
Howbeggarl
yappearargument
sbefor
eadef i
antdeed!
Howthefl
ori
dnessofthemater
ial
sofcit
iesshr
ivel
sbefor
ea
man'
sorwoman'slook!

All
waitsorgoesbydef
aultti
ll
ast rongbeingappears;
Astrongbei
ngisthepr
oofofther aceandoft heabil
it
yoftheuniv
erse,
Whenheorsheappearsmat eri
alsareov er
aw'd,
Thedisput
eonthesoulstops,
Theoldcustomsandphrasesareconf r
onted,
t ur
n'dback,
orlai
daway .

Whatisyourmoney -makingnow?whatcanitdonow?
Whatisyourrespectabi
li
tynow?
Whatareyourtheology,t
uiti
on,soci
ety
,tr
adi
ti
ons,
stat
ute-
books,
now?
Whereareyourji
besofbei ngnow?
Whereareyourcavilsaboutthesoulnow?

7
Asteri
lelandscapecov er
st heore,t
hereisasgoodasthebestf
or
al
ltheforbi
ddingappear ance,
Thereisthemi ne,t
her earet heminers,
Theforge-f
urnaceist here,themeltisaccompli
sh'
d,t
hehammer smen
ar
eathandwi ththeirtongsandhammer s,
Whatalway sservedandal way sservesisathand.

Thant
hisnot
hinghasbet
terser
ved,
ithasser
vedal
l
,
Servedt hef luent -
tonguedandsubt l
e-sensedGr eek, andlonger etheGreek,
Servedi nbui ldingt hebui l
dingst hatlastl ongerthanany ,
Servedt heHebr ew, thePer si
an, themostanci entHi ndust anee,
Servedt hemound- rai seront heMi ssissippi,servedt hosewhose
rel
icsr emai ni nCent r
al Amer ica,
ServedAl bict empl esi nwoodsoronpl ains,wi t
hunhewnpi ll
arsand
thedr uids,
Servedt hear t
ifi
cial clefts,vast ,high,silent,onthe
snow- cov er'dhill
sofScandi nav ia,
Servedt hosewhot imeoutofmi ndmadeont hegr ani t
ewal l
srough
sketchesoft hesun, moon, stars,ships, oceanwav es,
Servedt hepat hsoft hei rruptionsoft heGot hs,ser vedt hepastoral
tri
besandnomads,
Servedt hel ongdi st antKel t
,ser vedt hehar dypi ratesoft heBalti
c,
Servedbef oreanyoft hoset hev ener ableandhar mlessmenofEt hiopi
a,
Servedt hemaki ngofhel msf ort hegal leysofpl easur eandt he
maki ngoft hosef orwar ,
Servedal lgreatwor ksonl andandal lgreatwor ksont hesea,
Forthemedi aev alagesandbef or ethemedi aev alages,
Servednott hel ivi
ngonl ythenasnow, butser vedt hedead.

8
IseetheEur
opeanheadsman,
Hestandsmask'
d,cl
othedinred,
wit
hhugel
egsandst
rongnakedar
ms,
Andleansonaponderousaxe.

(
Whom haveyousl
aught
er'
dlat
elyEur
opeanheadsman?
Whosei
sthatbl
ooduponyousowetandsticky
?)

Iseetheclearsunsetsofthemartyr
s,
Iseefrom thescaff
oldsthedescendingghosts,
Ghostsofdeadl or
ds,uncrown'
dladies,impeach'
dmini
ster
s,r
eject
edki
ngs,
Rival
s,tr
ait
ors,poi
soners,di
sgr
acedchi eft
ainsandt
herest
.

Iseethosewhoinanylandhavediedfort
hegoodcause,
Theseedisspare,nev
ert
helessthecr
opshallnev
errunout,
(MindyouOforeignki
ngs,Opriest
s,t
hecropshal
lneverr
unout
.)

Iseethebloodwash'denti
relyawayfr
om t
heaxe,
Bothbladeandhelvear
ecl ean,
TheyspirtnomorethebloodofEuropeannobl
es,
theycl
aspnomor
e
thenecksofqueens.

Iseet
heheadsmanwithdrawandbecomeusel
ess,
Iseet
hescaff
oldunt
roddenandmouldy,
Iseenolongeranyaxeuponi
t,

Iseethemightyandfr
iendl
yembl
em oft
hepowerofmyownr
ace,
thenewest
,lar
gestr
ace.

9
(Ameri
ca!Idonotvauntmyl
ovef
ory
ou,
Ihav
ewhatIhav e.
)

Theaxel eaps!
Thesolidforestgi v esf l
uidutterances,
Theytumbl ef orth,theyr i
seandf orm,
Hut,t
ent,landing, sur v ey,
Fl
ail
,plough, pick,cr owbar ,spade,
Shi
ngle,rail
,pr op,wai nscot, l
amb, l
ath,panel,gable,
Cit
adel,ceil
ing, saloon, academy ,organ,exhibit
ion-house,l
ibr
ary,
Corni
ce, t
rell
is, pil
ast er,balcony, window, tur
ret,porch,
Hoe,rake,pitchf ork,penci l,wagon, staff,saw,jack-plane,
mallet
,
 wedge, r
ounce,
Chai
r,tub,hoop,tabl
e,wicket,
v ane,
sash, fl
oor,
Work-box,chest,
stri
ng'dinst
rument ,boat,f
rame, andwhatnot,
Capi
tolsofStates,andcapitolofthenat i
onofSt ates,
Longstatelyrowsinavenues,hospitalsfororphansorf ort
hepoororsi
ck,
Manhat t
ansteamboat sandclipperstakingthemeasur eofall
seas.

Theshapesar i
se!
Shapesoft heusingofaxesany how,andt heusersandal l
that
neighborst hem,
Cuttersdownofwoodandhaul ersofittot hePenobscotorKenebec,
Dwel l
ersincabi nsamongt heCalif
orni
anmount ai
nsorbyt helit
tl
e
l
akes, oront heColumbi a,
Dwel l
erssout hont hebanksoft heGi l
aorRi oGrande,f
ri
endl y
gatherings,thecharactersandf un,
Dwel l
ersalongt heSt.Lawr ence,ornorthinKanada,ordownbyt he
Yellowstone, dwell
ersoncoast sandof fcoasts,
Seal-f
ishers,whalers,arct
icseamenbr eaki
ngpassagest hroughtheice.

Theshapesar i
se!
Shapesoff actories,arsenal s,foundr i
es, markets,
Shapesoft het wo-threadedt racksofr ai
lr
oads,
Shapesoft hesl eepersofbr idges, vastframewor ks,girders,arches,
Shapesoft hef l
eetsofbar ges, tows, lakeandcanal cr aft
,rivercraf
t,
Ship-
yar dsanddr y-docksal ongt heEast ernandWest ernseas, andin
manyabayandby -place,
Thelive-oakkelsons, thepi nepl anks, thespars,the
hackmat ack-r
oot sforknees,
Theshi psthemsel vesont heirway s,thetier
sofscaf folds,the
workmenbusyout sideandi nsi de,
Thetool sly
ingar ound, thegr eataugerandl it
tleauger ,t
headze,
bolt
,line,square,gouge, andbead- plane.

10
Theshapesar i
se!
Theshapemeasur 'd,saw'd,j
ack'd,j
oin'
d,stain'
d,
Thecof f
in-
shapef orthedeadt ol i
ewi t
hininhisshr oud,
Theshapegotouti npost s,i
nthebedst eadpost s,inthepostsof
thebri
de'sbed,
Theshapeoft helittl
etrough,theshapeoft herockersbeneat h,
theshapeoft hebabe' scradl
e,
Theshapeoft hef l
oor -
planks,t
hef l
oor-pl
anksf ordancers'feet,
Theshapeoft hepl anksoft hefamilyhome, t
hehomeoft hef ri
endl
y
parent
sandchi ldren,
Theshapeoft her oofoft hehomeoft hehappyy oungmanand
woman, ther oofov erthewel l
-marri
edy oungmanandwoman,
Theroofov erthesupperj oyousl
ycook' dbyt hechast ewif
e,andj oy
ousl
y
eatenbyt hechast ehusband, contentafterhisday '
swor k.

Theshapesar ise!
Theshapeoft hepr isoner '
splacei nthecour t-
room,andofhi m or
herseatedinthepl ace,
Theshapeoft heliquor -barlean'dagainstbyt heyoungr um- dri
nker
andtheoldr um-dr i
nker ,
Theshapeoft heshamedandangr ystai
rst rodbysneaki ngf oot-st
eps,
Theshapeoft heslyset tee,andt headul terousunwholesomecoupl e,
Theshapeoft hegambl i
ng-boardwi t
hi t
sdev i
li
shwinni
ngsandl osi
ngs,
Theshapeoft hest ep-ladderf ortheconv ict
edandsent enced
murderer,t
hemur dererwi thhaggar df aceandpi ni
on'dar ms,
Thesherif
fathandwi thhi sdeput ies,t
hesi l
entandwhite- l
i
pp' d
crowd,thedanglingoft herope.
Theshapesar i
se!
Shapesofdoorsgivingmanyexi tsandent rances,
Thedoorpassingthedissev er
'dfr
iendflush'dandinhaste,
Thedoorthatadmi t
sgoodnewsandbadnews,
Thedoorwhencet hesonl efthomeconf identandpuf f
'dup,
Thedoorheent er
'dagainfrom alongandscandal ousabsence,
di
seas'
d,brokendown, withoutinnocence,withoutmeans.

11
Hershapear ises,
Shelessguar dedt hanev er,yetmor eguardedt hanever ,
Thegr ossandsoi l
'dshemov esamongdonotmakehergr ossandsoi l
'
d,
Sheknowst het houghtsasshepasses, nothingisconceal '
df r
om her,
Sheisnonet helessconsi derateorfri
endlytherefor,
Sheist hebestbel ov'd,i
tiswi t
houtexcept i
on,shehasnor eason
tofearandshedoesnotf ear,
Oaths,quarrels,hiccupp'
dsongs, smuttyexpressions,ar ei
dleto
herasshepasses,
Sheissi l
ent
, sheispossess' dofher sel
f,t
heydonotof f endher,
Shereceivest hem ast helawsofNat ur
er eceivethem, sheisstrong,
Shetooi salawofNat ure-
-t
her ei
snol awst rongerthanshei s.

12
Themainshapesar i
se!
ShapesofDemocr acyt
otal
,resultofcenturi
es,
Shapeseverproj
ecti
ngothershapes,
Shapesoftur
bulentmanlyci
ties,
Shapesofthefri
endsandhome- gi
ver
soft hewhol
eear
th,
Shapesbraci
ngtheearthandbr acedwiththewhol
eear
th.

BOOKXI
II

Songoft
heExposi
ti
on

1
(Ahl
it
tl
erecksthelaborer,
Hownearhiswor ki
shol di
nghi
mtoGod,
Thel
ovingLaborerthr
oughspaceandt
ime.
)

Aft
erall nottocr eateonl y,orfoundonl y
,
Buttobr ingperhapsf r
om af arwhati salr
eadyf ounded,
Togivei tourowni dent i
ty,
av erage,l
imit
less,free,
Tofil
lthegr osst het orpidbulkwi thvi
talreli
giousfir
e,
Nottor epelordest roysomuchasaccept ,
fuse,rehabil
it
ate,
Toobeyaswel lascommand, tofoll
owmor ethant olead,
Theseal soarethel essonsofourNewWor ld;
Whil
ehowl i
tt
letheNewaf teral l
,howmucht heOl d,OldWorld!

Longandl
onghast
hegrassbeengrowing,
Longandl
onghast
herai
nbeenf al
l
ing,
Longhast
hegl
obebeenrol
li
nground.

2
ComeMusemi gratefrom GreeceandIonia,
Crossoutpleaset hosei mmenselyover
paidaccounts,
ThatmatterofTr oyandAchi ll
es'wr
ath,andAEneas',Odysseus'wander
ings,
Pl
acard"Remov ed"and" ToLet"ontherocksofyoursnowyPar nassus,
RepeatatJerusalem, placet
henot i
cehighonjaff
a'sgateandon
 MountMor i
ah,
Thesameont hewal l
sofyourGerman,Fr
enchandSpani
shcast
les,
andIt
ali
ancoll
ecti
ons,
Forknowabet t
er,f
resher,
busi
erspher
e,awide,
untr
ieddomai
n
await
s,demandsy ou.

3
Responsivetooursummons,
Orrathertoherlong-nurs'dincli
nati
on,
Join'
dwi t
hani r
resi
stible,naturalgravi
tat
ion,
Shecomes!Iheart her ustli
ngofhergown,
Iscenttheodorofherbr eath'
sdel i
ciousfragr
ance,
Imarkherst epdivi
ne, hercuriousey esa-
turni
ng,rol
l
ing,
Upont hi
sv er
yscene.

Thedameofdames!canIbel ievethen,
Thoseancienttemples,sculptur
esclassic,
coul
dnoneofthem r
etai
nher
?
NorshadesofVi rgi
landDant e,normy r
iadmemori
es,poems,ol
d
associ
ati
ons,magnet i
zeandhol dont oher?
Butthatshe'
sleftthem al
l-
-andher e?

Yes,ifyouwi llallowmet osayso,

I
,myf r
iends, i
fy oudonot ,canpl ainlyseeher ,
Thesameundy ingsoul ofear th's,act ivit
y '
s,beaut y '
s, heroi
sm's
expressi on,
Outf r
om herev olut i
onshi thercome, endedt hest rataofherf ormerthemes,
Hiddenandcov er'dbyt o-
day 's, foundat ionoft o- day '
s,
Ended, deceas' dt hr ought i
me, herv oicebyCast aly '
sf ountain,
Sil
entthebr oken- lipp'dSphy nxi nEgy pt,silentall thosecent ur
y -
baffl
ingt ombs,
Endedf oray et heepi csofAsi a's, Eur ope'shel met edwar ri
ors,ended
thepr imitivecal l oft hemuses,
Calli
ope'scal lforev ercl osed, Cl io, Mel pomene, Thal i
adead,
Endedt hest atelyr hyt hmusofUnaandOr iana,endedt hequestoft he
holyGr aal ,
Jerusalem ahandf ul ofashesbl ownbyt hewi nd, ext inct,
TheCr usader s'streamsofshadowymi dni ghttroopsspedwi t
ht hesunr
ise,
Amadi s, Tancr ed, utter l
ygone, Char lemagne, Rol and, Oli
vergone,
Palmer i
n, ogr e,depar ted, v
ani sh' dt het urretsthatUskf r
om its
water sref l
ect ed,
Arthurv anish'dwi t
hal lhiskni ght s, Mer li
nandLancel otand
Galahad, allgone, dissolv '
dut ter l
yl ikeanexhal ation;
Pass'd!pass' d!f orus, f
orev erpass' d,thatoncesomi ghtyworld,
nowv oid, i
nani mat e,phant om wor ld,
Embr oider'd,dazzl ing, f
oreignwor ld,wi thal li
tsgor geousl egends, myt
hs,
I
tskingsandcast l
espr oud, itspr iest sandwar l
ikel ordsand
courtlydames,
Pass'dt oitschar nel v ault,cof fin'dwi thcr ownandar moron,
Blazon'dwi thShaksper e'spur plepage,
Anddi rgedbyTenny son' ssweetsadr hyme.

IsayIsee, myf ri
ends,ifyoudonot ,
thei l
lustri
ousemi gre,(
havingit
istrueinherday ,alt
hought hesame, changed, j
ourney'dconsider
abl
e,
)
Maki ngdirectl
yforthisrendezvous,v i
gor ouslycl
eari
ngapat hfor
herself
,stri
dingthrought heconfusion,
Byt hudofmachi neryandshr ill
steam- whi stl
eundismay'd,
Bluff'
dnotabi tbydr ai
n-pipe,gasomet ers, ar
ti
fi
ci
al f
erti
l
izers,
Smi li
ngandpl eas'
dwi thpalpableintenttost ay,
She'shere, i
nstal
l'
dami dtheki t
chenwar e!

4
Buthol
d--
don'
tIf
orgetmymanner
s?
Tointr
oducethestr
anger ,
(whatel
seindeeddoIli
vet
ochant
f
or?)totheeCol
umbi a;
I
nliber
ty'
snamewel comei mmortal
!clasphands,
Andeverhencefor
thsister
sdearbebot h.

FearnotOMuse!t rulynewway sandday srecei

ve,sur r
oundy ou,
Icandidl
yconf
essaqueer ,
queerr ace,ofnovelfashion,
Andy ett
hesameol dhumanr ace,thesamewi t
hin,wi t
hout,
Facesandheartsthesame, feeli
ngst hesame, yearningsthesame,
Thesameol dl
ov e,beautyanduset hesame.

5
Wedonotbl amet heeel derWorl
d,norreal
l
yseparateoursel
vesfrom t
hee,
(Wouldthesonseparat ehimsel
ffrom t
hefather?)
Lookingbackonthee, seeingt
heet ot
hyduties,
grandeur
s, t
hrough
pastagesbendi
ng, buildi
ng,
Webui l
dtooursto-day .

MightierthanEgy pt'stombs,
Fair
ert hanGr eci
a's,Roma' st empl es,
Proudert hanMi l
an'sst atued, spir
edcat hedral
,
Morepi cturesquet hanRheni shcast l
e-keeps,
Wepl anev ennowt or aise,bey ondthem all,
Thygr eatcathedral sacredi ndustry,notomb,
Akeepf orli
feforpr acti
cal i
nv enti
on.

Asinawaki
ngv i
sion,
E'
enwhi
leIchantIseeitr
ise,
Iscanandpr
ophesyout
sideandi
n,
I
tsmani
fol
densembl e.

Aroundapal ace,loftier
, fair
er ,amplerthananyy et,
Earth'
smoder nwonder , history'ssevenoutstripping,
Highrisi
ngtieront ierwi thgl assandi ronfacades,
Gladdeni
ngt hesunandsky , enhuedincheer f
ul esthues,
Bronze,l
il
ac,robin's-egg, mar ineandcr imson,
Overwhosegol denr oofshal lfl
aunt,beneaththybannerFr eedom,
Thebannersoft heSt atesandf l
agsofev eryland,
Abr oodoflofty
,fair,butl esserpal acesshallclust er
.

Somewherewithi
ntheirwal
lsshal
lal
lthatf
orwar
dsper
fecthuman
l
if
ebestar
ted,
Tri
ed,t
aught
,advanced,vi
sibl
yexhi
bit
ed.

Notonl
yallt
heworldofworks,
trade,products,
Butal
ltheworkmenoftheworl
dher etober epr
esent
ed.

Hereshal ly out r
acei nf l
owingoper ation,
I
nev erystat eofpr act ical,busymov ement , t
her il
lsofciv
il
izat i
on,
Material
sher eundery ourey eshal lchanget hei
rshapeasi fbymagi c,
Thecot t
onshal lbepi ck'dal mosti nt hev eryf i
eld,
Shallbedr ied, cl
ean' d, gi
nn'd,baled, spuni ntot hreadandcl ot h
beforey ou,
Youshal lseehandsatwor katal lt
heol dpr ocessesandal lt henewones,
Youshal lseet hev ariousgr ainsandhowf lourismadeandt hen
breadbakedbyt hebaker s,
Youshal lseet hecr udeor esofCal iforniaandNev adapassingonand
ont i
ll
theybecomebul l
ion,
Youshal lwat chhowt hepr i
nterset st ype,andl earnwhata
composi ng- st
ickis,
Youshal lmar kinamazementt heHoepr esswhi r
li
ngitscylinders,
sheddingt hepr i
nt edl eavesst eadyandf ast,
Thephot ogr aph, model ,
wat ch,pin,nai l
,shal lbecreatedbef oreyou.
I
nl ar
gecalm hall
s,astatel
ymuseum shall
teachy outheinfi
nit
e
l
essonsofmi nerals,
I
nanot her,woods,pl
ants,v
egetat
ionshal
lbeil
lustrat
ed--
in
anotheranimals,
animalli
feanddevel
opment .

Onestat
elyhouseshallbethemusichouse,
Other
sforotherart
s--l
earni
ng,t
hesciences,
shal
lal
lbeher
e,
Noneshallbesli
ghted,nonebutshal
lherebehonor
'd,
hel
p'
d,exampl
ed.

6
(Thi
s,thi
sandt hese,
Amer i
ca,shal
lbeyourpy
rami
dsandobel
i
sks,
YourAlexandr
ianPharos,gardensofBabyl
on,
YourtempleatOl y
mpia.
)

Themal eandfemalemanylabori
ngnot,
Shall
everhereconfr
ontthel
aboringmany,
Withpreci
ousbenefi
tstoboth,
gloryt
oall
,
TotheeAmer i
ca,andtheeet
ernalMuse.

Andher eshall y
ei nhabitpower f
ul Mat r
ons!
Inyourvastst atev asterthanalltheold,
Echoedt hroughl ong, l
ongcenturiestocome,
Tosoundofdi fferent,proudersongs, withstr
ongerthemes,
Practi
cal,peacef ulli
fe,t
hepeopl e'sli
fe,thePeopl
ethemselves,
Lif
ted,i
ll
umi n'
d, bathedi npeace--elat
e,secureinpeace.

7
Awaywi ththemesofwar !awaywi thwaritsel
f!
Hencef r
om myshudder ingsi ghtt onevermor eret
urnt
hatshowof
bl
acken'd,muti
lat
edcor pses!
Thathellunpentandraidofbl ood,fi
tforwildti
gersorf
or
l
op-tonguedwolves,notr easoni ngmen,
Andini t
ssteadspeedindust ry'
scampai gns,
Withthyundauntedarmi es, engineeri
ng,
Thypennant sl
abor,l
oosen' dt othebreeze,
Thybuglessoundingloudandcl ear.

Awaywitholdr omance!
Awaywithnov els,pl
otsandpl ay soffor
eigncourts,
Awaywithl
ov e-versessugar'
di nr hyme,theint
ri
gues,amoursofidl
ers,
Fi
tt
edforonlybanquet softheni ghtwheredancerstolat
emusi csl
i
de,
Theunheal
thypl easures,
extrav agantdi
ssipati
onsofthefew,
Wit
hperfumes, heatandwi ne, beneaththedazzli
ngchandeli
ers.

Toyouy er everentsanesi ster s,

Irai
seav oicef orfarsuper bert hemesf orpoet sandf orart
,
Toexaltthepr esentandt her eal,
Toteacht heav eragemant hegl oryofhi sdai l
ywal kandtrade,
Tosinginsongshowexer ciseandchemi callifear enevertobebaffl
ed,
Tomanual workf oreachandal l
,toplough, hoe, di
g,
Toplantandt endt hetr
ee, theber ry,veget ables, fl
owers,
Foreverymant oseet oitt hather eall
ydosomet hing,f
orev er
ywomant oo;
Touset hehammerandt hesaw, (ri
p,orcr oss-cut ,
)
Toculti
vateat ur nforcarpent er i
ng,plastering, painti
ng,
Towor kast ail
or, t
ail
oress, nur se,hostl
er, porter ,
Toinvental i
ttl
e, somethingi ngeni ous,toai dt hewashi ng,cooking,
cl
eaning,
Andholdi tnodi sgracetot akeahandatt hem t hemselves.

IsayIbringtheeMuseto-dayandher
e,
Alloccupati
ons,dut
iesbr
oadandclose,
Toil
,heal
thytoil andsweat ,
endless,withoutcessati
on,
Theold,oldpract i
cal bur dens,i
nterests,j
oys,
Thefamily,parentage, chi l
dhood, husbandandwi fe,
Thehouse-comf orts,thehousei tselfandallit
sbelongings,
Foodandi tspreser vation,chemi str
yappliedtoit,
Whateverformst heav er age,st
rong, complet
e,sweet-bloodedmanor
woman, theper fectlongev eper sonali
ty,
Andhelpsitspr esentl ifetohealthandhappi ness,andshapesitssoul
,
Fortheeternalreal li
fet ocome.

Withlat
estconnect ions,works,thei nter-
tr
ansport
ati
onoftheworl
d,
Steam-power ,t
hegr eatexpresslines, gas,pet
rol
eum,
Thesetri
umphsofourt i
me, theAt lanti
c'sdeli
cat
ecable,
ThePacificrail
road,theSuezcanal ,theMontCeni sandGothar
dand
Hoosact unnels,t
heBr ooklynbr i
dge,
Thiseart
hal lspann'dwithir
onr ails,withli
nesofsteamships
thr
eadinginev erysea,
Ourownr ondur e,t
hecur r
entglobeIbr ing.

8
AndthouAmer ica,
Thyoffspri
ngt ower inge'ersohigh,
yethi
gherTheeaboveal
ltower
ing,
WithVictor
yont hyl ef
t,andatthyri
ghthandLaw;
ThouUni onholdi ngall,
fusing,
absorbi
ng,tol
erat
ingal
l
,
Thee,everthee, Ising.

Thou,al
sothou,aWor l
d,
Withall
thywidegeographies,manif
old,di
ff
erent
,dist
ant
,
Roundedbytheeinone--onecommonor bi
clanguage,
Onecommoni ndi
vi
sibl
edest i
nyforAll
.

Andbythespell
swhichyev
ouchsaf
etot
hoseyourmi ni
ster
sinearnest
,
Iher
epersoni
fyandcall
mythemes,t
omakethem passbeforeye.

Behold,Amer ica!(andthou,
ineff
ableguestandsist
er!
)
Fortheecomet r
oopingupthywat er
sandt hyl
ands;
Behold!thyfieldsandf ar
ms,thyfar-
offwoodsandmountai
ns,
Asinpr ocessioncomi ng.

Behold,t
heseai t
sel
f,
Andoni t
sl i
mit
less,
heavi
ngbreast ,t
heshi
ps;
See,wherethei
rwhitesai
ls,
bell
yinginthewind,
speckl
ethe
gr
eenandbl ue,
See,thesteamerscomingandgoi ng,st
eamingi
noroutofpor
t,
See,duskyandundulat
ing,t
helongpennantsofsmoke.

Behol
d,inOregon,farinthenort
handwest ,
OrinMaine,fari
nt henorthandeast
,thycheer
ful
axemen,
Wiel
dingall
dayt heiraxes.

Behol
d,ont
hel
akes,
thypi
lotsatt
hei
rwheels,t
hyoar
smen,
Howtheashwr
it
hesunderthosemuscul
ararms!

Therebythef urnace,andt herebytheanv i

l,
Beholdthysturdyblacksmi thsswingingthei
rsledges,
Overhandsost eady ,
ov er
handt heyturnandf al
lwit
hjoyouscl
ank,
Li
keat umultofl aughter.

Markthespir
itofi
nventi
onevery
where, t
hyrapidpatent
s,
Thyconti
nualworkshops,f
oundr
ies,
risenorrisi
ng,
See,
from t
heirchi
mney showthetal
lflame-
firesst
ream.
Mark, t
hyi ntermi nablefar ms, North,South,
Thyweal thydaught er-states,EasternandWest ern,
Thev ariedpr oduct sofOhi o,Pennsy l
vania,Missour i
,Georgia,Texas,
andt her est,
Thyli
mi t l
esscr ops, grass, wheat,sugar,oil
, corn,ri
ce,hemp, hops,
Thybar nsal l f
il
l'
d, t
heendl essfrei
ght-tr
ainandt hebulgingstore-
house,
Thegr apest hatripenont hyv i
nes, t
heappl esint hyorchards,
Thyincal cul ablelumber , beef,pork,potatoes, t
hycoal ,t
hygold
andsi lver ,
Theinexhaust ibl
ei ronint hymi nes.

All
thi
neOsacr edUni on!
Shi
ps,farms, shops,barns,factor
ies,mi
nes,
Cit
yandSt ate,North,South,it
em andaggregat
e,
Wededi cat
e, dreadMot her,
alltothee!

Protect
ressabsolute,thou!bulwarkofall
!
Forwellweknowt hatwhi l
ethougivesteachandal
l
,(gener
ousasGod,
)
Withouttheenei
theral lnoreach,norl
and,home,
Norship,normine, noranyheret hi
sdaysecure,
Noraught ,
noranydaysecur e.

9
Andt hou, theEmbl em wav i
ngov erall!
Deli
cat ebeaut y,awor dtothee, (
itmaybesal ut
ary,)
Remembert houhastnotal way sbeenasher eto-daysocomf ortably
ensov ereign'd,
I
not herscenest hanthesehav eIobser v'
dtheeflag,
Notqui t
esot rim andwhol eandf reshlybloominginf ol
dsof
stainlesssilk,
ButIhav eseent heebunt i
ng,totatterstornupont hysplint
er'
dstaff,
Orclut ch'
dt osomey oungcol or-
bearer'sbreastwithdesperat
ehands,
Savagel ystruggledfor,f
orlifeordeat h,foughtoverlong,
'
Mi dcannons' thunder-
crashandmanyacur seandgr oanandy el
l,and
ri
fle-voll
eyscr acki
ngshar p,
Andmov i
ngmassesaswi lddemonssur gi
ng,andlivesasnothingr i
sk'
d,
Forthymer er emnantgrimedwi t
hdi rtandsmokeandsopp' dinblood,
Forsakeoft hat ,mybeauty,andt hatthoumi ght'
stdal l
yasnow
secur eupt here,
Manyagoodmanhav eIseengounder .

Nowher eandt heseandhencei npeace, al

lthineOFl ag!
Andher eandhencef orthee,Ouni ver
sal Muse!andt houforthem!
Andher eandhenceOUni on,alltheworkandwor kment hi
ne!
Nonesepar at
ef rom thee--
hencef ort
hOneonl y,weandt hou,
(Fort
hebl oodoft hechildren,whatisit,onlythebl oodmat er
nal?
Andlivesandwor ks,whatar etheyallatlast,excepttheroadst o
fai
thanddeat h? )

Whil
ewer ehearseourmeasur el
essweal th,i
tisfort
hee,dearMother,
Weowni tall
andsev eralto-dayindissolubleinthee;
Thi
nknotourchant ,ourshow, mer elyforproductsgrossorlucr
e--
i
tisforthee,thesoul i
nt hee,el
ect r
ic,spir
it
ual!
Ourfarms, i
nventions,crops, weowni nthee!citi
esandSt at
esinthee!
Ourfreedom allinthee!ourv er
ylivesint hee!

BOOKXI
V
Songoft
heRedwood-
Tree

1
ACali
forni
asong,
Aprophecyandindir
ection,athoughtimpalpabletobreat
heasair,
Achorusofdryads,f
ading,departing,orhamadryadsdepart
ing,
Amur muri
ng,f
ateful
, gi
antvoice,outoftheearthandsky,
Voi
ceofami ghtydyingtreeinther edwoodforestdense.

Far
ewell
mybrethren,
Far
ewell
Oearthandsky,f
arewel
lyenei
ghbor
ingwat
ers,
Mytimehasended,myter
m hascome.

Alongthenorther ncoast
,
Justbackfrom ther ock-
boundshor eandthecaves,
Inthesali
neairf rom t
heseai ntheMendocinocountry
,
Withthesurgef orbaseandaccompani mentl owandhoarse,
Withcrackl
ingbl owsofaxessoundi ngmusicall
ydri
venbystrongar
ms,
Rivendeepbyt heshar ptonguesoftheaxes,therei
ntheredwood
for
estdense,
Iheardthemightt r
eeit
sdeath-chantchant
ing.

Thechoppershear dnot,t
hecampshantiesechoednot,
Thequick-
ear'
dt eamstersandchai
nandj ack-
scr
ewmenheardnot
,
Asthewood-spi r
it
scamef rom t
hei
rhauntsofathousandy
ear
sto
j
oint
her ef
rain,
Buti
nmysoul Iplai
nlyheard.

Murmuringoutofitsmyriadleav
es,
Downf r
om itslof
tytopr
isingtwohundredfeethi
gh,
Outofit
sst al
warttr
unkandl i
mbs,outofit
sfoot-
thi
ckbark,
Thatchantoftheseasonsandt i
me,chantnotofthepastonl
ybut
t
hefuture.

Youunt oldli
feofme,
Andal lyouv ener
ableandinnocentjoys,
Perennialhardylif
eofmewi thjoy
s'midrai
nandmanyasummersun,
Andt hewhi t
esnowsandni ghtandthewildwinds;
Ot hegreatpat i
entruggedjoys,mysoul'
sstrongjoysunreck'
dbyman,
(ForknowIbeart hesoulbefit
ti
ngme, It
oohav econsciousness,
ident
it
y,
Andal lt
her ocksandmount ai
nshave,andalltheeart
h,)
Joy softhelifebefi
tti
ngmeandbr ot
hersmine,
Ourt i
me, ourterm hascome.

Noryiel
dwemour nful
l
ymaj esti
cbrothers,
Wewhohav egrandlyfi
ll
'dourti
me,
Wit
hNat ure'
scalm content,wi
thtaci
thugedeli
ght,
Wewel comewhatwewr oughtf
orthroughthepast
,
Andleavethefi
eldforthem.

Forthem pr
edictedlong,
Forasuperberrace, theytootogr andl
yf i
llt
hei
rt i
me,
Forthem weabdi cate,inthem ourselv
esy eforestki
ngs.
'
I
nthem theseskiesandai rs,t
hesemount ai
npeaks,Shasta,
Nevadas,
Thesehugepreci pi
touscliffs,
thi
sampl i
tude,t
hesevall
eys,f
arYosemit
e,
Tobei nt
hem absor b'd,assimil
ated.

Thentoalofti
erstr
ain,
Sti
l
lprouder,moreecstati
crosethechant
,
Asiftheheir
s,t
hedei t
iesoftheWest,
Joi
ningwithmaster-
tonguebor epar
t.
Notwanf rom Asi a'sfeti
ches,
Norr edfrom Eur ope'solddy nast
icsl
aughter-
house,
(Areaofmur der-plotsofthrones,wi
thscentlef
tyetofwarsand
scaffol
dsev erywher e,
Butcomef r
om Nat ur
e'slongandharmlessthroes,peacef
ull
ybui
l
dedt
hence,
Thesev ir
gi nlands, l
andsoft heWesternshore,
Tot henewcul mi nati
ngman, t
oyou,theempirenew,
Youpr omi s'dlong, wepledge,wededicate.

Youoccul tdeepv ol it
ions,
Youav er agespi r
itual manhood, purposeofal l
,pois'dony our self
,
givi
ngnott akingl aw,
Youwomanhooddi vi
ne, mistressandsour ceofal l,
whencel ifeand
l
ov eandaughtt hatcomesf rom lifeandl ove,
Youunseenmor al essenceofal lthev astmat eri
alsofAmer ica,age
uponagewor kingi ndeat hthesameasl ife,
)
Yout hat, somet imesknown, oftenerunknown, reall
yshapeandmoul d
theNewWor ld, adjustingitt oTimeandSpace,
Youhi ddennat ional wil
llyinginy ouraby sms, conceal'dbutev eraler
t,
Youpastandpr esentpur posest enaciouslypursued, may-be
unconsci ousofy ourselves,
Unswer v
'dbyal lthepassi nger rors,pertur
bat i
onsoft hesurf ace;
Youv ital
, universal ,deathlessger ms,beneat hallcreeds,arts,
statutes, li
teratur es,
Herebui ldy ourhomesf orgood, establi
shher e,theseareasent ir
e,
l
andsoft heWest ernshor e,
Wepl edge, wededi cat etoy ou.

Formanofy ou,yourchar act

eri
sti
crace,
Heremayhehar dy,sweet ,gi
ganti
cgrow, heretowerproport
ionat
etoNat
ure,
Herecli
mbt hevastpur espacesunconf i
ned,uncheck'
dbywal lorr
oof
,
Herelaughwi thstorm orsun,herejoy,herepati
entl
yinure,
Hereheedhi mself,unfoldhimself
,(notothers'
formulasheed,)
herefi
llhisti
me,
Todulyf al
l,
toaid,unreck'datlast
,
Todisappear ,
toserve.

Thusont henor t
her ncoast ,
I
nt heechooft eamst ers'cal
lsandt heclinkingchai ns, andthe
musi cofchopper s' axes,
Thef al
li
ngt r
unkandl imbs, t
hecr ash,themuf fledshr iek,thegroan,
Suchwor dscombi nedf rom theredwood- tree,asofv oicesecstati
c,
ancientandr ust l
ing,
Thecent ury-
lasting, unseendr yads,singi
ng, withdrawi ng,
Allthei
rrecessesoff orestsandmount ai
nsl eav i
ng,
From theCascader anget otheWahsat ch,orIdahof ar,orUtah,
Tot hedeiti
esoft hemoder nhencef orthyieldi
ng,
Thechor usandi ndicat i
ons,thevistasofcomi nghumani t
y,the
settl
ement s,featur esall,
I
nt heMendoci nowoodsIcaught .

2
Thef l
ashingandgol denpageantofCal if
ornia,
Thesuddenandgor geousdr ama, thesunnyandampl elands,
Thelongandv ari
edst retchfrom Pugetsoundt oColoradosouth,
Landsbat hedinsweet er, r
arer,healthierair,val
leysandmount aincl
if
fs,
Thef i
eldsofNat urelongpr eparedandf al
low, t
hesi l
ent,cy
cli
cchemistr
y,
Theslowandst eadyagespl oddi ng,theunoccupi edsur f
aceripeni
ng,
t
her i
chor esformi ngbeneat h;
AtlasttheNewar ri
ving,assumi ng, takingpossessi on,
Aswar mingandbusyr aceset t
lingandor ganizingeverywhere,
Shipscomi nginf r
om t hewhol er oundwor ld,andgoingoutt othe
 whol eworld,
ToI ndiaandChi naandAust r
ali
aandt hethousandisl
andparadises
ofthePaci fi
c,
Popul ousci
ties,thelat
estinv
entions,t
hesteamer sontheri
vers,
ther ai
l
roads,wi t
hmanyat hrif
tyfarm,withmachiner
y ,
Andwool andwheatandt hegrape,anddiggingsofyel
lowgold.

3
Butmor einyouthanthese,landsoftheWesternshore,
(Thesebutthemeans, theimplements,t
hestanding-
ground,
)
Iseei nyou,
cert
aintocome, thepromiseofthousandsofyears,
ti
llnowdefer
r'
d,
Promi s'
dtobeful
fil
l
'd,ourcommonki nd,therace.

Thenewsocietyatlast
,pr
oport
ionatetoNature,
I
nmanofy ou,mor ethanyourmountainpeaksorstal
warttreesimperi
al,
I
nwomanmor e,farmore,
thanallyourgol
dorv i
nes,orevenv i
tal
air
.

Freshcome,toanewwor ldi
ndeed,yetlongprepar
ed,
Iseethegeniusofthemodern,
chil
doft herealandideal,
Cleari
ngthegroundforbr
oadhumani t
y,thetr
ueAmer ica,hei
rof
thepastsogrand,
Tobuildagranderfut
ure.

BOOKXV

ASongf
orOccupat
ions

1
Asongforoccupations!
I
nthelaborofenginesandtradesandt
hel
aboroff
iel
dsIf
ind
t
hedevelopments,
Andfi
ndtheeternalmeanings.

Wor
kmenandWor kwomen!
Wer
ealleducat
ionspracti
calandornament
alwelldispl
ay'
doutof
me,whatwoul di
tamountt o?
Wer
eIast heheadteacher,
chari
tabl
epropr
ietor
,wisestat
esman,
whatwoulditamountto?
Wer
eItoy ouasthebossempl oyi
ngandpayingyou, woul
dthatsat
isf
yyou?

Thel
ear
n'd,
vir
tuous,
benevol
ent,
andtheusual
ter
ms,
Amanli
kemeandnev ert
heusualt
erms.

Neit
heraserv
antnoramast erI
,
It
akenosooneralargepr
icethanasmal
lpr
ice,Iwi
l
lhav
emy
ownwhoeverenj
oysme,
Iwil
lbeevenwit
hyouandy oushal
lbeev
enwithme.

I
fy oustandatwor kinashopIst andasnighast henighestinthe
sameshop,
I
fy oubest owgi f
tsony ourbr otherordearestfr
iendIdemandas
goodasy ourbrotherordear estfr
iend,
I
fy ourlover,husband, wi
fe,iswel comebydayorni ght
,Imustbe
personallyaswel come,
I
fy oubecomedegr aded,cri
mi nal,i
ll
,thenIbecomesof oryoursake,
I
fy ouremembery ourfooli
shandout law'
ddeeds, doyout hi
nkI
cannotr emembermyownf ooli
shandout l
aw'ddeeds?
I
fy oucar
ouseatthetabl
eIcarouseattheopposit
esi
deofthetabl
e,
I
fy oumeetsomestrangeri
nthestreet
sandlovehim orher
,why
Ioft
enmeetstr
angersinthestr
eetandlovethem.

Whywhathavey out houghtofyourself

?
I
sityouthenthatthoughtyoursel
fless?
I
sityouthatt
houghtt hePresi
dentgr eat
ert
hanyou?
Orther
ichbetteroffthanyou?ortheeducatedwisert
hany
ou?

(Becauseyouar egreasyorpimpled, orwer

eoncedr unk,
orathi
ef,
Orthatyouaredi seas'
d,orrheumatic,oraprost
it
ute,
Orfrom fr
ivol
it
yori mpotence,orthatyouarenoscholarandnev
er
sawy ournamei nprint
,
Doy ougiveinthatyouareanyl essimmor t
al?)

2
Soulsofmenandwomen!i tisnotyouIcallunseen,
unhear
d,
untouchableanduntouching,
Iti
snoty ouIgoarguepr oandconabout ,andtosettl
ewhether
youarealiveorno,
Iownpubl i
clywhoy ouare,ifnobodyel
seowns.

Grown,hal
f-
grownandbabe, ofthi
scount
ryandever
ycountr
y,
i
n-door
sandout -
doors,onej
ustasmuchast heot
her
,Isee,
Andallel
sebehindorthroughthem.

Thewif
e,andsheisnotonejotlesst
hant
hehusband,
Thedaught
er,andshei
sjustasgoodastheson,
Themother,
andsheiseverybitasmuchast
hefather
.

Offspringofignorantandpoor,boysappr ent
icedtot
rades,
Youngf el
l
owswor ki
ngonfarmsandol dfell
owsworkingonfar
ms,
Sai
lor-men, merchant-men,
coasters,i
mmi gr
ants,
All
t heseIsee,butnigherandfartherthesameIsee,
Noneshal l
escapemeandnoneshal l
wi shtoescapeme.

Ibri
ngwhatyoumuchneedy etal
wayshave,
Notmoney,amours,dress,
eati
ng,er
udit
ion,
butasgood,
Isendnoagentormedi um,off
ernorepr
esentat
iveofv
alue,
but
off
ert
hevaluei
tself
.

Thereissomet hi
ngt hatcomest oonenowandper pet
uall
y,
I
tisnotwhati sprinted,preach'd,
discussed,i
teludesdiscussi
on
andpr i
nt,
I
tisnott obeputinabook, i
tisnotinthi
sbook,
I
tisfory ouwhoev eryouar e,i
tisnof ar
therfrom youthanyour
heari
ngandsi ghtaref r
om y ou,
I
tishintedbynear est,commonest ,readiest
,iti
sev erpr
ovokedbyt
hem.

Youmayr eadi
nmanyl anguages,yetreadnothingaboutit
,
Youmayr eadthePresident
'smessageandr eadnothi
ngaboutitt
her
e,
Nothingintherepor
tsf rom t
heSt atedepar
tmentorTr easur
y
department,
orinthedai l
ypaper sorweeklypapers,
Orinthecensusorrev enuereturns,pri
cescurrent
,oranyaccount
s
ofstock.

3
Thesunandst arsthatfl
oatintheopenai r,
Theapple-shapedear thandweuponi t,
surelythedri
ftofthem i
s
somethinggr and,
Idonotknowwhati ti
sexceptt hati
tisgrand,andthatiti
shappiness,
Andthattheencl osingpurportofushereisnotaspecul at
ionor
 bon-
motorreconnoi
ssance,
Andthati
tisnotsomethingwhichbyluckmayt
urnoutwell
forus,
andwit
houtluckmustbeaf ail
uref
orus,
Andnotsomethingwhichmayy etberetr
act
edi
nacertai
nconti
ngency
.

Thel i
ghtandshade, t
hecur ioussenseofbodyandi denti
ty,t
he
greedt hatwi thper fectcompl aisancedev oursallt
hings,
Theendl esspr ideandout str
etchingofman, unspeakablejoysandsor
rows,
Thewonderev er yoneseesi nev eryoneel sehesees, andthewonders
thatfil
leachmi nuteoft imef orever,
Whathav ey our eckon' dthem for, camerado?
Hav eyour eckon' dt hem fory ourtradeorf ar
m- work?orforthe
profi
tsofy ourst ore?
Ort oachievey our selfaposi ti
on?ort of i
ll
agent l
eman' slei
sure,
oral ady'sleisur e?

Havey oureckon'dthatt helandscapetooksubst anceandf ormthati

t
mightbepai ntedinapi cture?
Ormenandwoment hatt heymi ghtbewr i
ttenof,andsongssung?
Ortheattr
actionofgr avity,andthegreatlawsandhar moniouscombi
nat
ions
andtheflui
dsoft heai r,assubjectsforthesavans?
Orthebrownl andandt hebl ueseaformapsandchar ts?
Orthestarstobeputi nconst el
lati
onsandnamedf ancynames?
Orthatthegrowt hofseedsi sforagri
cult
ural t
ables,or
agri
cult
ureitself
?

Ol
dinsti
tutions,
thesearts,l
i
brari
es,l
egends,col
lect
ions,
and
thepracticehandedalonginmanuf actur
es,wil
lweratethem sohi
gh?
Wil
lwer ateourcashandbusi nesshigh?Ihavenoobject
ion,
Ir
atethem ashighast hehighest-
-t
henachi l
dbornofawomanand
manIr at
ebey ondal
l r
ate.

WethoughtourUniongrand,andourConstituti
ongrand,
Idonotsaytheyarenotgrandandgood, f
ort heyar
e,
Iam t
hisdayjustasmuchi nlov
ewiththem asy ou,
ThenIam i
nlov ewit
hYou, andwit
hall
myf ell
owsupontheear
th.

Weconsi derbibl
esandrel
i
gionsdi v
ine--
Idonotsaytheyar enotdiv
ine,
Isaytheyhav eal
lgrownoutofy ou,andmaygr owoutofy oustil
l
,
Iti
snott heywhogivethel
if
e, i
tisyouwhogi vetheli
fe,
Leavesar enotmoreshedfrom thetrees,ort
reesfr
om theearth,
thantheyareshedoutofy ou.

4
Thesum ofal l
knownr everenceIaddupi nyouwhoev eryouare,
ThePr esidentisthereintheWhi teHousef ory ou,i
tisnotyouwho
areheref orhim,
TheSecr etari
esacti ntheirbureausforyou,noty ouhereforthem,
TheCongr essconv enesev eryTwelft
h-monthf oryou,
Laws, courts,t
hef ormingofSt ates,
thechartersofciti
es,the
goingandcomi ngofcommer ceandmal l
s, areall
foryou.

Listcl
osemyschol arsdear,
Doctri
nes, poli
ti
csandcivil
i
zati
onexur
gef r
om you,
Sculptureandmonument sandanythi
nginscri
bedanywher ear
etal
l
iedi
nyou,
Thegi stofhistor
iesandstati
sti
csasf
arbackast herecords
reachisiny outhishour
,andmy t
hsandtalesthesame,
Ifyouwer enotbr eat
hingandwalki
nghere,wherewouldtheyal
lbe?
Themostr enown'dpoemswoul dbeashes,orat
ionsandplayswoul
d
bev acuums.

Al
lar
chi
tect
urei
swhaty
oudot
oitwheny
oul
ookuponi
t,
(
Didyouthinki
twasinthewhi
teorgr
ayst
one?ort
hel
i
nesof
t
hearchesandcor
nices?
)

Al
l musiciswhatawakesf r
om youwhenyouarer emindedbythei
nst
rument
s,
I
tisnottheviol
insandthecornets,
iti
snottheoboenort he
beat
ingdrums,northescoreofthebar
it
onesingersinginghi
s
sweetromanza,northatofthemen'
schorus,northatofthe
women'schorus,
I
tisnearerandfart
herthanthey.

5
Wil
lthewholecomebackt hen?
Caneachseesi gnsoft hebestbyalookint
helooki
ng-
glass?i
s
t
herenothinggreaterormore?
Doesall
sittherewithy ou,
withthemysti
cunseensoul
?

St
rangeandhardthatpar
adoxtrueIgi
ve,
Obj
ectsgrossandtheunseensoular
eone.

House- bui ldi ng, measur ing, sawi ngt heboar ds,
Blacksmi thi ng, gl ass- bl owi ng, nai l-maki ng, cooper i
ng, tin-roof i
ng,
shingle- dr essi ng,
Ship-j
oini ng, dock- bui lding, f
ish- cur ing, flaggi ngofsi dewal ksbyf l
aggers,
Thepump, thepi le-dr i
v er, thegr eatder rick, thecoal -
kilnandbr i
ckkil
n,
Coal-mi nesandal lthati sdownt her e, thel ampsi nt hedar kness,
echoes, songs, whatmedi tat i
ons, whatv astnat i
v ethought s
lookingt hr oughsmut ch' df aces,
Ir
on-wor ks, forge- f i
resi nt hemount ai nsorbyr iv er-banks, men
aroundf eel ingt hemel twi thhugecr owbar s, lumpsofor e,the
duecombi ningofor e, li
mest one, coal ,
Thebl ast -fur naceandt hepuddl i
ng- f urnace, thel oup- lumpatt he
bottom oft hemel tatl ast , ther olling- mi l
l,thest umpybar s
ofpig- iron, thest rongcl ean- shapedTr ai lforr ailroads,
Oil-
wor ks, silk-wor ks, whi te-lead- wor ks, thesugar -
house,
steam- saws, t hegr eatmi ll
sandf act or ies,
Stone-cut t i
ng, shapel yt ri
mmi ngsf orf acadesorwi ndowordoor -l
i
nt el
s,
themal let, thet oot h-chi sel ,thej i
bt opr ot ectt het humb,
Thecal ki ng- iron, theket t
leofboi li
ngv aul t-cement ,andt hef i
re
undert heket tle,
Thecot ton- bal e, thest evedor e'shook, thesawandbuckoft he
sawy er , themoul doft hemoul der ,thewor ki ng- kni f
eoft he
butcher , thei ce- saw, andal l thewor kwi t
hi ce,
Thewor kandt ool soft her igger ,gr appl er ,sai l-maker ,block- maker,
Goodsofgut t
a- per cha, papi er -mache, col ors, br ushes, br ush- making,
glazier'si mpl ement s,
Thev eneerandgl ue-pot ,theconf ect ioner 'sor nament s,thedecant er
andgl asses, theshear sandf lat -
iron,
Theawl andknee- strap, thepi ntmeasur eandquar tmeasur e,the
count erandst ool ,thewr i
ting- penofqui l
l ormet al,themaki ng
ofall sor tsofedgedt ool s,
Thebr ewer y ,brewi ng, t hemal t,thev at s, ev eryt hingt hati sdone
bybr ewer s, wi ne- maker s, vinegar -maker s,
Leather -
dr essi ng, coach- maki ng, boi ler -maki ng, rope- twi st i
ng,
disti
lli
ng, sign- pai nting, lime- bur ni ng, cot ton- pi cking,
electropl ating, elect roty ping, ster eot y ping,
Stave-machi nes, plani ng- machi nes, reapi ng- machi nes,
ploughi ng- machi nes, thr ashi ng- machi nes, st eam wagons,
Thecar toft hecar man, t
heomni bus, theponder ousdr ay ,
Pyrotechny ,let t
ingof fcol or '
df irewor ksatni ght ,fancyf igur esandj ets;
Beefont hebut cher '
sst all, t
hesl aught er -houseoft hebut cher,the
butcheri nhi ski ll
ing- clot hes,
Thepensofl ivepor k, theki l
ling- hammer ,thehog- hook, t he
 scalder'
st ub, gutting,thecutter
'scl
eav er
,thepacker 'smaul,
andt hepl enteouswi nterworkofpork-packing,
Fl
our -
wor ks, gr
indingofwheat ,rye,maize,ri
ce, thebarrel
sand
thehalfandquar terbar r
els,
theloadedbar ges, t
hehighpil
es
onwhar vesandl ev ees,
Themenandt hewor koft hemenonf erri
es,railroads,
coasters,
fi
sh-boats, canal s;
Thehour lyrout i
neofy ourownoranyman' slife,theshop,yard,
store,orfactor y,
Theseshowsal l neary oubydayandni ght-
-wor kman!whoev eryou
are,yourdai l
yl if
e!

I
nthatandthem t hehef toft
heheav iest-
-i
nthatandthem farmore
t
hanyouest i
mat ed,(andfarlessalso,)
I
nthem real
i
tiesf oryouandme, inthem poemsf oryouandme,
I
nthem,notyour self
-youandy oursoul encl
oseallthi
ngs,
r
egar
dlessofest imation,
I
nthem thedevelopmentgood- -inthem allt
hemes, hi
nts,
possibi
l
iti
es.

Idonotaffi
rmthatwhaty ouseebey ondisfut
il
e,Idonotadv
ise
youtostop,
Idonotsayleadingsyouthoughtgreatarenotgreat,
ButIsaythatnoneleadtogreatert
hant hesel
eadt o.

6
Willyouseekaf aroff ?yousur elycomebackatl ast ,
I
nt hingsbestknownt oy ouf i
ndingt hebest ,orasgoodast hebest
,
I
nf olksnear esttoy ouf indingt hesweet est ,
st r
ongest ,l
ovi
ngest,
Happi ness, knowl edge, noti nanot herplacebutt hisplace,notf
or
anot herhourbutt hi shour ,
Mani nt hef i
rstyouseeort ouch, alwaysi nfriend,br ot
her,
nighestnei ghbor--
womani nmot her,sister,wife,
Thepopul artastesandempl oy ment stakingpr ecedencei npoemsoranywher
e,
Youwor kwomenandwor kmenoft heseSt ateshav ingyourowndi v
ine
andst rongl i
fe,
Andal l elsegi v
ingpl acet omenandwomenl i
key ou.
Whent hepsal m singsi nsteadoft hesinger ,

Whenthescr i
ptpr eachesinsteadoft hepreacher
,
Whenthepul pitdescendsandgoesi nsteadofthecarvert
hatcarv
ed
thesuppor ti
ngdesk,
WhenIcant oucht hebodyofbooksbyni ghtorbyday,andwhenthey
touchmybodybackagai n,
Whenauni v ersit
ycour seconv i
nceslikeaslumberingwomanandchi l
d
convince,
Whenthemi nt edgoldinthev aultsmilesl
iketheni
ght-
watchman'sdaught
er,
Whenwar rant eedeedsl oafeinchairsoppositeandaremyf ri
endl
y
compani ons,
Ii
ntendtor eacht hem myhand, andmakeasmuchoft hem asIdo
ofmenandwomenl i
key ou.

BOOKXVI

ASongoft
heRol
l
ingEar
th

1
Asongoft
her ol
li
ngear
th,andofwordsaccor
ding,
Wereyout
hinki
ngthatt
hosewerethewords,t
hoseupr
ightl
i
nes?
 thosecur
ves,angles,
dot s?
No, t
hosearenotthewor ds,thesubst
ant
ial
wor
dsar
eint
hegr
ound
andsea,
Theyareintheair
,theyarei nyou.

Werey outhi
nki
ngt hatt
hosewer ethewords,t
hosedel
i
cioussounds
outofyourfr
iends'mouths?
No,therealwordsaremoredelici
ousthanthey.

Humanbodiesar ewor ds,my r

iadsofwords,
(I
nthebestpoemsr e-appearst hebody,
man'sorwoman'
s,
wel
l-
shaped,natur
al,gay ,
Ever
ypartabl
e,activ
e, recepti
ve,wit
houtshameort
heneedofshame.
)

Air
, soil,
water
,fi
re--
thosearewor ds,
Imy selfam awor dwiththem--myqualit
iesint
erpenet
rat
ewith
theirs--
mynamei snot hi
ngtothem,
Thoughi twer
etoldinthethreethousandlanguages,whatwoul
d
air,soil
,wat
er,fi
re,knowofmyname?

Ahealthypresence,
afri
endlyorcommandinggest
ure,
arewor
ds,
sayi
ngs,meanings,
Thecharmst hatgowiththemer el
ooksofsomemenandwomen,
aresayi
ngsandmeani ngsalso.

Thewor
kmanshipofsoul
sisbythoseinaudi
blewor
dsoft
heearth,
Themast
ersknowtheeart
h'swordsandusethem mor
ethanaudibl
ewor
ds.

Ameli
orati
onisoneoft heear t
h'swords,
Theeart
hnei t
herl agsnorhastens,
I
thasallatt
ri
but es,growths,eff
ects,l
atenti
nitsel
ffr
om thej
ump,
I
tisnothalfbeaut i
fulonl
y,defectsandexcrescencesshowjustas
muchasper fectionsshow.

Theearthdoesnotwi thhol
d, i
tisgener ousenough,
Thetrut
hsoft heearthconti
nuallywai t,t
heyar enotsoconceal'
deit
her
,
Theyarecalm, subtl
e,unt
ransmi ssibl
ebypr i
nt ,
Theyareimbuedt hroughallthi
ngsconv eyi
ngt hemselveswil
li
ngl
y,
Conveyi
ngasent i
mentandi nvi
tation,Iutt
erandut ter
,
Ispeaknot,yetifyouhearmenotofwhatav ailam It
oy ou?
Tobear,tobetter,l
acki
ngtheseofwhatav ai
l am I
?

(
Accouche!accouchez!
Wil
lyourotyourownf r
uiti
ny our
sel
fther
e?
Wil
lyousquatandstif
lethere?)

Theearthdoesnotar gue,
I
snotpat het
ic,
hasnoar rangement s,
Doesnotscream, haste,persuade, thr
eaten,promise,
Makesnodi scr
iminations,hasnoconcei vablefai
lur
es,
Closesnothi
ng,refusesnot hing,shutsnoneout ,
Ofallt
hepower s,objects,states,i
tnoti
fi
es, shutsnoneout
.

Theear t
hdoesnotexhi biti
tsel
fnorrefusetoexhibiti
tself
,
possessesst i
l
l underneath,
Underneaththeost ensi
bl esounds,t
heaugustchor usofher oes,t
he
wailofslaves,
Persuasionsoflov er
s,curses,gaspsofthedy i
ng,laughterofyoung
people,accentsofbar gainer
s,
Underneaththesepossessi ngwor dsthatneverfal
l.

Toherchi
l
drent
hewor
dsoft
heel
oquentdumbgr
eatmot
hernev
erf
ail
,
Thetruewordsdonotf
ail
,formoti
ondoesnotfai
landr
eflect
ion
doesnotfal
l
,
Alsothedayandni
ghtdonotfal
l,
andthevoyagewepursuedoesnotf
all
.

Ofthei
nterminablesister
s,
Oftheceaselesscoti
llonsofsist
ers,
Ofthecentr
ipetalandcentri
fugalsi
ster
s,t
heelderandyoungersi
ster
s,
Thebeauti
fulsist
erweknowdancesonwi t
htherest.

Withherampl ebackt owar dseverybehol der,

Withthefascinat
ionsofy outhandt heequal f
ascinati
onsofage,
Si
tsshewhom It ool ovelikether est,sit
sundistur
b'd,
Holdingupinherhandwhathast hechar act
erofami rror
,whil
eher
eyesglancebackf rom i
t ,
Gl
anceasshesi t
s,invit
ingnone, deny ingnone,
Holdingami r
rordayandni ghtt
irelesslybeforeherownf ace.

Seenathandorseenatadi stance,
Dulythetwenty-f
ourappeari npubliceveryday,
Dulyapproachandpasswi ththeircompanionsoracompani on,
Lookingfrom nocount enancesoft hei
rown,butfrom thecountenances
ofthosewhoar ewit
ht hem,
From thecountenancesofchi ldr
enorwomenort hemanl ycountenance,
From theopencount enancesofani malsorfrom inani
mat ethi
ngs,
From thelandscapeorwat ersorf r
om theexquisi
teappariti
onofthesky,
From ourcountenances, mineandy ours,
fait
hfull
yreturni
ngthem,
Everydayinpublicappear i
ngwi t
houtfall
,butnevertwicewiththe
samecompani ons.

Embraci
ngman, embr aci
ngall,proceedthethreehundredand
sixt
y-f
iveresist
lesslyroundthesun;
Embraci
ngall,soothing,supporti
ng,fol
lowclosethreehundredand
sixt
y-f
iveoffsetsoft hefi
rst
,sur eandnecessaryasthey.

Tumbl i
ngonst eadil
y ,
nothingdr eading,
Sunshine,storm, cold,heat,foreverwi t
hstanding,passing,car
ryi
ng,
Thesoul '
srealizati
onanddet ermi nati
onst i
lli
nherit
ing,
Thefluidvacuum ar oundandaheadst i
llenteri
nganddi vidi
ng,
Nobal kretarding,noanchoranchor i
ng,onnor ockstri
king,
Swif
t,glad,cont ent,unbereav'd,nothinglosing,
Ofallableandr eadyatanyt imet ogi vestri
ctaccount ,
Thedivineshi psailsthedivinesea.

2
Whoeveryouare!mot
ionandref
lect
ionareespeci
all
yfory
ou,
Thedi
vineshi
psailst
hedivi
neseaforyou.

Whoeveryouar
e!youareheorshef orwhom t
heear
thi
ssoli
dandl
i
qui
d,
Youareheorsheforwhom thesunandmoonhangi nt
hesky,
Fornonemorethanyouaret
hepr esentandt
hepast
,
Fornonemorethanyouisi
mmor tali
ty.

Eachmant ohi
mselfandeachwomant oher
sel
f,i
sthewor
doft
he
pastandpr
esent,
andthetruewor dofi
mmortal
it
y;
Noonecanacquireforanot
her--
notone,
Notonecangrowforanother-
-notone.

Thesongi stothesinger,andcomesbackmosttohim,
Theteachingistotheteacher,andcomesbackmosttohi
m,
Themur deristothemur derer
,andcomesbackmosttohi
m,
Thethefti
st othethi
ef,andcomesbackmostt ohi
m,
Thel
ov eistothelover,andcomesbackmostt ohi
m,
Thegif
tistothegiver,
andcomesbackmostt ohim--
itcannotfai
l,
Theorati
onistotheorator
,theact
ingistotheactorandactress
nott
otheaudience,
Andnomanunder st
andsanygreatnessorgoodnessbuthisown, or
thei
ndicat
ionofhisown.

3
Isweart
heearthshallsur
elybecompl
etetohi
m orherwhoshal
l
becomplet
e,
Theeart
hremainsjaggedandbrokenonl
ytohi
m orherwhoremains
j
aggedandbroken.

Isweart hereisnogr eat nessorpowert hatdoesnotemul atethose

oftheear th,
Therecanbenot heoryofanyaccountunl essitcorroboratethe
theoryoft heearth,
Nopol it
ics,song,reli
gion, behavi
or,orwhatnot,isofaccount ,
unlessitcompar ewi tht heamplit
udeoft heearth,
Unlessitfacet heexact ness,vit
ali
ty,i
mpartial
i
ty,recti
tudeof
theear t
h.

IswearIbegintoseelov
ewithsweet
erspasmsthanthatwhi
ch
r
espondslove,
Iti
sthatwhichcontai
nsit
sel
f,whi
chneveri
nvi
tesandneverr
efuses.

IswearIbegi
ntoseeli
tt
leornothinginaudibl
ewords,
All
mergestowardthepresent
ati
onoft heunspokenmeani ngsoft
heear t
h,
Towardhim whosi
ngsthesongsoft hebodyandoft hetruthsoft
heear t
h,
Towardhim whomakest hedi
cti
onari
esofwor dsthatpr
intcannottouch.

IswearIseewhati
sbettert
hantotell
thebest
,
Iti
salwaystol
eavethebestunt
old.

WhenIunder t
aket ot
ell
thebestIfindIcannot
,
Myt ongueisinef
fect
ualonitspi
vots,
Mybr eathwil
lnotbeobedientt
oitsorgans,
Ibecomeadumbman.

Thebestoft heear t
hcannotbet ol
dany how, al
loranyi sbest
,
I
tisnotwhaty ouantici
pated,
itischeaper ,easi
er,nearer,
Thingsar enotdi smiss'
df r
om theplacest heyheldbef ore,
Theear thisjustasposi t
iveanddi r
ectasi twasbef ore,
Facts,rel
igi
ons, i
mpr ovements, pol
it
ics,tr
ades,areasr ealasbef
ore,
Butthesoul isalsor eal
,itt
ooisposi ti
veanddi rect
,
Nor easoning,nopr oofhasest abli
sh'di
t,
Undeniablegr owt hhasestabl
ish'dit.

4
Thesetoechot
het onesofsoul
sandt hephrasesofsouls,
(I
ftheydi
dnotechot hephr
asesofsoulswhatweret heythen?
I
ftheyhadnotref
erencetoyouinespecial
whatwer etheythen?)

IswearIwi
llnev
erhencef
orthhavet
odowitht
hefait
hthattel
l
s
t
hebest,
Iwil
lhavet
odoonlywiththatf
ait
hthatl
eav
esthebestunt
old.

Sayon,sayer
s!singon, singers!
Del
ve!mould!pi
let hewor dsoftheearth!
Workon,ageafterage, nothi
ngistobel ost,
I
tmayhav etowai tlong,butitwil
lcer
tainlycomeinuse,
Whenthemat er
ialsar eallpr
eparedandr eady,t
hearchi
tect
sshal
lappear
.
Isweartoy out hearchitect
sshallappearwithoutf all
,
Isweartoy out heywillunderst
andy ouandj usti
fyy ou,
Thegreatestamongt hem shallbehewhobestknowsy ou,andencl
oses
al
landisf ait
hfultoall,
Heandt her estshallnotforgetyou,theyshallperceivet
hatyou
ar
enotani otalessthant hey,
Youshallbef ull
yglorif
iedinthem.

Yout
h,Day
,Ol
dAgeandNi
ght

Youth,l
arge,l
usty,
lovi
ng-
-yout
hful
lofgr
ace,f
orce,f
ascinat
ion,
Doyouknowt hatOldAgemaycomeaf t
eryouwithequalgrace,
f
orce,fasci
nati
on?

Dayf ull
-blownandspl endi
d-dayofthei
mmensesun,act
ion,
ambi t
ion, l
aughter
,
TheNi ghtf ol
lowsclosewithmi l
l
ionsofsuns,
andsl
eepand
restoringdarkness.

BOOKXVI
I.BI
RDSOFPASSAGE

Songoft
heUni
ver
sal

1
Comesai
dtheMuse,
Si
ngmeasongnopoety
ethaschant
ed,
Si
ngmetheuni
ver
sal
.

I
nt hisbroadear
thofours,
Ami dthemeasurel
essgrossnessandt hesl
ag,
Enclosedandsafewit
hinit
scentralheart
,
Nestlestheseedper
fect
ion.

Byever
yli
feashareormoreorless,
Nonebornbuti
tisbor
n,conceal
'dorunconceal
'
dtheseedi
swai
ti
ng.

2
Lo!keen-
eyedtoweri
ngscience,
Asfrom t
allpeakst
hemoder nov er
looki
ng,
Successi
veabsolut
efiat
sissuing.

Yetagai
n,l
o!thesoul,
aboveallsci
ence,
Fori
thashist
orygather'
dli
kehusksar oundtheglobe,
Fori
ttheenti
rest
ar-myri
adsrol
l t
hrought hesky
.

I
nspiral
routesbylongdetours,
(Asamuch- t
acki
ngshi puponthesea,
)
Fori
ttheparti
alt
ot hepermanentfl
owing,
Fori
ttherealtot
hei dealt
ends.

Fori
tthemy st
icevol
uti
on,
Nott
her i
ghtonlyj
usti
fi
ed,
whatwecal
lev
ilal
soj
ust
if
ied.

Fort
hfrom t
hei
rmasks,nomatt
erwhat,
From t
hehugefest
eri
ngtr
unk,
from cr
aftandgui
l
eandt
ear
s,
Heal
tht
oemer
geandj
oy,
joyuni
ver
sal
.

Outofthebulk,t
hemor bidandtheshal
low,
Outofthebadmaj ori
ty,thevari
edcountlessfraudsofmenandst
ates,
El
ectr
ic,ant
isept
icyet,cleavi
ng,suf
fusi
ngal l
,
Onl
ythegoodi suniver
sal .

3
Overt
hemount ai
n-gr
owthsdiseaseandsor
row,
Anuncaughtbi
rdiseverhoveri
ng,hov
eri
ng,
Hi
ghinthepurer,
happierai
r.

Fr
om i
mperfecti
on'
smurki
estcl
oud,
Dar
tsalway
sf or
thoner
ayofperf
ectl
ight
,
Onefl
ashofheaven'
sgl
ory
.

Tofashion'
s,custom'sdiscord,
TothemadBabel -
din,thedeafeningorgies,
Soothingeachlullast
rainisheard,justheard,
From somef arshorethefinalchorussounding.

Ot hebl
esteyes,t
hehappyhear
ts,
Thatsee,t
hatknowtheguidi
ngthr
eadsof
ine,
Alongthemightyl
abyr
int
h.

4
AndthouAmeri
ca,
Fort
hescheme'scul
minati
on,i
tsthoughtandi
tsr
eal
i
ty,
Fort
hese(notf
orthy
self
)thouhastarri
ved.

Thoutoosurroundestall
,
Embracingcarr
yingwelcomi
ngal
l
,thout
oobypat
hway
sbr
oadandnew,
Totheidealt
endest.

Themeasur e'
dfaithsofot herlands,
thegrandeur
softhepast
,
Arenotforthee,butgrandeur softhi
neown,
Deif
icf
aithsandampl itudes,absorbi
ng,comprehendi
ngall
,
All
eli
gibl
etoal l
.

All
,al
lfori
mmor tali
ty,
Loveli
kethelightsi l
ent
lywrappingall
,
Natur
e'sameliorationblessi
ngall,
Theblossoms, f
rui t
sofages,orchardsdi
vi
neandcert
ain,
Forms,object
s,gr owths,humaniti
es,t
ospir
it
ual
imagesri
peni
ng.

Giv
emeOGodt osingthatthought,
Giv
eme, givehim orherIlovet hisquenchl
essfait
h,
I
nThyensembl e,whateverelsewi t
hheldwi
thholdnotf
rom us,
Bel
iefi
nplanofTheeencl osedi nTimeandSpace,
Healt
h,peace,salvati
onuniversal.

I
sitadream?
Naybutthelackofitthedr
eam,
Andfai
li
ngitli
fe'
sloreandweal
thadr
eam,
Andall
thewor l
dadr eam.

Pi
oneer
s!OPi
oneer
s!

Comemyt
an-
facedchi
l
dren,
Fol
lowwell i
norder,
getyourweaponsready
,
Havey ouyourpi
stol
s?haveyouyoursharp-
edgedaxes?
Pioneer
s!Opioneers!

Forwecannottarryhere,
Wemustmar chmydar l
i
ngs, wemustbearthebr
untofdanger
,
Wet
hey out
hfulsi
newyr aces,al
lther
estonusdepend,
Pioneer
s!Opioneers!

Oy ouy out
hs,Wester
nyouths,
Soimpatient,
ful
lofacti
on,f
ullofmanlypri
deandfr
iendshi
p,
Pl
ainIseey ouWesternyout
hs, seey
outrampingwi
ththeforemost
,
Pioneers!Opi
oneers!

Hav etheelderraceshal
ted?
Dotheydr oopandendt hei
rlesson,weari
edovertherebeyondt
heseas?
Wetakeupt hetasketer
nal
, andtheburdenandthelesson,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Al
lthepastwel eav
ebehind,
Wedebouchuponanewermi ght
ierworl
d,var
iedworld,
Fr
eshandst r
ongthewor l
dweseize,worl
doflaborandthemar
ch,
Pi
oneers!Opioneers!

Wedet achment ssteadyt

hrowing,
Downt heedges,throughthepasses,upt
hemountai
nssteep,
Conqueri
ng, hol
ding,dari
ng,
venturi
ngaswegotheunknownways,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Weprimev al
forest
sfelli
ng,
Wet
heri
versstemmi ng,vexi
ngweandpi
ercingdeepthemineswi
thi
n,
Wet
hesurfacebroadsurveying,
wet
hevi
rginsoil
upheavi
ng,
Pi
oneers!Opioneers!

Col
oradomenarewe,
Fr
om thepeaksgi
gant
ic,
from t
hegreatsi
err
asandt
hehighpl
ateaus,
Fr
om themineandfr
om thegul
ly,
from t
hehunt
ingt
rai
lwecome,
Pi
oneers!Opi
oneer
s!

From Nebraska,fr
om Arkansas,
Central
inl
andr acearewe,fr
om Mi ssouri
,wi
tht
hecont
inent
al
bloodinter
vein'
d,
Al
lthehandsofcomr adescl
asping,allt
heSout
her
n,al
ltheNor
ther
n,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Oresi
stlessr
estl
essr ace!
Obel
ovedr acei
nall!Omybr eastacheswit
ht enderl
ovef
oral
l
!
OImournandy etexult,
Iam raptwit
hlov
ef orall
,
Pi
oneers!Opioneers!

Raisethemightymot hermistr
ess,
Wav i
nghighthedelicatemist
ress,overal
lthest
arr
ymistr
ess,
(bendyourheadsal l,
)
Rai
set hefang'
dandwar l
ikemist
ress,st
ern,i
mpassi
ve,
weapon'dmi
str
ess,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Seemychildr
en,resol
utechildr
en,
Bythoseswarmsuponourr earwemustneveryi
eldorf
alter,
Agesbackinghostl
ymi l
li
onsfrowningt
her
ebehi
ndusur ging,
Pioneer
s!Opioneers!

Onandont
hecompactr
anks,
Wit
haccessionseverwai
ti
ng,withthepl
acesofthedeadquickl
yfi
ll
'
d,
Thr
oughthebattl
e,thr
oughdefeat,
mov i
ngyetandneverst
opping,
Pi
oneers!Opioneer
s!

Ot odieadvancingon!
Aretheresomeofust odroopanddi e?hast
hehourcome?
Thenupont hemar chwefi
ttestdi
e,soonandsur
ethegapi
sfi
l
l'
d.
Pioneers!Opioneer
s!

Allt
hepulsesoftheworld,
Fal
li
ngintheybeatforus,wit
htheWester
nmovementbeat,
Hol
dingsingl
eortogether,
steadymovi
ngtot
hefr
ont,al
lforus,
Pioneer
s!Opioneers!

Lif
e'sinvol
v'
dandv ari
edpageants,
Al
ltheformsandshows, al
ltheworkmenatthei
rwor
k,
Al
ltheseamenandt helandsmen,al
lthemaster
swit
hthei
rsl
aves,
Pioneers!Opioneer
s!

Allthehaplesssil
entlover
s,
Al
ltheprisonersinthepri
sons,all
theri
ghteousandthewicked,
Al
lthejoyous,all
thesorrowing,al
lthel
i
ving,al
lthedyi
ng,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Itoowit
hmysoul andbody ,
We, acuri
oustr
io,picking,
wanderi
ngonourway,
Throughtheseshoresami dtheshadows,
wit
htheappar
it
ionspr
essi
ng,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Lo,thedarti
ngbowlingorb!
Lo,thebrotheror
bsar ound,
all
t hecl
usteri
ngsunsandpl
anet
s,
Allt
hedazzl i
ngdays,allt
hemy sti
cnightswit
hdreams,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

Thesear eofus, theyar

ewi t
hus,
Al
lforpri
mal neededwor k,whi
lethef
oll
owersther
einembryowaitbehi
nd,
Weto-day'
spr ocessionheadi
ng,wetherout
efortr
avelcl
ear
ing,
Pioneer
s!Opi oneers!

OyoudaughtersoftheWest !
Oyouy oungandelderdaughter
s!Oyoumot
her
sandy ouwi
ves!
Nevermustyoubedi vi
ded,i
nourranksy
oumoveuni
ted,
Pioneer
s!Opioneers!

Minstrel
slatentonthepr
air
ies!
(Shroudedbar dsofotherl
ands,youmayrest
,youhav
edoney
ourwork,
)
SoonIheary oucomingwarbli
ng,soonyouri
seandtr
ampamidus,
Pioneers!Opioneer
s!

Notf
ordelectat
ionssweet,
Nott
hecushionandt hesli
pper
,notthepeacef
ulandt
hest
udi
ous,
Nott
herichessafeandpalli
ng,
notforusthetameenj
oyment
,
Pi
oneers!Opioneers!

Dot hef
east
ersgluttonousfeast?
Dothecorpul
entsleeperssleep?havetheyl
ock'dandbolt
eddoor
s?
St
il
lbeoursthediethard,andtheblanketontheground,
Pioneer
s!Opioneers!

Hasthenightdescended?
Wastheroadoflatesotoil
some?di
dwest
opdi
scour
agednoddi
ng
onourway ?
YetapassinghourIyi
eldy
oui
nyourt
rackst
opauseobl
i
vious,
Pioneer
s!Opioneer
s!

Til
lwithsoundoft r
umpet,
Far
,faroffthedaybreakcal
l-
-hark!howloudandclearIhearitwi
nd,
Swif
t!totheheadoft hearmy!-
-swift
!spr
ingt
oy ourplaces,
Pioneers!Opioneers!

ToYou

Whoev ery ouar e, If earyouar ewal ki

ngt hewal ksofdr eams,
If
eart hesesupposedr eali
ti
esar etomel tfr
om undery ourfeetandhands,
Evennowy ourf eat ures,joys,speech,house, tr
ade, manners,
troubles,foll
ies, cost ume, cri
mes, dissipateawayf r
om y ou,
Yourt r
uesoul andbodyappearbef oreme.
Theyst andf orthoutofaf fair
s,outofcommer ce, shops,wor k,
farms, clothes,t hehouse, buying,sell
ing,eating,dri
nking,
suffering,dying.

Whoeveryouare,
nowIplacemyhandupony ou,
thaty
oubemypoem,
Iwhi
sperwithmylipscl
osetoy
ourear.
Ihav
elovedmanywomenandmen, butIl
ovenonebet
tert
hany
ou.

OIhavebeendi
lat
oryanddumb,
Ishoul
dhavemademywayst r
aighttoyoulongago,
Ishoul
dhavebl
abb'
dnothi
ngbuty ou,
Ishouldhavechant
ednot
hing
buty
ou.

Iwill
leav
eallandcomeandmaket hehymnsofy ou,
Nonehasunder st
oody ou,butIunderst
andy ou,
Nonehasdonej usticetoy ou,y
ouhav enotdonejusti
cet oy our
self
,
Nonebuthasf oundy oui mperf
ect,Ionl
yfindnoimperfecti
oni nyou,
Nonebutwoul dsubor dinat
eyou,Ionlyam hewhowi l
lnev erconsent
tosubordi
nateyou,
Ionlyam hewhopl acesov eryounomast er,owner
,better,God,
beyondwhatwaitsi ntri
nsi
call
yinyourself
.

Paint
ershavepai ntedthei
rswar minggroupsandthecentr
e-figureofal
l
,
Fr
om t heheadoft hecentre-
figur
espr eadi
nganimbusofgol d-col
or'
dli
ght
,
ButIpaintmy r
iadsofheads, butpaintnoheadwithouti
tsni
mbus
ofgold-
color'
dlight,
Fr
om myhandf r
om thebrainofev erymanandwomani tstreams,
eff
ulgent
lyfl
owi ngforev
er.

OIcoul dsingsuchgr andeursandgl or

iesaboutyou!
Youhav enotknownwhaty ouar e,youhaveslumber'
dupony
our
sel
f
al
lyourlife,
Youreyeli
dshav ebeent hesameascl osedmostoftheti
me,
Whaty ouhav edoner eturnsalreadyinmockeries,
(Yourt
hr i
ft
, knowledge,prayers,i
ftheydonotr et
urni
n
mockeries, whatistheirr
eturn?)

Themocker iesarenotyou,
Underneat hthem andwithi
nthem Iseey oulur
k,
Ipursuey ouwher enoneelsehaspur suedyou,
Sil
ence,thedesk, thefl
i
ppantexpr ession,t
henight
,the
accustom' drouti
ne,i
ftheseconceal y
oufrom ot
her sorf
rom
yoursel
f, t
heydonotconceal youf rom me,
Theshav edf ace,t
heunsteadyey e,theimpurecompl exi
on,i
fthese
 balkot
herst
heydonotbalkme,
Thepertappar
el,
thedefor
m'datt
it
ude,dr
unkenness,
greed,
prematur
edeath,
all
theseIpar
tasi
de.

Ther
eisnoendowmenti nmanorwomant hatisnottal
li
edinyou,
Ther
eisnov i
rtue,nobeautyinmanorwoman, butasgoodisinyou,
Nopluck,noenduranceinothers,
butasgoodi sinyou,
Nopleasurewaiti
ngforothers,
butanequalpleasurewait
sforyou.

Asforme,Igi
venothingtoanyoneexceptIgi
vetheli
kecar
eful
ly
t
oyou,
Isi
ngthesongsofthegloryofnone,
notGod,soonert
hanIsing
t
hesongsofthegloryofyou.

Whoev ery ouar e!clai

my ourownatanyhazar d!
Theseshowsoft heEastandWestar etamecompar edtoyou,
Theseimmensemeadows, theseinter
mi nableriv
ers,youar
ei mmense
andint ermi nableast hey ,
Thesef uries, el
ement s,stor
ms, motionsofNat ur
e,thr
oesofappar ent
di
ssol ution, y
ouar eheorshewhoi smast erormi st
ressoverthem,
Masterormi stressiny ourownr ightoverNat ure,el
ements,pain,
passion, dissolution.

Thehoppl esf all

from yourankles,youfi
ndanunf ai
l
ingsuf f
ici
ency,
Oldory oung,mal eorf emale,r
ude,low,rej
ectedbytherest,
whatevery ouar epromulgesi t
sel
f ,
Throughbi r
th, l
if
e,death,buri
al,t
hemeansar eprovided,nothi
ng
i
sscant ed,
Throughanger s,l
osses,ambiti
on, i
gnorance,
ennui,whatyouar e
picksit
sway .

Fr
ance[
the18t
hYearoft
heseSt
ates

Agreatyearandplace
Aharshdiscordantnat
alscream out
-soundi
ng,
tot
oucht
hemot
her
's
heartcloserthananyyet.

Iwalk'dtheshoresofmyEast ernsea,
Heardov erthewav est heli
tt
lev oice,
Sawt hedivinei
nfantwher eshewokemour nfull
ywaili
ng,amidthe
roarofcannon, curses,shouts, cr
ashoffall
i
ngbuildi
ngs,
Wasnotsosi ckfrom thebloodi nt hegut
tersrunni
ng,norfr
om thesingl
e
corpses,northosei nheaps, northoseborneawayi nthetumbril
s,
Wasnotsodesper at
eatt hebat tuesofdeath-
-wasnotsoshock' dat
therepeatedfusill
adesoft heguns.

Pal
e,sil
ent,st
ern,
whatcoul dIsaytot
hatlong-
accruedr
etr
ibut
ion?
CouldIwishhumanitydiff
erent
?
CouldIwishthepeoplemadeofwoodandst one?
Orthatt
herebenoj usti
ceindesti
nyorti
me?

OLibert
y!Omat ef orme!
Heretootheblaze,thegrape-shotandtheaxe,i
nreser
ve,
tof
etch
t
hem outincaseofneed,
Heretoo,t
houghl ongreprest,canneverbedest
roy'
d,
Heretoocouldriseatlastmur der
ingandecstat
ic,
Heretoodemandi ngfullar
rearsofvengeance.

HenceIsi
gnt
hissal
uteov
ert
hesea,
AndIdonotdenyt hatterri
bleredbi rthandbapt ism,
Butr emembert helitt
levoicethatIhear dwai l
i
ng, andwai twi
th
per f
ecttrust,
nomat t
erhowl ong,
Andf r
om to-daysadandcogentImai nt
aint hebequeat h'
dcause,
as
foralll
ands,
AndIsendt hesewor dstoPar iswi thmyl ove,
AndIguesssomechansonni erst her ewillunder st
andt hem,
ForIguesst her
eislatentmusi cy eti nFrance, fl
oodsofi t,
OIhearal readythebust l
eofi nstrument s,theywi l
lsoonbe
drowningal lt
hatwoul dinterruptt hem,
OIt hinktheeastwi ndbringsat r
iumphal andf reemar ch,
Itr
eacheshi t
her,i
tswellsmet oJoy fulmadness,
Iwillruntransposeitinwor ds,toj ustify
Iwillyetsingasongf ory oumaf emme.

My
sel
fandMi
ne

My selfandminegymnasticever
,
Tost andthecoldorheat,
totakegoodaim wi
thagun,t
osai
la
boat ,
tomanagehorses,tobegetsuper
bchil
dren,
Tospeakr eadil
yandclearl
y,t
ofeelathomeamongcommonpeopl
e,
Andt oholdourownint er
ri
bleposi
ti
onsonlandandsea.

Notforanembroiderer
,
(Ther
ewill
alwaysbepl ent
yofembroi
der
ers,
Iwel
comet
hem al
so,
)
Butfort
hefibr
eoft hi
ngsandfori
nher
entmenandwomen.

Nottochi
selor
naments,
Buttochi
sel
withf
reestr
oketheheadsandli
mbsofplent
eous
supr
emeGods,t
hattheSt
atesmayr eal
i
zethem wal
ki
ngandtal
ki
ng.

Letmehav emyownway ,
Letot her
spr omulgethel
aws, Iwi
l
lmakenoaccountofthelaws,
Letot her
spr ai
seeminentmenandholduppeace,Iholdupagit
ati
on
andconf l
ict,
Ipraisenoemi nentman,Irebuketohi
sfacet
heonet hatwas
thoughtmostwor t
hy.

(Whoareyou?andwhatar eyousecret
lygui
lt
yofallyourli
fe?
Wil
lyoutur
nasideallyourl
if
e?will
yougrubandchatterall
y
ourli
fe?
Andwhoarey ou,
blabbingbyrot
e,year
s,pages,
languages,remi
niscences,
Unwit
ti
ngto-dayt
hatyoudonotknowhowt ospeakpr oper
lyasi
nglewor d?)

Letothersf
ini
shspecimens,Inev
erf
ini
shspeci
mens,
Istar
tthem byexhaust
lessl
awsasNaturedoes,
freshandmoder
n
conti
nual
ly.

Igivenothi
ngasduties,
Whatot her
sgiveasdutiesIgi
veasl
iv
ingi
mpul
ses,
(Shall
Igivethehear
t'sact
ionasadut
y?)

Letother
sdisposeofquest i
ons, Idi
sposeofnot
hing,
Iarouse
unanswerablequesti
ons,
Whoar etheyIseeandt ouch,andwhataboutthem?
Whataboutt heseli
kesofmy selfthatdr
awmesocl osebytender
di
recti
onsandi ndi
rect
ions?

Ical
ltot
hewor
ldt
odi
str
ustt
heaccount
sofmyf
ri
ends,
but
 l
istentomyenemi es,asImy sel
fdo,
Ichargeyouforeverr
ejectthosewhowouldexpoundme, forIcannot
expoundmy sel
f,
Ichargethatt
herebenot heoryorschoolfoundedoutofme,
Ichargeyoutoleaveallfr
ee,asIhavelef
tallfr
ee.

Afterme,vi
sta!
OIseel i
feisnotshort
,buti
mmeasur abl
ylong,
Ihencefor
thtreadtheworl
dchaste,t
emperate,anear
lyr
iser
,a
steadygr
ower ,
Everyhourthesemenofcentur
ies,andsti
llofcent
uri
es.

Imustf
oll
owupthesecont
inual
lessonsoft
heai
r,wat
er,
ear
th,
Iper
cei
veIhav
enot i
metolose.

YearofMet
eor
s[1859-
60

Yearofmet eor s!br oodi ngy ear !

Iwoul dbi ndi nwor dsr etrospect i
vesomeofy ourdeedsandsi gns,
Iwoul dsi ngy ourcont estf ort he19t hPr esident i
ad,
Iwoul dsi nghowanol dman, tall
,wi thwhi tehair ,mount edt he
scaf foldi nVi rgi nia,
(Iwasathand, silentIst oodwi tht eet hshutcl ose, Iwat ch'd,
Istoodv er yneary ouol dmanwhencool andindi fferent,butt r
embl i
ng
withageandy ourunheal '
dwoundsy oumount edt hescaf fold;)
Iwoul dsi ngi nmycopi oussongy ourcensusr eturnsoft heSt ates,
Thet abl esofpopul at ionandpr oduct s, Iwoul dsi ngofy ourshi ps
andt hei rcar goes,
Thepr oudbl ackshi psofManhat tanar riving,somef il
l'
dwi th
immi grant s, somef rom t hei sthmuswi thcar goesofgol d,
Songst her eofwoul dIsi ng,t oal lt
hathi ther wardcomeswoul dwel comegive,
Andy ouwoul dIsi ng, fairstripling!wel comet oy ouf rom me, y oung
princeofEngl and!
(Remembery ousur gingManhat t
an' scr owdsasy oupass' dwi t hyour
cor t
egeofnobl es?
Therei nt hecr owdsst oodI ,andsi ngl edy ououtwi that tachment ;
)
Norf or getIt osi ngoft hewonder ,theshi passheswam upmybay ,
Wel l
-shapedandst at elyt heGr eatEast er nswam upmybay , shewas
600f eetl ong,
Hermov ingswi ftlysur r oundedbymy riadsofsmal lcraftIf orgetnot
tosi ng;
Nort hecomett hatcameunannouncedoutoft henor thf l
aringi nheav en,
Nort hest rangehugemet eor -processi ondazzl i
ngandcl earshoot ing
overourheads,
(Amoment ,amomentl ongi tsail'
di tsbal lsofunear thl
yl i
ghtov er
ourheads,
Thendepar ted, dr opti nt heni ght,andwasgone; )
Ofsuch, andf itful ast hey ,Isi ng--wi t
hgl eamsf rom t hem woul d
gleam andpat cht hesechant s,
Yourchant s, Oy earal lmot tledwi thev ilandgood- -yearoff orebodi ngs!
Yearofcomet sandmet eorst ransi entandst r
ange- -
lo!ev enher eone
equal l
yt ransi entandst range!
AsIf litthr oughy ouhast il
y,soont of allandbegone, whati st hischant,
Whatam Imy sel fbutoneofy ourmet eor s?

Wi
thAnt
ecedent
s
 1
Withantecedent s,
Withmyf at
hersandmot hersandt heaccumul at
ionsofpastages,
Withallwhich,hadi tnotbeen, Iwoul dnotnowbeher e,asIam,
WithEgy pt,I
ndia,Pheni cia,GreeceandRome,
WiththeKel t,
theScandi nav i
an, theAl bandt heSaxon,
Withantiquemar i
timev entures, laws, arti
sanship,war sandjourney s,
Withthepoet ,theskal d, t
hesaga, themy t
h,andt heor acl
e,
Withthesal eofsl aves,wi thent husi asts,withthetroubadour,the
crusader,andt hemonk,
Withthoseol dcont inent swhencewehav ecomet othisnewcont inent
,
Withthef adi
ngki ngdomsandki ngsov erthere,
Withthef adi
ngr eligionsandpr iest s,
Withthesmal lshor eswel ookbackt ofrom ourownl argeandpr esentshor
es,
Withcount l
essy ear sdrawi ngthemsel vesonwar dandar r
ivedatt heseyear
s,
Youandmear riv
ed- -Amer i
caar ri
v edandmaki ngthi
sy ear,
Thisyear!sendingi tselfaheadcount l
essy earstocome.

2
Obuti tisnott hey ears--itisI,itisYou,
Wet ouchal llawsandt al l
yal lantecedent
s,
Wear et heskal d,t
heor acle, t
hemonkandt heknight
,weeasily
i
ncludet hem andmor e,
West andami dt i
mebegi nninglessandendless,westandamidevi
landgood,
All
swi ngsar oundus, ther eisasmuchdar knessasli
ght,
Thev erysunswi ngsitsel fandi t
ssystem ofpl
anetsaroundus,
I
tssun, anditsagai n,
al lswi ngar oundus.

Asforme,(t
orn,stormy,ami
dthesevehementdays,
)
Ihavethei
deaofal l
,andam al
landbeli
evei
nall
,
Ibel
iev
emat er
ial
ism ist
rueandspir
it
uali
sm i
str
ue,Irej
ectnopar
t.

(Hav
eIfor
got
tenanypart?anythi
nginthepast?
Cometomewhoev erandwhatever
,ti
l
lIgiv
ey ourecogni
ti
on.
)

IrespectAssy ria,Chi
na,Teutonia,andtheHebr ews,
Iadopteacht heory,myth,god,anddemi god,
Iseet hattheoldaccount s,bi
bles,genealogies,
aret rue,wi
thout
exception,
Iasser tt
hatal l
pastday swerewhatt heymusthav ebeen,
Andt hattheycoul dno-howhav ebeenbet t
erthant heywere,
Andt hatto-dayi swhatitmustbe, andthatAmer icai s,
Andt hatto-dayandAmer icacouldno-howbebet terthantheyare.

3
I
nthenameoft
heseSt
atesandi
nyourandmyname, t
hePast
,
Andint
henameoft
heseStat
esandi
ny ourandmyname,t
hePresentt
ime.

Iknowt hatthepastwasgr eatandthefut

urewill
begreat,
AndIknowt hatbothcuriouslyconj
ointi
nthepresentt
ime,
(Forthesakeofhi m It
ypify,fort
hecommonav erageman'
ssake,
yoursakei fyouarehe,)
Andt hatwher eIam oryouar ethi
spresentday
, t
herei
sthecentre
ofalldays,allr
aces,
Andt hereisthemeaningt ousofal lt
hathasevercomeofr aces
andday s,oreverwil
lcome.

BOOKXVI
II
ABr
oadwayPageant

1
Ov ertheWester
nseahitherfr
om Ni phoncome,
Cour t
eous,t
heswart-
cheek'dtwo-swordedenv oys,
Leaningbackinthei
ropenbar ouches,bar
e-headed,i
mpassi
ve,
Rideto-dayt
hroughManhat t
an.

Libert
ad!Idonotknowwhetherother
sbehol dwhatIbehold,
Intheprocessi
onalongwit
hthenoblesofNi phon,
theerr
and-bearers,
Bringi
ngupt herear
,hov
eri
ngabove,around,orint
heranksmar ching,
ButIwi l
lsi
ngy ouasongofwhatIbeholdLibert
ad.

Whenmi llion- f
oot edManhat tanunpentdescendst oherpav ements,
Whent het hunder -crackinggunsar ousemewi ththepr oudroarlove,
Whent her ound- mout h'dgunsoutoft hesmokeandsmel lIl
ov e
spitthei rsalut es,
Whent hef ir
e- flashinggunshav ef ull
yalert
edme, and
heav en- cloudscanopymyci t
ywi thadelicatethinhaze,
Whengor geoust hecount l
essst raightstems, t
hef orestsatthe
whar v es, thickenwi thcol ors,
Whenev er yshi pr ichlydr estcar r
iesherf l
agatt hepeak,
Whenpennant st railandst r
eet -
festoonshangf r
om thewi ndows,
WhenBr oadwayi sent ir
elygiv enupt ofoot-passenger sand
foot-st ander s,whent hemassi sdensest ,
Whent hef acadesoft hehousesar eali
vewi thpeople,wheney es
gazer ivetedt ensoft housandsatat ime,
Whent heguest sf rom thei sl
andsadv ance, whent hepageantmov es
forwar dv isible,
Whent hesummonsi smade, whent heanswert hatwai tedthousands
ofy ear sanswer s,
It
ooar ising, answer i
ng, descendt othepav ement s,mer gewiththe
crowd, andgazewi ththem.

2
Superb-f
acedManhat t
an!
Comr adeAmer i
canos!t
ous,thenatlastt
heOri
entcomes.
Tous, mycity
,
Wher eourtal
l-
toptmarbl
eandironbeauti
esr
angeonopposit
e
sides,
towalkinthespacebetween,
To-dayourAntipodescomes.

TheOrigi
nat
resscomes,
Thenestofl
anguages, t
hebequeat herofpoems, t
heraceofel
d,
Fl
ori
dwi t
hblood,pensiv
e,raptwithmusi ngs,
hotwithpassi
on,
Sul
tr
ywi t
hperfume, wi
thampl eandf l
owinggarments,
Wit
hsunburntvisage,wit
hintensesoul andgli
tt
eri
ngeyes,
TheraceofBrahmacomes.

Seemycant
abi
le!t
heseandmor earefl
ashi
ngtousfr
om thepr
ocessi
on,
Asitmov
eschangi
ng,akal
eidoscopedi
vinei
tmoveschangi
ngbefor
eus.

Fornottheenv oysnort hetann'

dJapaneefr om hi
si slandonly
,
Li
theandsi lenttheHi ndooappear s,
theAsiati
ccont inentit
sel
f
appears,thepast, t
hedead,
Themur kyni ght-
mor ningofwonderandf ableinscrutable,
Theenv el
op'dmy st
eries,theoldandunknownhi ve-bees,
Thenorth,theswel teri
ngsout h,east
ernAssy r
ia,t
heHebr ews,t
he
anci
entofanci ents,
Vastdesol
atedci
ti
es,t
hegli
dingpr
esent
,al
loft
heseandmor
e
ar
einthepageant
-pr
ocessi
on.

Geogr aphy ,thewor ld,isi nit,

TheGr eatSea, thebr oodofi slands, Polynesia, thecoastbey ond,
Thecoasty ouhencef or thar efacing--youLi ber tad!f r
om y ourWest ern
goldenshor es,
Thecount riest herewi tht heirpopul ati
ons, themi l
lionsen-masse
arecur iousl yher e,
Theswar mi ngmar ket -places, thetempl eswi thidol srangedal ongt he
si
desoratt heend, bonze, br ahmin, andllama,
Mandar i
n, f
ar mer ,mer chant ,mechani c,andf isher man,
Thesi nging- girlandt hedanci ng-girl
,theecst aticper sons, the
secludedemper ors,
Confuci ushi msel f,thegr eatpoet sandher oes, t hewar ri
ors, t
hecast es,
al
l,
Troopingup, crowdi ngf rom al ldir
ections, f
rom t heAl taymount ains,
From Thi bet ,from thef ourwi ndingandf ar-
flowi ngr i
versofChi na,
From t hesout hernpeni nsulasandt hedemi -cont i
nentalislands,fr
om
Mal aysia,
Theseandwhat everbel ongst othem pal pabl eshowf ortht ome,and
aresei z'dbyme,
AndIam sei z'dbyt hem, andf r
iendli
lyhel dbyt hem,
Ti
llasher et hem al lIchant ,
Liber t
ad!f orthemsel vesandf ory ou.

ForItoor aisingmyv oicejoint her anksoft hi spageant ,

Iam thechant er,Ichantaloudov erthepageant ,
Ichantthewor l
donmyWest ernsea,
Ichantcopi oust heislandsbey ond, thi
ckasst arsinthesky ,
Ichantthenewempi regrandert hananybef or e,asinav isionit
comest ome,
IchantAmer icat hemi str
ess, Ichantagr eat ersupremacy ,
Ichantpr ojectedat housandbl oomi ngci t
iesy etinti
meont hose
groupsofsea- isl
ands,
Mysai l
-shipsandst eam- shi
pst hreadingt hear chi
pelagoes,
Myst arsandst ri
pesf l
utteri
ngi nt hewi nd,
Commer ceopeni ng,t
hesl eepofageshav ingdonei tswor k,races
reborn,refresh'd,
Li
ves, worksr esumed- -theobj ectIknownot --buttheol d,
t heAsiati
c
renew'dasi tmustbe,
Commenci ngf r
om thisdaysur roundedbyt hewor l
d.

3
AndyouLi ber
tadofthewor l
d!
Youshallsiti
nthemi ddl
ewell-
pois'dt
housandsandthousandsofy
ear
s,
Asto-dayfrom onesidethenoblesofAsiacometoyou,
Asto-morrowf r
om theothersi
det hequeenofEngl
andsendsher
el
destsont oyou.

Thesignisrev ersing,t
heorbisencl osed,
Theringisci
r cled,thejour
neyisdone,
Thebox-li
disbutper cepti
blyopen'd,never
thel
esst
heper
fume
pourscopiousl youtofthewhol ebox.

YoungLi ber
tad!witht
hevenerabl
eAsia,theall
-mother
,
Beconsi der
atewi t
hhernowandev erhotLiber
tad,
foryouar
eall,
Bendy ourproudnecktothelong-
offmothernowsendi ngmessages
overthearchipel
agoestoyou,
Bendy ourproudnecklowforonce,youngLibert
ad.

Her
ethechi
ldrenstr
ayingwestwardsolong?sowi
dethet
ramping?
Weret
heprecedentdim agesdebouchi
ngwestwar
dfr
om Paradi
sesol
ong?
Wer
ethecentur
iesst
eadil
yfooti
ngi
tthatway
,al
lthewhi
l
e
unknown,
foryou,f
orreasons?

Theyarej
usti
fi
ed,theyareaccompli
sh'd,
theyshallnowbet ur
n'd
t
heotherwayalso,totr
aveltowar
dy outhence,
Theyshal
lnowalsomar chobedient
lyeastwardforyoursakeLiber
tad.

BOOKXI
X.SEA-
DRI
FT

Outoft
heCr
adl
eEndl
essl
yRocki
ng

Outoft hecr adl eendl esslyr ocking,

Outoft hemocki ng-bi rd'sthroat ,themusi calshuttle,
Outoft heNi nth-mont hmi dni ght ,
Overt hest eril
esandsandt hef ieldsbey ond, wheret hechil
d
leav i
nghi sbedwander '
dal one, bareheaded, barefoot ,
Downf r
om t heshower 'dhal o,
Upf r
om t hemy sti
cpl ayofshadowst winingandt wi stingasift
hey
wer eal ive,
Outf r
om t hepat chesofbr i
er sandbl ackber r
ies,
From t hememor iesoft hebi rdt hatchant edt ome,
From y ourmemor i
essadbr ot her ,from thef i
tfulri
si ngsandf al
l
ingsIhear
d,
From undert haty ellowhal f-moonl ate-r
isenandswol l
enasifwithtear
s,
From t hosebegi nningnot esofy ear ni
ngandl ov ether einthemist,
From t het housandr esponsesofmyhear tnev ertocease,
From t hemy ri
adt hence- arous' dwor ds,
From t hewor dst r
ongerandmor edel ici
oust hanany ,
From suchasnowt heyst artt hescener ev i
si
ting,
Asaf lock, twitteri
ng, ri
sing, orov erheadpassi ng,
Bor nehi ther,ereal lel udesme, hur riedly,
Aman, yetbyt heset ear sal itt
leboyagai n,
Throwi ngmy selfont hesand, conf r
ont i
ngt hewav es,
I
,chant erofpai nsandj oys,uni terofher eandher eaf ter,
Taki ngal lhintst ouset hem, butswi ftl
yleapingbey ondt hem,
Ar emi niscencesi ng.

OncePaumanok,
Whent heli
lac-
scentwasi ntheai randFi f
th-monthgrasswasgr owi
ng,
Upthisseashor einsomebr i
ers,
Twofeather'dguestsf rom Al abama, t
wot ogether,
Andtheirnest,andfourl ight-
gr eeneggsspot tedwi t
hbrown,
Andev er
ydayt hehe-bi rdtoandf ronearathand,
Andev er
ydayt heshe- birdcrouch' donhernest ,
sil
ent,
withbri
ghteyes,
Andev er
ydayI ,acuriousboy ,nev ertooclose,neverdi
sturbi
ng
them,
Cauti
ouslypeering,absor bing,translati
ng.

Shi
ne!shi
ne!shi
ne!
Pourdownyourwarmt
h,gr
eatsun.
'
Whil
ewebask, wet
wotoget
her.

Twot oget
her!
Windsblowsouth,orwindsblownort
h,
Daycomewhi te,
ornightcomeblack,
Home, orr
iver
sandmount ai
nsfr
om home,
Si
ngingallt
ime,mindingnot i
me,
Whil
ewet wokeept ogether.
Ti
ll
ofasudden,
May-bekil
l'
d,unknownt ohermat e,
Oneforenoontheshe-birdcrouch'
dnotont
henest
,
Norret
urn'dthataft
ernoon,northenext
,
Noreverappear'dagain.

Andthenceforwardall summeri nthesoundofthesea,

Andatnightundert hef ul
lofthemooni ncal
merweat her
,
Overthehoarsesur gi
ngoft hesea,
Orfl
it
tingfr
om briertobr i
erbyday ,
Isaw,Iheardatintervalstheremaini
ngone,thehe-
bird,
Thesolit
aryguestfrom Al abama.

Bl
ow!blow!blow!
Bl
owupsea- windsalongPaumanok'
sshor
e;
Iwai
tandIwai tti
l
lyoublowmymat etome.

Yes,whent hestarsgl
ist
en'd,
All
nightlongont heprongofamoss- scal
l
op'
dst
ake,
Downalmostami dtheslappi
ngwav es,
Satthelonesingerwonderfulcausi
ngtear
s.

Hecal
l'
donhi
smate,
Hepour
'df
ort
hthemeani
ngswhi
chIofal
lmenknow.

Yesmybr otherIknow,
Ther estmi ghtnot,butIhavetreasur'
dev er
ynot e,
Formor ethanoncedi mlydownt ot hebeachgliding,
Silent,avoidi
ngt hemoonbeams, blendingmy sel
fwi t
htheshadows,
Recal l
ingnowt heobscureshapes,theechoes, t
hesoundsandsight
s
af t
ertheirsorts,
Thewhi t
ear msouti nthebreakerstir
elessl
ytossing,
I,
wi thbar efeet,achi
ld,t
hewi ndwaf t
ingmyhai r,
Listen'
dl ongandl ong.

Li
sten'
dtokeep,
tosing,nowt
ransl
ati
ngt
henot
es,
Fol
lowi
ngyoumybr other.

Soothe!soothe!soothe!
Closeoni t
swav esoothesthewavebehi
nd,
Andagai nanotherbehindembraci
ngandl
appi
ng,
ever
yonecl
ose,
Butmyl ovesoothesnotme, notme.

Lowhangsthemoon,i
troselate,
Iti
slaggi
ng-
-OIt
hinki
tisheavywithl
ove,
wit
hlov
e.

Omadl
ytheseapushesupont
hel
and,
Wi
thl
ove,wi
thl
ove.

Onight
!doInotseemylovefl
utt
eri
ngoutamongthebr
eaker
s?
Whatisthatl
i
ttl
ebl
ackt
hingIseether
einthewhi
te?

Loud!l
oud!loud!
LoudIcal
ltoy ou,mylov
e!
HighandclearIshootmyvoiceoverthewaves,
Surel
yyoumustknowwhoi shere,i
shere,
YoumustknowwhoIam, mylove.

Low-
hangingmoon!
Whatist
hatduskyspoti
nyourbr
owny el
l
ow?
Oiti
stheshape,t
heshapeofmymate.'
Omoondonotkeepherf r
om meanylonger
.
Land!l
and!Oland!
WhicheverwayItur
n,OIthi
nkyoucoul
dgivememymat ebackagai
n
i
fyouonlywould,
ForIam almostsur
eIseeherdi
mlywhichev
erwayIl
ook.

Ori
singst
ars!
Per
hapstheoneIwantsomuchwi
l
lri
se,
wil
lri
sewi
thsomeofy
ou.

Othroat
!Ot rembl i
ngthroat
!
Soundclearerthroughtheatmospher
e!
Pi
ercethewoods, theeart
h,
Somewher elist
eningtocatchyoumustbet
heoneIwant
.

Shakeoutcar ol
s!
Sol
itaryhere,t
henight
'scarol
s!
Carolsoflonesomelove!deat
h'scar
ols!
Carolsunderthatl
agging,y
ell
ow,waningmoon!
Oundert hatmoonwher eshedroopsalmostdowni
ntot
hesea!
Orecklessdespair
ingcarol
s.

Butsoft!sinkl
ow!
Soft
!letmej ustmurmur ,
Anddoy ouwaitamomenty ouhusky-nois'
dsea,
Forsomewher eIbelieveIheardmymat erespondi
ngtome,
Sofaint,Imustbestill
,besti
ll
toli
sten,
Butnotal t
ogetherst
ill
,fort
henshemi ghtnotcomei mmedi
atel
ytome.

Hit
hermylove!
HereIam!here!
Witht
hisj
ust-
sustain'
dnoteIannouncemysel
ftoy
ou,
Thi
sgentl
ecalli
sf oryoumylove,f
oryou.

Donotbedecoy '
delsewhere,
Thati
sthewhistl
eoft hewind,iti
snotmyvoi
ce,
Thati
sthefl
utter
ing,thef
lutter
ingoft
hespr
ay,
Thosearet
heshadowsofl eaves.

Odar
kness!Oi
nvain!
OIam v
erysi
ckandsorr
owf
ul

Obrownhal ointheskynearthemoon,droopingupont
hesea!
Otroubl
edr ef
lecti
oninthesea!
Othroat!Othrobbingheart
!
AndIsinginguselessl
y,usel
essl
yal
lthenight
.

Opast!Ohappyl if
e!Osongsofj oy!
Int
heair,i
nthewoods, overf
iel
ds,
Loved!l
oved!loved!l
oved!loved!
Butmymat enomor e,nomor ewithme!
Wet wotogethernomor e.

Thear i
asinking,
Allelseconti
nuing, thestarsshining,
Thewi ndsblowi ng,thenot esofthebi r
dcont i
nuousechoing,
Withangr ymoanst hefierceoldmot herincessantlymoaning,
Ont hesandsofPaumanok' sshoregrayandr ustl
ing,
They ell
owhal f
-moonenl arged,saggingdown, drooping,t
hef aceof
theseaalmostt ouching,
Theboyecst atic,withhisbar efeetthewav es,wit
hhi shai
rthe
atmospheredal lying,
Thel oveint
hehear tlongpent ,nowloose, nowatl astt
umultuously
 bur
sting,
Theari
a'smeani ng,theear
s,thesoul,swift
lydeposi
ti
ng,
Thestranget earsdownt hecheekscour si
ng,
Thecolloquyt here,t
hetri
o,eachutter
ing,
Theunder t
one, thesavageoldmot herincessant
lycr
ying,
Totheboy 'ssoul '
squesti
onssull
enlytiming,somedrown'dsecr
ethi
ssi
ng,
Totheout setti
ngbar d.

Demonorbi rd!(saidtheboy 'ssoul,)

I
si ti
ndeedtowar dyourmat ey ousing?ori si
treal
lyt
ome?
ForI,t
hatwasachi ld,myt ongue'susesl eepi
ng,nowIhaveheardy ou,
Nowi namomentIknowwhatIam f or,Iawake,
Andalreadyat housandsi ngers, athousandsongs,cl
ear
er,louder
andmor esor rowfulthany ours,
Athousandwar bli
ngechoeshav estar
tedt ol
if
ewithi
nme, nevert
odi e.

Oyousingersolit
ar y,singingbyy ourself,pr
oject
ingme,
Osoli
tarymelistening, nev ermor eshal lIceaseperpetuat
ingyou,
Nevermoreshall Iescape, nevermor et hereverber
ations,
Nevermorethecr iesofunsat i
sfi
edlov ebeabsentf rom me,
Neveragai
nleav emet obet hepeacef ulchil
dIwasbef orewhat
t
hereinthenight ,
Bytheseaundert hey ell
owandsaggi ngmoon,
Themessengert herear ous'd,thefir
e, thesweethellwithi
n,
Theunknownwant ,thedest inyofme.

Ogi
vemet hecl
ue!(
itl
urksintheni
ghther
esomewher
e,)
Oi
fIam t
ohav esomuch,letmehavemore!

Awor dthen,(f
orIwillconquerit,
)
Thewor dfinal
,superi
ortoall
,
Subt
le,sentup--whatisit
?--
Ili
sten;
Areyouwhi speri
ngit,andhavebeenal
lthet
ime,
yousea-
wav
es?
I
sthatitfrom yourli
quidri
msandwetsands?

Wheretoanswer ing, thesea,

Delayi
ngnot ,hur
ryingnot ,
Whisper'
dmet hrought heni ght,andveryplainl
ybeforedaybr
eak,
Li
sp'dtomet helowanddel i
ciouswor ddeath,
Andagai ndeath,deat h, death,death
Hissi
ngmel odious, neitherl i
kethebirdnorl i
kemyar ous'
dchil
d'shear
t,
Butedgingnearaspr iv
at elyformer ustl
i
ngatmyf eet,
Creepi
ngt hencest eadi l
yupt omyear sandl avi
ngmesof tl
yallover
,
Death,death,death, deat h,death.

WhichIdonotf orget.
Butfusethesongofmyduskydemonandbr ot
her,
Thathesangt omei nthemoonl ightonPaumanok' sgraybeach,
Withthethousandr esponsiv
esongsatr andom,
Myownsongsawakedf rom thathour ,
Andwi t
hthem thekey ,thewor dupf rom thewav es,
Thewor dofthesweet estsongandal lsongs,
Thatstr
onganddel i
ciouswor dwhi ch,creepi
ngt omyfeet,
(Orli
kesomeol dcr onerockingthecr adle,swathedinsweet
garments,bendingaside,
)
Theseawhi sper'
dme.

AsIEbb'
dwi
tht
heOceanofLi
fe
 1
AsIebb'dwi ththeoceanofl if
e,
AsIwendedt heshor esIknow,
AsIwalk'
dwher et herippl
escont i
nuall
ywashy ouPaumanok,
Wheretheyr ustl
euphoar seandsi bi
l
ant,
Wherethef i
erceol dmot herendlessl
ycriesforhercast aways,
Imusinglateint heautumnday , gazi
ngof fsouthward,
Heldbythiselect r
icselfoutoftheprideofwhi chIutterpoems,
Wasseiz'
dbyt hespi r
itthatt
rai
lsinthelinesunderfoot,
Theri
m, thesedi mentt hatst
andsf orallt
hewat erandal lt
heland
oft
hegl obe.

Fascinated,myey esr evert

ingf rom thesouth, dropt,t
of ol
l
owt hose
slenderwindr ows,
Chaf f
,straw,spl i
ntersofwood, weeds, andt hesea- gl
uten,
Scum, scalesf rom shiningr ocks,leavesofsal t-
let
tuce,lef
tbyt heti
de,
Mileswal ki
ng, thesoundofbr eakingwav estheot hersideofme,
Paumanokt her eandt henasIt houghtt heoldt houghtoflikenesses,
Thesey oupr esent edt omey ouf i
sh-shapedi sl
and,
AsIwendedt heshor esIknow,
AsIwal k'dwit hthatel ect
ri
csel fseekingt y
pes.

2
AsIwendt ot heshor esIknownot ,
AsIlisttothedirge,thev oicesofmenandwomenwr eck'
d,
AsIinhaletheimpal pablebr eezesthatsetinuponme,
Astheoceansomy steriousr ol
lstowardmecl oserandcloser
,
It
oobutsi gnifyattheut mostal itt
lewash'd-
updr i
ft
,
Afewsandsanddeadl eavest ogather,
Gather,andmer gemy selfaspar tofthesandsanddr i
ft.

Obaf fl
ed,balk'd, bentt othev eryeart
h,
Oppress'dwi t
hmy selfthatIhav edaredt oopenmymout h,
Awarenowt hatami dal lthatblabwhoseechoesr ecoi
luponmeIhave
notoncehadt hel eastideawhoorwhatIam,
Butthatbefor eal lmyar r
ogantpoemst her eal
Mest andsyet
untouch'
d, unt old,altogetherunreach'd,
Withdrawnf ar,mocki ngmewi t
hmock- congratul
ator
ysignsandbows,
Withpealsofdi stantironicallaughterateverywordIhav ewri
tt
en,
Pointi
nginsi l
encet ot hesesongs, andt hentothesandbeneath.

Iperceiv
eIhavenotr eall
yunderst
oodanything,
notasi
ngl
e
object,
andthatnomanev ercan,
Natureherei
nsi ghtoftheseatakingadv
antageofmetodartupon
meandst i
ngme,
BecauseIhavedar edtoopenmymout htosingatal
l
.

3
Youoceansboth,
Iclosewithyou,
Wemur mural
ikereproachf
ull
yrol
li
ngsandsanddr
if
t,knowingnotwhy
,
Thesel
it
tl
eshredsindeedstandi
ngforyouandmeandal l
.

Youfr
iableshorewit
htrai
l
sofdebri
s,
Youfi
sh-shapedisl
and,
Itakewhati
sunder
foot
,
Whati
sy oursisminemyf at
her
.

It
ooPaumanok,
It
oohavebubbledup, fl
oatedthemeasurelessfl
oat,
andbeen
wash'
dony ourshor es,
It
ooam butatrai
l ofdri
ftanddebri
s,
It
ool
eaveli
tt
lewr ecksupony ou,y
oufish-shapedisl
and.
Ithr
owmy sel
fupony ourbr
eastmyfather
,
Icli
ngtoy
ousot hatyoucannotunl
ooseme,
Iholdy
ousof i
rmtil
lyouanswermesomet hi
ng.

Ki
ssmemyfather
,
Touchmewi
thyourl
ipsasIt
oucht
hoseIlove,
Breat
het
omewhileIhol
dyoucl
osethesecr
etoft
hemur
mur
ingIenv
y.

4
Ebb,oceanoflif
e,(t
hef l
owwi l
lretur
n,)
Ceasenoty ourmoaningy oufi
erceoldmot her
,
Endlessl
ycryforyourcastaways,butfearnot,
denynotme,
Rustlenotupsohoar seandangr yagainstmyfeetasIt
ouchy
ouor
gatherfr
om you.

Imeant ender
lybyyouandall
,
Igatherformysel
fandfort
hisphant
om l
ooki
ngdownwher
ewel
ead,
andfollowi
ngmeandmi ne.

Meandmi ne,loosewi ndr ows, li

ttl
ecorpses,
Froth,snowywhi te,andbubbl es,
(See,from mydeadl i
pst heoozeexudi ngatl ast,
See, t
hepr ismat i
ccolorsgl i
steningandr oll
ing,)
Tuftsofst raw,sands, fr
agment s,
Buoy '
dhi therfrom manymoods, onecont radicti
nganother,
From thest orm, thelongcal m, thedarkness, t
heswel l
,
Musi ng,ponder i
ng, abreat h,abr i
nytear,adabofl i
quidorsoil,
Upjustasmuchoutoff athoml esswor kingsf ermentedandt hr
own,
Alimpbl ossom ort wo,tor n,j
ustasmuchov erwav esfl
oati
ng,
drift
edatr andom,
Justasmuchf orust hatsobbi ngdirgeofNat ure,
Justasmuchwhencewecomet hatblareoft hecloud-t
rumpets,
We, capricious, broughthi therweknownotwhence, spr
eadoutbefor
eyou,
Youupt her ewal kingorsi tti
ng,
Whoev ery ouar e,wet ool i
ei ndr i
ft
saty ourf eet.

Tear
s

Tear s!tears!t ears!

I
nt heni ght, i
nsol itude,tear s,
Ont hewhi t
eshor edr i
ppi ng, dr i
pping, suck'
dinbyt hesand,
Tear s,notast arshi ni
ng, alldar kanddesol ate,
Moi sttearsf rom t heey esofamuf fl
edhead;
Owhoi sthatghost ?thatf or mi nt hedar k,withtears?
Whatshapel essl umpi st hat ,bent, crouch'dthereont hesand?
Str
eami ngt ear s,sobbingt ear s, t
hroes, chokedwi thwildcries;
Ost orm, embodi ed, ri
sing, car eeri
ngwi thswiftstepsalongt hebeach!
Owi ldanddi smal nightst orm, wit
hwi nd--
Obel chinganddesper at
e!
Oshadesosedat eanddecor ousbyday ,wit
hcalm count enanceand
r
egul atedpace,
Butawayatni ghtasy ouf l
y ,nonel ooki ng--
Ot hentheunloosen'docean,
Oftear s!tear s!tears!

Tot
heMan-
of-
War
-Bi
rd

Thouwhohastsl
eptal
lni
ghtupont
hest
orm,
Wakingrenew'dont hyprodigi
ouspi ni
ons,
(Bur
stthewi l
dstorm?abov eitthouascended'st
,
Andrestedont hesky,thyslavethatcradl
edthee,
)
Nowabl uepoint,f
ar,farinheavenfloati
ng,
AstothelightemerginghereondeckIwat chthee,
(Mysel
faspeck, apointont hewor l
d'sfl
oati
ngvast
.)

Far
, f
aratsea,
Aft
erthenight'
sf i
ercedri
ft
shavestr
ewntheshorewit
hwr
ecks,
Withre-
appearingdayasnowsohappyandser ene,
Therosyandel asti
cdawn, t
hefl
ashi
ngsun,
Thelimpi
dspr eadofaircerul
ean,
Thoualsore-appearest
.

Thoubor nt omatchthegale, (
thouar tallwings,
)
Tocopewi thheavenandear thandseaandhur ri
cane,
Thoushipofai rthatneverfurl
'stthysails,
Days,evenweeksunt i
redandonwar d,throughspaces, r
eal
msgy
rat
ing,
Atduskt hatlooki
stonSenegal ,atmor nAmer i
ca,
Thatspor t
'stamidthelight
ning-fl
ashandt hunder-
cloud,
I
nthem, int hyexperi
ences,had'stthoumysoul ,
Whatjoys!whatj oyswer et
hine!

Aboar
dataShi
p'
sHel
m

Aboar
datashi
p'
shel
m,
Ayoungst
eer
smanst
eer
ingwi
thcar
e.

Thr
oughfogonasea-
coastdol
efull
yringi
ng,
Anocean-
bel
l-
-Oawar
ningbell
,rock'
dbythewav
es.

Oyougi
vegoodnoti
ceindeed,
youbel
lbythesea-reef
sri
ngi
ng,
Ri
ngi
ng,
ringi
ng,
towarntheshi
pfrom i
tswreck-
place.

ForasonthealertOsteersman,youmindtheloudadmoni
tion,
Thebowstur n,
thefr
eight
edshiptacki
ngspeedsawayunderhergr
aysai
l
s,
Thebeauti
fulandnobleshipwit
hallherpr
eciousweal
thspeeds
awaygaylyandsafe.

ButOt
heshi
p,t
heimmor
tal
shi
p!Oshipaboar
dt heship!
Shi
poft
hebody,
shi
poft
hesoul
,voy
aging,
voyaging,
voyagi
ng.

Ont
heBeachatNi
ght

Onthebeachatnight
,
St
andsachil
dwi t
hherfat
her
,
Watchi
ngtheeast,t
heaut
umnsky
.

Upthrought hedar kness,

Whil
er aveningclouds, t
hebur i
al cl
ouds, i
nblackmassesspr
eadi
ng,
Lowersullenandf astathwar tanddownt hesky,
Amidat ransparentclearbeltofet heryetlef
tintheeast
,
Ascendsl ar
geandcal mt helord-starJupi
ter
,
Andnighathand, onlyav eryli
ttl
eabov e,
Swimt hedel i
cat
esi ster
st hePleiades.
From t
hebeacht hechil
dholdingthehandofherf
ather,
Thosebur
ial
-cloudsthatlowervict
ori
oussoontodevoural
l
,
Watchi
ng,si
lentl
yweeps.

Weepnot ,chi l
d,
Weepnot ,mydar l
ing,
Witht heseki ssesl etmer emov eyourtears,
Ther av eningcl oudsshal lnotlongbev ictori
ous,
Theyshal lnotl ongpossesst hesky,theydev ourthestarsonlyi
n
appar iti
on,
Jupitershal l emer ge, bepatient,watchagai nanothernight,
the
Pleiadesshal lemer ge,
Theyar eimmor t
al,all t
hosest arsbothsilveryandgoldenshall
shineoutagai n,
Thegr eatst arsandt helit
tleonesshal lshineoutagain,theyendur
e,
Thev asti mmor tal sunsandt helong-enduringpensivemoonsshall
agai nshi ne.

Thendearestchi
ldmour
nestt
houonlyf
orjupi
ter
?
Consi
derestthoual
onet
heburi
aloft
hestars?

Somethingt hereis,
(Wit
hmyl ipssoot hingthee,addingIwhi sper,
Igi
vetheet hef i
rstsuggesti
on, t
hepr oblem andi ndir
ect
ion,
)
Somethingt hereismor eimmor talevent hant hestar
s,
(Manythebur ial
s, manytheday sandni ght s,passi
ngaway ,
)
Somethingt hatshallendurelongerev ent hanlustr
ousJupit
er
Longerthansunoranyr evolvingsatelli
te,
OrtheradiantsistersthePleiades.

TheWor
ldbel
owt
heBr
ine

Thewor l
dbel owt hebr ine,
Forest satt hebot tom oft hesea, thebr anchesandl eav es,
Sea- let t
uce, vastl ichens, strangef l
ower sandseeds, thet hi
ck
tangl eopeni ngs, andpi nkt ur f,
Dif
f er entcol or s,palegr ayandgr een, purple,whi t
e,andgol d,the
playofl i
ghtt hrought hewat er,
Dumbswi mmer sthereamongt her ocks,coral
, gl
uten, grass,rushes,
andt heal i
mentoft heswi mmer s,
Sl
uggi shexist encesgr azingt her esuspended, orsl owl ycrawling
closet othebot tom,
Thesper m- whal eatt hesur facebl owi ngairandspr ay,ordispor t
ing
wi thhi sfl
ukes,
Thel eaden- ey edshar k, thewal r
us, theturtl
e,thehai ry
sea- leopard, andt hest i
ng- ray,
Passi onst her e, wars, pur suits, t
ribes, si
ghtint hoseocean- depths,
br eat hingt hatt hick-br eathingai r,assomanydo,
Thechanget hencet ot hesi ghther e,andt othesubt l
eai rbreathed
bybei ngslikeuswhowal kt hisspher e,
Thechangeonwar df rom our st ot hatofbei ngswhowal kotherspheres.

Ont
heBeachatNi
ghtAl
one

Ont
hebeachatnightal
one,
Ast
heol
dmot herswayshertoandf
rosi
ngi
ngherhuskysong,
AsIwatcht
hebri
ghtst
arsshi
ning,It
hinkat
houghtoft
hecl
ef
oftheuni
ver
sesandofthef
ut ur
e.

Av astsi mili
tudei nterlocksal l,
Allspher es,grown, ungr own, small,l
arge,suns, moons,planets,
Alldistancesofpl acehowev erwide,
Alldistancesoft ime, allinani matef orms,
Allsouls, alll
ivi
ngbodi est hought heybeev ersodiffer
ent,ori
n
dif
f erentwor lds,
Allgaseous, wat er
y, veget able, mineralprocesses,thefishes,
thebr utes,
Allnat i
ons, colors,bar barisms, ci
vil
izati
ons, l
anguages,
Alli
dent iti
est hathav eexi st edormayexi stont hi
sglobe,oranygl obe,
Alll
ivesanddeat hs, alloft hepast ,present,future,
Thisv astsi mili
tudespanst hem, andal wayshasspann' d,
Andshal lforeverspant hem andcompact lyhol dandencloset hem.

Songf
orAl
lSeas,
All
Shi
ps

1
To-
dayar udebriefreci
tati
ve,
Ofshi
pssai l
i
ngtheseas, eachwi thi
tsspeci
alflagorshi
p-si
gnal,
Ofunnamedher oesi ntheships-
-ofwavesspreadingandspreadi
ng
f
arast heey ecanr each,
Ofdashingspr ay,andthewi ndspipi
ngandblowi ng,
Andoutoft heseachantf orthesail
orsofal
lnations,
Fi
tf
ul,l
ikeasur ge.

Ofsea-captainsyoungorol d,andthemates,andofalli
ntr
epi dsai
lor
s,
Ofthefew, verychoice,t
acitur
n,whom fat
ecannev ersur
prisenor
deathdismay .
Pick'
dspar i
nglywithoutnoisebytheeoldocean,chosenbyt hee,
Thouseat hatpickestandcul l
estther
aceintime,andunit
estnat i
ons,
Suckledbyt hee,ol
dhuskynur se,embodyi
ngt hee,
I
ndomi tabl
e, unt
amedast hee.

(Evertheheroesonwateroronl
and,byonesortwosappear
ing,
Everthestockpreser
v'
dandneverl
ost,t
houghrare,
enoughfor
seedpreserv'
d.
)

2
Fl
auntoutOseay oursepar at
eflagsofnat i
ons!
Fl
auntoutv i
sibleasev erthev ar
iousshi p-si
gnals!
Butdoy oureserveespeci all
yfory oursel
fandf orthesoul ofman
onef lagabov eallt
her est,
Aspi ri
tualwov ensignalforallnations,embl em ofmanel ateabovedeat
h,
Tokenofal l
brav ecaptai
nsandal lint
repidsai l
orsandmat es,
Andal lthatwentdowndoi ngtheirduty,
Remi niscentofthem, twinedf r
om al l
intrepi
dcapt ainsyoungorold,
Apennantuni versal
,subtlywav i
ngal lti
me, o'erall
br av
esailor
s,
Allseas, al
lships.

Pat
rol
i
ngBar
negat

Wild,wi
l
dthestor
m, andtheseahighrunning,
Steadyt
heroarofthegal
e,wit
hincessantundert
onemut
ter
ing,
Shoutsofdemoniacl
aughterf
it
ful
lypier
cingandpeal
i
ng,
Wav es,air
,mi dnight,t
heirsavagestt rinitylashing,
Outintheshadowst heremi l
k-whitecombscar eeri
ng,
Onbeachysl ushandsandspi rtsofsnowf i
erceslanti
ng,
Wher ethrought hemur kt heeasterl
ydeat h-windbreasting,
Throughcut ti
ngswi r
landspr aywat chf ul andf i
rm advancing,
(Thatinthedi stance!isthatawr eck?i st her edsignalflari
ng?)
Slushandsandoft hebeacht ir
elesst illday l
ightwending,
Steadil
y,slowly,throughhoarser oarnev err emitti
ng,
Alongthemi dni ghtedgebyt hosemi lk-whi tecombscar eeri
ng,
Agr oupofdi m, weirdforms,struggling, theni ghtconfronti
ng,
Thatsav aget r
init
ywar il
ywatching.

Af
tert
heSea-
Shi
p

Aftert hesea-ship, afterthewhi stl

ingwi nds,
Aftert hewhite-graysai lst auttot hei rsparsandr opes,
Below, amy r
iadmy r
iadwav eshast eni ng,l
ift
ingupt heirnecks,
Tendi nginceasel essf l
owt owar dt het rackoft heship,
Wav esoftheoceanbubbl i
ngandgur gli
ng,blit
helyprying,
Wav es,undulat
ingwav es, l
iquid,unev en,emul ouswav es,
Towar dthatwhi r
lingcur rent,l
aughi ngandbuoy ant,
withcur ves,
Wher ethegreatv essel saili
ngandt ackingdi splacedthesur face,
Largerandsmal l
erwav esi nt hespr eadoft heoceany ear nf
ullyfl
owing,
Thewakeoft hesea- shipaf tershepasses, f
lashingandf r
oli
csome
undert hesun,
Amot leyprocessi onwi t hmanyaf leckoff oam andmanyf ragments,
Followi ngthestatel yandr apidshi p, i
nt hewakef oll
owi ng.

BOOKXX.BYTHEROADSI
DE

ABost
onBal
l
ad[
1854]

Togetbet
imesi
nBostontownIr
osethi
smorni
ngearl
y,
Her
e'sagoodpl
aceatthecor
ner
,Imustst
andandseetheshow.

Cl
earthewaythereJonathan!
WayforthePresi
dent'
smar shal-
-wayforthegov
ernmentcannon!
WayfortheFeder
alfootanddr agoons,(
andtheappar
it
ions
copiousl
ytumbli
ng.)

Il
ovetolookontheStar
sandSt r
ipes,Ihopethefif
eswill
play
YankeeDoodl
e.
Howbr i
ghtshi
nethecutl
assesoftheforemosttroops!
Everymanholdshi
srevol
ver,marchi
ngst i
fft
hroughBostontown.

Afogf
oll
ows,ant
iquesofthesamecomeli
mping,
Someappearwooden-
legged,
andsomeappearbandagedandbl
oodl
ess.

Whythisi
sindeedashow--ithascalledthedeadoutoftheear
th!
Theol
dgraveyardsofthehil
lshav ehurr
iedtosee!
Phant
oms!phantomscount lessbyflankandrear!
Cock'
dhatsofmot hymould--cr
utchesmadeofmi st!
Armsinsl
ings-
-oldmenleaningony oungmen' sshoul
ders.

Whatt
roubl
esy
ouYankeephant
oms?whati
sal
lthi
schat
ter
ingof
 baregums?
Doest heagueconvul
seyourl
i
mbs?doy
oumi
stakey
ourcr
utchesf
or
fi
rel
ocksandlevelt
hem?

I
fyoubl
i
ndyoureyeswithtear
sy ouwil
lnotseethePresi
dent'
smarshal
,
I
fyougr
oansuchgroansyoumi ghtbal
kthegovernmentcannon.

Forshameoldmani acs--
bri
ngdownthosetoss'darms, andletyour
whit
ehai
rbe,
Heregapeyourgreatgrandsons,
thei
rwivesgazeatt hem fr
om thewindows,
Seehowwelldress'
d, seehoworderl
ytheyconductthemselv es.

Worseandworse--
can'
tyoust
andit
?areyour
etr
eat
ing?
I
sthishourwi
ththeli
vi
ngtoodeadfory
ou?

Ret
reatt
hen--pel
l-
mel l
!
Toyourgraves--
back--
backt
othehil
l
soldl
i
mper
s!
Idonotthi
nky oubelongher
eanyhow.

Butther
eisonethi
ngthatbel
ongsher
e--
shal
lIt
ell
youwhati
t
i
s,gentl
emenofBoston?

IwillwhisperittotheMay or,heshallsendacommi t
t eetoEngland,
Theyshal lgetagr antfr
om thePar l
iament,gowithacar ttothe
royalvault,
DigoutKi ngGeor ge'scoffi
n,unwraphim quickfrom the
graveclothes,boxuphi sbonesf orajour
ney ,
Fi
ndaswi f
tYankeecl i
pper--
hereisfrei
ghtforyou,black-
bell
iedcli
pper
,
Upwi thy ouranchor--
shakeouty oursail
s--
steerstr
aighttoward
Bostonbay .

Nowcal l
fort
hePresi
dent'
smar shalagain,
bri
ngoutt
hegovernmentcannon,
Fetchhometheroar
ersfr
om Congr ess,makeanot
herpr
ocession,
guar
ditwit
hfootanddragoons.

Thi
scentre-pi
ecef
orthem;
Look,
all
or der
lyci
ti
zens-
-l
ookf
rom t
hewi
ndows,
women!

Thecommi tteeopent hebox,setuptheregalr

ibs,
gluethosethat
wil
lnotstay,
Claptheskullontopoft her
ibs,andclapacrownont opoftheskull
.
Youhav egoty ourrev
enge,oldbuster
--t
hecrowniscomet oit
sown,
andmor ethani t
sown.

Sti
ckyourhandsinyourpocket
s,Jonat
han--y
ouareamademanf
rom
t
hisday,
Youaremightycute-
-andherei
soneofy ourbar
gai
ns.

Eur
ope[
The72dand73dYear
sofTheseSt
ates]

Suddenl youtofi
tsst
aleanddrowsylai
r,t
helairofsl
aves,
Likelightni
ngitl
e'
ptfor
thhal
fstar
tl
edatitsel
f,
It
sf eetupontheashesandtherags,
itshandstightt
othethr
oat
s
ofki ngs.

Ohopeandfait
h!
Oachi
ngcloseofexil
edpatr
iot
s'l
i
ves!
Omanyasicken'dheart
!
Tur
nbackuntothisdayandmakey our
sel
vesaf
resh.
Andy ou, pai
dtodef i
l
ethePeople--
youliar
s,mark!
Notf ornumber l
essagoni
es,mur der
s,lust
s,
Forcour tthi
evi
ngi ni
tsmani
foldmeanf or
ms,wormingf
rom his
simplicit
ythepoorman'swages,
Formanyapr omi seswor
nbyroy all
ipsandbrokenandl
augh'dati
n
thebreaking,

Thenint
heirpowernotf
orallt
hesedidt
hebl
owsst
ri
ker
evenge,
ort
heheadsofthenoblesf
all
;
ThePeopl
escorn'dthef
eroci
tyofki
ngs.

Butthesweet nessofmer cybrew'dbitt

erdestr
ucti
on,andt
he
f
r i
ghten'
dmonar chscomeback,
Eachcomesi nstatewithhist
rai
n, hangman,pri
est
,tax-
gat
her
er,
Soldier
,lawyer,
lord,jai
l
er,
andsy cophant.

Yetbehindalll
oweringst eal
ing,l
o,ashape,
Vagueast henight
, dr
apedi nter
minably,
head, f
rontandf
orm,i
n
scarl
etfol
ds,
Whosef aceandey esnonemaysee,
Outofitsrobesonlythis,theredrobesli
ftedbythearm,
Onef i
ngercrook'
dpoint edhighoverthetop,l
iketheheadofa
snakeappears.

Meanwhil
ecorpsesli
einnew-madegrav es,bloodycorpsesofyoungmen,
Theropeofthegi
bbethangsheavil
y,t
hebul letsofpr
incesare
f
lyi
ng,t
hecreat
uresofpowerlaughaloud,
Andallt
hesethi
ngsbearfr
uit
s,andtheyar egood.

Thosecor
psesofy oungmen,
Thosemarty
rsthathangfrom t
hegi
bbet
s,t
hosehear
tspierc'
dby
t
hegrayl
ead,
Coldandmotionl
essastheyseem l
i
veel
sewher
ewithunslaught
er'
dvi
tal
i
ty.

Theyl
iv
einotheryoungmenOki ngs!
Theyl
iv
einbrother
sagai
nreadytodefyyou,
Theywerepur
if
iedbydeat
h,theyweretaughtandexal
ted.

Notagraveofthemurder'
dforf
reedom butgr
owsseedforf
reedom,
i
nitstur
ntobearseed,
Whichthewindscar
ryafarandr
e-sow,andtherai
nsandt
hesnowsnour
ish.

Notadi
sembodiedspi
ri
tcantheweaponsoft y
rantsletl
oose,
Buti
tst
alksi
nvi
sibl
yovertheear
th,whisper
ing,counseli
ng,caut
ioni
ng.
Li
ber
ty,
letot
her
sdespairofyou-
-Inev
erdespairofy ou.

I
sthehouseshut ?isthemast eraway?
Never
theless,
ber eady,benotwearyofwat
chi
ng,
Hewil
l soonretur
n, hi
smessengerscomeanon.

AHand-
Mir
ror

Holdi
tupst ernly-
-seethisitsendsback,(whoisit
?isity
ou? )
Outsi
defaircostume, withinashesandf i
lt
h,
Nomor eaf l
ashingey e,nomor easonorousvoi
ceorspringystep,
Nowsomesl ave'seye,voice,hands,st
ep,
Adrunkard'
sbr eath,unwhol esomeeater'
sface,
venereal
ee'sfl
esh,
Lungsrot
tingawaypi ecemeal ,st
omachsourandcankerous,
Jointsrheumat i
c,bowel scl
oggedwi thabomi nat
ion,
Bloodcirculati
ngdar kandpoi sonousstreams,
Wor dsbabbl e,
hearingandt ouchcallous,
Nobr ai
n, noheartleft,
nomagnet i
sm ofsex;
Suchf r
om onel ooki nthisl
ooking-gl
asser eyougohence,
Suchar esultsosoon- -andfrom suchabegi nni
ng!

Gods

Lov
erdivi
neandperfectComrade,
Wait
ingcont
ent
,inv
isibl
eyet,
butcert
ain,
BethoumyGod.

Thou,thou,theIdealMan,
Fai
r,able,beaut
iful
,cont
ent,andl
oving,
Complet einbodyanddilat
einspi
rit
,
BethoumyGod.

ODeath,(f
orLi
fehasser
vedit
stur
n,)
Openerandushert
otheheav
enlymansi
on,
BethoumyGod.

Aught,aughtofmighti
est,bestIsee,conceiv
e,orknow,
(Tobreakthestagnantti
e--t
hee,theetofree,Osoul
,)
BethoumyGod.

Al
lgreati
deas,
theraces'aspi
rati
ons,
Al
lheroi
sms,deedsofraptenthusiast
s,
BeyemyGods.

OrTimeandSpace,
OrshapeofEarthdi
vi
neandwondr ous,
Orsomef ai
rshapeIvi
ewing,worship,
Orl
ustrousorbofsunorstarbynight,
BeyemyGods.

Ger
ms

Forms, qual i
ties,l
ives,humanity,l
anguage,thought
s,
Theonesknown, andt heonesunknown, t
heonesont hestars,
Thest arst hemsel ves,someshaped, othersunshaped,
Wonder sasoft hosecount r
ies,t
hesoil,t
rees,ci
ti
es,i
nhabit
ants,
what evert heymaybe,
Splendidsuns, themoonsandr ings,t
hecount l
esscombinati
onsandef
fect
s,
Such-li
ke, andasgoodassuch- li
ke,vi
sibl
eher eoranywhere,st
and
providedf orahandf ul ofspace,whichIextendmyar m and
halfencl osewi thmyhand,
Thatcont ainingt hestartofeachandal l
,thevirt
ue,t
hegermsofal l
.

Thought
s

Ofownership-
-asifonefi
ttoownt hi
ngscoul
dnotatpl
easur
eent
er
uponal
l,andincorpor
atethem i
ntohi
mselforher
sel
f;
Ofvista-
-supposesomesi ghtinarr
ierethroughtheformativechaos,
presumingt hegrowth,ful
ness,li
fe,nowat tai
n'
dont hejourney,
(ButIseet her oadcont
inued,andthej ourneyeverconti
nued;)
Ofwhatwasoncel acki
ngonear th,andinduet imehasbecome
suppli
ed--andofwhatwi llyetbesuppl i
ed,
Becauseal lIseeandknowIbel i
evetohav ei
tsmainpurportin
whatwi l
l yetbesuppli
ed.

WhenIHear
dtheLear
n'dAst
ronomer

WhenIhear dthelearn'
dast r
onomer ,
Whent hepr oofs,t
hef i
gures,wererangedi ncolumnsbef
oreme,
WhenIwasshownt hechartsanddi agrams,toadd,di
vi
de,andmeasur
ethem,
WhenIsi tt
inghear dtheastronomerwher ehel ect
uredwi
thmuch
applauseinthel ect
ure-r
oom,
Howsoonunaccount ableIbecamet iredandsick,
Til
lri
singandgl idi
ngoutIwander '
doffbymy self,
Inthemy sti
cal moistnight
-air
,andfrom timetot i
me,
Look'dupinper fectsil
enceatt hestars.

Per
fect
ions

Onl
ythemsel
vesunderst
andthemsel
vesandt
hel
i
keoft
hemsel
ves,
Assoul
sonlyunder
standsoul
s.

OMe!OLi
fe!

Ome!Ol if
e!oft hequestionsoftheser ecurri
ng,
Oftheendl esstrainsofthef ai
thl
ess,ofciti
esf i
ll
'
dwi ththefooli
sh,
Ofmy sel
fforeverreproachingmy self
,(forwhomor efooli
shthanI,
andwhomor efaithl
ess?)
Ofey esthatv ai
nlycravethel i
ght
,oftheobj ectsmean, ofthe
struggl
eev errenew'd,
Ofthepoorr esultsofall,oftheploddingandsor didcrowdsIsee
aroundme,
Oftheempt yandusel essyearsoft herest,wit
hther estmei nt
ertwi
ned,
Thequest i
on, Ome!sosad, r
ecurri
ng--Whatgoodami dthese,Ome, Oli
fe?

Answer.
Thatyouar
ehere-
-t
hatli
feexi
stsandident
it
y,
Thatt
hepowerf
ulplaygoeson,andyoumaycont
ri
but
eav
erse.

ToaPr
esi
dent

Allyouaredoingandsay ingistoAmericadangledmirages,
Youhav enotlearn'
dofNat ure-
-oft
hepolit
icsofNatureyouhav e
notlear
n'dthegreatampl i
tude,r
ect
it
ude, i
mparti
ali
ty,
Youhav enotseent hatonlysuchastheyarefortheseStates,
Andt hatwhatislessthantheymustsoonerorl at
erli
ftofffr
om
theseStates.
ISi
tandLookOut

Isitandl ookoutuponal lthesor rowsoft hewor ld,anduponal l

oppr essi onandshame,
Ihearsecr etconv ulsivesobsf rom y oungmenatangui shwi th
themsel ves, r
emor sefulafterdeedsdone,
Iseei nl owl if
et hemot hermi susedbyherchi ldr
en, dyi
ng,
neglect ed, gaunt,desper at
e,
Iseet hewi femi susedbyherhusband, Iseet hetreacherousseducer
ofy oungwomen,
Imar kt her anklingsofj ealousyandunr equitedloveat t
empt edtobe
hid,Iseet hesesi ght sont heear th,
Iseet hewor kingsofbat t
le,pesti
lence, tyranny,Iseemar tyrsand
prisoner s,
Iobser veaf ami neatsea, Iobserv ethesai lorscastinglotswho
shall beki l
l'dtopr eservet heliv
esoft her est,
Iobser vet hesl i
ghtsanddegr adationscastbyar r
ogantper sonsupon
l
abor er s,thepoor , anduponnegr oes, andthel i
ke;
Allthese- -all
themeannessandagonywi t
houtendIsi tti
nglookoutupon,
See, hear ,andam si lent .

ToRi
chGi
ver
s

Whaty ougi vemeIcheerful

lyaccept
,
Alit
tl
esust enance,ahutandgarden,ali
tt
lemoney ,
asI
r
endezv ouswithmypoems,
Atraveler
'slodgi
ngandbr eakf
astasjour
neyt hroughtheStates,
--
whyshoul dIbeashamedt oownsuchgi fts?whyt oadvert
isefort
hem?
ForImy selfam notonewhobest owsnothinguponmanandwoman,
ForIbestowuponanymanorwomant heent r
ancet oal
lthegift
sof
t
heuni verse.

TheDal
l
ianceoft
heEagl
es

Skirt
ingther iverr oad,(myf orenoonwal k,myr est,
)
Skywar dinai rasuddenmuf f
ledsound, thedalli
anceoft heeagl es,
Ther ushingamor ouscont acthighinspacet ogether ,
Thecl i
nchi ngint erl
ockingclaws, ali
ving, fier
ce,gyrati
ngwheel ,
Fourbeat ingwi ngs,twobeaks, aswirl
ingmasst i
ghtgr appli
ng,
I
nt umbl i
ngt ur ningclusteri
ngl oops,straightdownwar dfall
ing,
Til
lo'erther i
v erpoi s'
d,thetwai nyetone, amoment '
slull,
Amot i
onlessst il
lbalanceint heair,
thenpar ti
ng,talonsloosing,
Upwar dagai nonsl ow-firm pi
nionsslant ing,thei
rsepar atediversefl
i
ght
,
Sheher s,hehi s,pursuing.

Roami
ngi
nThought[
Aft
err
eadi
ngHegel
]

Roaminginthoughtovert
heUniver
se,Isawthel
i
ttl
ethati
sGood
st
eadi
lyhasteni
ngtowardsi
mmor tal
it
y,
Andthevastallt
hatiscal
l'
dEv
ilIsawhasteni
ngtomergeit
sel
f
 andbecomel
ostanddead.

AFar
m Pi
ctur
e

Thr
oughtheampleopendoorofthepeacefulcount
rybar
n,
Asunl
itpast
urefi
eldwit
hcat
tleandhorsesfeedi
ng,
Andhazeandvist
a,andthef
arhori
zonfadingaway.

AChi
l
d'sAmaze

Si
lentandamazedevenwhenal it
tl
eboy ,
Ir
ememberIheardthepreachereverySundayputGodi
nhi
sst
atement
s,
Ascontendi
ngagai
nstsomebei ngorinf
luence.

TheRunner

Onafl
atroadrunst hewell-
tr
ain'
dr unner,
Heisl
eanandsi newywi t
hmuscul arlegs,
Heist
hinl
yclothed,heleansforwardasher uns,
Wit
hli
ghtl
yclosedfistsandarmspar t
ial
lyrais'
d.

Beaut
if
ulWomen

Womensi
tormovet
oandf ro,someol
d,someyoung,
They
oungar
ebeaut
if
ul-
-buttheol
daremorebeaut
if
ulthant
hey
oung.

Mot
herandBabe

Iseet
hesl
eepi
ngbabenestl
ingthebreastofit
smot her
,
Thesl
eepi
ngmotherandbabe-
-hush'
d,Istudythem l
ongandl
ong.

Thought

Ofobedience,fai
th,
adhesi
veness;
AsIstandaloofandl ookt
her
eistomesomet
hingpr
ofoundly
af
fecti
nginlargemassesofmenf ol
l
owi
ngt
heleadofthosewho
donotbeliev
ei nmen.

Vi
sor
'd

Amask,
aper
pet
ual
nat
ural
disgui
serofher
sel
f,
Conceal
ingherface,conceal
i
ngherfor
m,
Changesandtransformati
onsev
eryhour,
ever
ymoment
,
Fal
li
nguponherev enwhenshesleeps.

Thought

Ofjusti
ce--
asIfcouldbeanyt hingbutt
hesameamplel
aw,
expoundedbynat uralj
udgesandsavior
s,
Asifitmightbethisthingorthatthi
ng,
accor
dingt
odeci
si
ons.

Gl
i
dingO'
eral
l

Gli
dingo'erall
,throughall,
ThroughNat ure,Time,andSpace,
Asashi pont hewat ersadvanci
ng,
Thev oy
ageoft hesoul--
notli
feal
one,
Death,manydeat hsI '
l
lsing.

HastNev
erComet
oTheeanHour

Hastnevercomet ot heeanhour ,
Asuddengleam divine,preci
pit
ati
ng,bur
stingallt
hesebubbl
es,
f
ashions,weal
th?
Theseeagerbusinessai ms--
books,pol
it
ics,ar
t,amours,
Toutternot
hingness?

Thought

OfEquali
ty-
-asifi
tharm'dme,gi
vi
ngothersthesamechancesand
r
ight
sasmy sel
f-
-asifi
twer
enotindi
spensabl
etomyown
r
ight
sthatotherspossesst
hesame.

ToOl
dAge

Iseei
nyoutheest
uarythatenl
argesandspr
eadsi
tsel
fgr
andl
yas
i
tpour
sinthegr
eatsea.

Locat
ionsandTi
mes

Locati
onsandt i
mes--whati
sitinmethatmeet
sthem al
l,whenev
er
andwherever,andmakesmeathome?
Forms,col
ors,densit
ies,
odors-
-whati
siti
nmethatcorr
esponds
wit
hthem?
Of
fer
ings

Athousandper
fectmenandwomenappear
,
Ar
oundeachgathersacl
ust
eroff
ri
ends,
andgaychi
l
drenand
youths,wi
thoff
eri
ngs.

ToTheSt
ates[
ToI
dent
if
ythe16t
h,17t
h,or18t
hPr
esi
dent
iad]

Whyr eclining, i
nterrogati
ng?whymy selfandalldrowsing?
Whatdeepeni ngtwi l
ight-
scum f l
oati
ngat opoft hewater s,
Whoar etheyasbat sandni ght-
dogsaskanti nthecapitol?
Whataf il
thyPr esidentiad!(OSout h,yourtorri
dsuns!ONor th,
yourar cticfreezings!)
Arethoser eallyCongr essmen?ar ethoset hegreatJudges?i st
hat
thePr esident ?
ThenIwi l
lsleepawhi leyet,forIseet hattheseStatessleep,for
reasons;
(Withgat heringmur k,withmut t
eringt hunderandlambentshoot swe
alldulyawake,
South,Nor th, East,West ,i
nlandandseaboar d,wewi l
lsur el
yawake.
)

BOOKXXI
.DRUM-
TAPS

Fi
rstOSongsf
oraPr
elude

Fi
rstOsongsf orapr elude,
Li
ghtlystri
keont hest retch'dtympanum pr ideandj oyi nmycity,
Howshel edtherestt oar ms, howshegav et hecue,
Howatoncewi t
hli
t helimbsunwai t
ingamomentshespr ang,
(Osuperb!OManhat t
an, myown, mypeer less!
Ostrongesty ouinthehourofdanger ,incrisi
s!Ot ruerthansteel
!)
Howy ouspr ang--
howy out hrewofft hecost umesofpeacewi th
i
ndiff
erenthand,
Howy oursof topera-musi cchanged, andt hedr um andf i
fewerehear
d
i
ntheirstead,
Howy oul edtothewar ,(
t hatshal
lser v
ef orourpr elude,songsof
sol
diers,)
HowManhat tandrum- tapsl ed.

For
tyy earshadIinmyci t
yseensol dierspar ading,
For
tyy earsasapageant ,
till
unawarest hel adyoft hi
steemi
ngand
t
urbulentcit
y,
Sl
eeplessami dherships,herhouses, herincalculabl
ewealt
h,
Wit
hhermi l
li
onchildr
enar oundher,suddenl y,
Atdeadofni ght,
atnewsf rom thesout h,
I
ncens'dstruckwithcli
nch'dhandthepav ement .

Ashockel
ectri
c,t
heni
ghtsustai
n'
dit
,
Ti
l
lwithominoushum ourhi
veatday
breakpour
'douti
tsmy
riads.

From t
hehousesthenandtheworkshops,
andthr
oughal
lthedoor
way
s,
Leaptt
heytumult
uous,andlo!Manhat
tanarmi
ng.
Tot hedr um- tapspr ompt ,
They oungmenf alli
ngi nandar mi ng,
Themechani csar mi ng, (thet rowel ,thej ack-plane, thebl acksmi th's
hammer ,tostasi dewi t hpr eci pitati
on, )
Thel awy erl eav inghi sof ficeandar ming, thej udgel eavingt hecour t,
Thedr i
v erdeser tinghi swagoni nt hest reet, j
umpi ngdown, throwi ng
ther einsabr upt l
ydownont hehor ses' backs,
Thesal esmanl eav ingt hest ore, theboss, book- keeper , porter,al lleav ing;
Squadsgat herev erywher ebycommonconsentandar m,
Thenewr ecr uits, ev enboy s, t
heol dmenshowt hem howt oweart heir
accout rement s, theybuckl et hest r
apscar ef ully,
Outdoor sar mi ng, indoor sar mi ng, thef lashoft hemusket -
bar rels,
Thewhi tet ent scl ust erincamps, thear m' dsent ri
esar ound, the
sunr i
secannonandagai natsunset ,
Arm' dregi ment sar ri
v eev er yday ,passt hrought heci ty,andembar k
from t hewhar v es,
(Howgoodt heyl ookast heyt rampdownt ot her iver,
sweat y,wi th
theirgunsont heirshoul der s!
HowIl ov et hem!howIcoul dhugt hem, witht heirbr ownf acesand
theircl othesandknapsackscov er'
dwi thdust !
)
Thebl oodoft heci tyup- ar m' d!ar m' d!thecr yev er ywhere,
Thef lagsf lungoutf rom t hest eepl esofchur chesandf rom al l the
publ i
cbui l
di ngsandst or es,
Thet ear ful par ting, themot herki ssesherson, thesonki sseshi smot her,
(Lothi st hemot hert opar t, yetnotawor ddoesshespeakt odet ainhi m, )
Thet umul tuousescor t,ther anksofpol icemenpr eceding, cl
ear ingt heway ,
Theunpentent husi asm, thewi ldcheer soft hecr owdf ort heirf av or i
tes,
Thear t
illery, t
hesi l
entcannonsbr i
ghtasgol d, drawnal ong,
rumbl elight lyov ert hest ones,
(Sil
entcannons, soont oceasey oursi l
ence,
Soonunl i
mber 'dt obegi nt her edbusi ness;)
Allthemut terofpr epar at i
on, all thedet ermi n'
dar mi ng,
Thehospi tal ser v i
ce, thel int ,bandagesandmedi cines,
Thewomenv ol unt eer i
ngf ornur ses, thewor kbegunf ori near nest ,no
mer epar adenow;
War !anar m' dr acei sadv anci ng!t hewel comef orbat tl
e, not urni ngaway !
War !bei tweeks, mont hs, ory ear s, anar m' dracei sadvanci ngt o
wel comei t.

Mannahatt
aa-
march-
-andit
'sOtosi
ngi
twel
l
!
I
t'
sOf oramanl
yli
fei
nt hecamp.

Andthesturdyarti
ll
ery,
Thegunsbrightasgold,theworkforgiant
s,t
oservewellt
heguns,
Unli
mberthem!( nomor easthepastfort
yyearsf
orsalut
esfor
cour
tesi
esmer ely,
Putinsomethingnowbesi despowderandwadding.)

Andy ouladyofships,youMannahatta,
Oldmat r
onofthisproud, f
ri
endly
,tur
bulentci
ty,
Ofteninpeaceandweal thyouwer epensiv
eorcov er
tl
yfr
own'
dami
d
all
yourchil
dren,
Butnowy ousmi l
ewi t
hj oyexul
ti
ngoldMannahat t
a.

Ei
ght
eenSi
xty
-One

Ar
m'dyear
--
yearoft
hest
ruggl
e,
Nodai
ntyr
hymesorsent
imental
lov
ever
sesf
ory
out
err
ibl
eyear
,
Noty ouassomepal epoet li
ngseat edatadeskl i
spingcadenzaspi ano,
Butasast rongmaner ect ,
clothedi nbl uecl othes, adv anci ng,
carryingr ifl
eony ourshoul der,
Wi t
hwel l
-gristledbodyandsunbur ntfaceandhands, wi thakni fei
n
thebel taty ourside,
AsIhear dy oushout i
ngl oud, yoursonor ousv oicer i
ngi ngacr ossthe
continent ,
Yourmascul inev oiceOy ear,asrisingami dt hegr eatci t i
es,
Ami dthemenofManhat tanIsawy ouasoneoft hewor kmen, t
he
dwellersi nManhat t
an,
Orwi t
hl argest epscr ossingt hepr airi
esoutofI ll
inoisandI ndiana,
Rapidlycr ossi ngt heWestwi thspr ingygai tanddescendi ngtheAllghani
es,
Ordownf rom t hegr eatl akesori nPennsy l
v ania, orondeckal ong
theOhi or iver ,
Orsout hwar dal ongt heTennesseeorCumber landr iver s,orat
Chattanoogaont hemount ai
nt op,
SawIy ourgai tandsawIy oursinewyl imbscl othedi nbl ue,beari
ng
weapons, robusty ear,
Heardy ourdet ermin'dv oicel aunch'df orthagai nandagai n,
Yearthatsuddenl ysangbyt hemout hsoft her ound- l
ipp' dcannon,
Irepeaty ou, hur ryi
ng, crashing, sad, distr
act edy ear .

Beat
!Beat
!Dr
ums!

Beat!beat!drums!--
blow!bugl
es!blow!
Throughthewi ndows- -
thr
oughdoor s--bur
stli
kear uthl
essforce,
Int
ot hesolemnchur ch,andscatterthecongr egat
ion,
Int
ot heschool wherethescholarisstudying;
Leavenott hebridegroom qui
et--
nohappi nessmusthehav enowwi th
hisbri
de,
Nort hepeacefulfarmeranypeace, ploughinghisfi
eldorgatheri
ng
hisgrai
n,
Sofierceyouwhi rrandpoundy oudr ums--soshril
lyoubuglesblow.

Beat!beat!dr ums! --
blow!bugl es!blow!
Overthet rafficofci ti
es- -
overtherumbl eofwheelsinthestreets;
Arebedspr epar edf orsleepersatnighti nthehouses?nosleepers
mustsl eepi nt hosebeds,
Nobar gainer s'bargainsbyday --
nobr okersorspeculat
ors-
-would
t
heycont inue?
Wouldt het alkersbet alki
ng?woul dthesi ngerat
tempttosing?
Wouldt hel awy errisei nthecourttost atehiscasebeforet
hej udge?
Thenr att
lequi cker, heav i
erdrums--youbugl eswil
derblow.

Beat!beat!drums! -
-blow!bugles!blow!
Makenopar ley--
stopf ornoexpost ul
ation,
Mindnott het i
mid--mi ndnottheweeperorpr ayer
,
Mindnott heoldmanbeseechi ngt heyoungman,
Letnotthechi l
d'sv oicebehear d,northemother'
sent
reati
es,
Makeev ent het r
estlestoshaket hedeadwher etheyl
ieawait
ingt
he
hearses,
Sostrongy out humpOt er
ri
bledrums--soloudyoubuglesbl
ow.

Fr
om PaumanokSt
art
ingIFl
yLi
keaBi
rd

Fr
om Paumanokst
art
ingIf
lyl
i
keabi
rd,
Aroundandar oundt osoart osingt heideaofal l,
Tothenor thbet akingmy selft
osi ngt herear cti
csongs,
ToKanadat i
llIabsor bKanadai nmy self,toMi chigant hen,
ToWi sconsin,Iowa, Minnesota,tosi ngt heirsongs, (theyareinimit
able;
)
Thent oOhioandI ndianatosingt heirs,toMi ssour iandKansasand
Arkansast osingt heir
s,
ToTennesseeandKent ucky,t
ot heCar ol i
nasandGeor giatosingtheir
s,
ToTexasandsoal ongupt owardCal i
fornia,toroam accept edev ery
where;
Tosingf i
rst,(
tot het apofthewar -drum i fneedbe, )
Theideaofal l,oftheWest ernwor ldoneandi nsepar able,
Andt henthesongofeachmemberoft heseSt ates.

Songoft
heBanneratDay
break

Poet:
OAnewsong, af reesong,
Flapping,f
lapping,fl
apping,fl
apping,bysounds,byvoi
cescl
earer
,
Byt hewind'svoiceandt hatofthedr um,
Byt hebanner'sv oi
ceandchi l
d'svoiceandsea'svoi
ceandfat
her'
svoi
ce,
Lowont hegroundandhi ghintheair,
Ont hegroundwher efat
herandchi ldstand,
Intheupwar dai rwheretheireyesturn,
Wher ethebanneratday breakisfl
apping.

Wor
ds!book-words!whatareyou?
Wor
dsnomor e,f
orhearkenandsee,
Mysongisthereintheopenair
,andImustsi
ng,
Wi
ththebannerandpennanta-fl
appi
ng.

I
'll
weav ethechor dandt wi nei n,
Man' sdesireandbabe' sdesi re,I'
llt
winet hem in,I
'l
lputinl
if
e,
I
'll
putt hebay onet '
sflashingpoi nt,I'
lll
etbulletsandslugswhizz,
(Asonecar r
y i
ngasy mbol andmenacef arintothefutur
e,
Cryingwi t
ht rumpetv oice, Arouseandbewar e!Bewareandar ouse!
)
I
'll
pourt hev er sewithstreamsofbl ood,fullofvol
it
ion,f
ull
ofjoy,
Thenl oosen, launchforth,t ogoandcompet e,
Witht hebannerandpennanta- f
lapping.

Pennant
:
Comeupher e,bard,bard,
Comeupher e,soul,
soul ,
Comeupher e,dearli
ttl
echild,
Tofl
yinthecloudsandwi ndswit
hme,
andpl
aywi
tht
hemeasur
elessl
i
ght
.

Chi
ld:
Fat
herwhati
sthati
ntheskybeckoni
ngtomewi
thl
ongf
inger
?
Andwhatdoesi
tsaytomeallthewhil
e?

Father:
Nothingmybabey ouseei nthesky,
Andnot hingatalltoy ouitsays-
-butl
ooky oumybabe,
Lookatt hesedazzl i
ngt hi
ngsinthehouses,andseeyouthemoney
-
shopsopeni ng,
Andseey outhev ehicl
espr epar
ingtocrawlalongt
hest
reet
swit
hgoods;
These,aht hese,howv al
uedandt oi
l'
dforthese!
Howenv i
edbyal ltheear t
h.

Poet
:
Fr
eshandr
osyr
edt
hesuni
smount
inghi
gh,
Onfl
oatstheseaindistantbluecareeri
ngthroughitschannels,
Onfl
oatsthewindovert hebreastoftheseaset t
ingintowardland,
Thegreatst
eadywindfrom westorwest -
by-
south,
Fl
oati
ngsobuoy antwit
hmi lk-whi
tefoam ont hewaters.

ButIam nott heseanort heredsun,

Iam notthewi ndwithgirl
ishlaughter,
Nottheimmensewi ndwhi chstrengthens,nott hewindwhichlashes,
Notthespiri
tt hateverl
ashesi t
sownbodyt ot err
oranddeath,
ButIam thatwhi chunseencomesandsi ngs,sings,
sings,
Whichbabblesi nbrooksandscoot sinshower sontheland,
Whichthebirdsknowi nthewoodsmor ningsandev enings,
Andtheshor e-sandsknowandt hehissingwav e,andthatbannerandpennant
,
Alof
tther
ef l
appi ngandflapping.

Chil
d:
Ofatheriti
salive--
iti
sful
l ofpeopl
e--
ithaschildr
en,
Onowi tseemst omei ti
st al
ki
ngtoitschildr
en,
Iheari
t--
ittal
kstome- -Oitiswonderful!
Oitstr
etches--
itspreadsandr unssof ast
--
Omyf at
her
,
Iti
ssobr oaditcoversthewhol esky.

Father:
Cease,cease,myf ool
ishbabe,
Whaty ouaresayingissorr
owfult
ome, much'tdi
spl
easesme;
BeholdwiththerestagainIsay
,behol
dnotbannersandpennant
sal
oft
,
Butthewell-
preparedpavementsbehol
d,andmarkthesol
id-
wall
'
dhouses.

BannerandPennant :
Speaktothechil
dObar doutofManhattan,
Toourchil
drenall
,ornorthorsouthofManhat
tan,
Pointt
hisday,
leavi
ngal l
therest
,tousoveral
l
--andyetweknow
notwhy,
Forwhatarewe,mer estri
psofclot
hprofi
ti
ngnothi
ng,
Onlyfl
appi
nginthewi nd?

Poet :
Ihearandseenotst ripsofcl othal one,
Iheart het rampofar mi es,Iheart hechal lengi ngsent ry ,
Iheart hej ubilantshout sofmi l
li
onsofmen, IhearLiber ty
!
Iheart hedr umsbeatandt het rumpet sbl owi ng,
Imy selfmov eabr oadswi ft
-ri
singf l
yingt hen,
Iuset hewi ngsoft hel and-bir
danduset hewi ngsoft hesea- bird,
andl ookdownasf rom ahei ght ,
Idonotdenyt hepr eciousr esul tsofpeace, Iseepopul ousci t
ies
withweal thi ncalculable,
Iseenumber lessf arms, Iseet hef armer swor kingint heirfiel
dsorbar ns,
Iseemechani cswor king, Iseebui ldingsev er y
wher efounded, going
up, orf inish'd,
Iseet rai nsofcar sswi ftl
yspeedi ngal ongr ai lr
oadt racksdr awnby
thel ocomot ives,
Iseet hest ores, depot s, ofBost on, Baltimor e,Char l
eston, NewOr leans,
Iseef ari nt heWestt hei mmensear eaofgr ain,Idwel lawhi l
ehov ering,
Ipasst ot hel umberf or estsoft heNor th,andagai ntot heSout hern
plant at i
on, andagai nt oCaliforni a;
Sweepi ngt hewhol eIseet hecount l
esspr of it,t
hebusygat herings,
earn'dwages,
Seet heI dentityf ormedoutoft hirty -
eightspaci ousandhaught y
States, (andmanymor et ocome, )
Seef ort sont heshor esofhar bor s,seeshi pssai l
i
ngi nandout ;
Thenov eral l
,(ay e!aye! )myl i
ttleandl engt hen' dpennantshaped
 li
keaswor d,
Runsswi f
tl
yupi ndi
cati
ngwaranddefiance-
-andnowthehaly
ards
haverai
s'dit
,
Si
deofmybannerbr oadandblue,si
deofmyst ar
rybanner
,
Discar
dingpeaceov eral
ltheseaandland.

BannerandPennant :
Yetlouder ,
higher ,stronger ,bard!y etf arther,widercleav e!
Nolongerl etourchi l
drendeem usr ichesandpeaceal one,
Wemaybet err
orandcar nage, andar esonow,
Notnowar eweanyoneoft hesespaci ousandhaught ySt at es,(nor
anyf i
ve,nort en,)
Normar ketnordepotwe, normoney -banki nt hecity,
Buttheseandal l,andt hebr ownandspr eadingl and,andt hemi nes
below, areour s,
Andt heshor esoft heseaar eour s, andt her i
v ersgreatandsmal l,
Andt hef i
eldstheymoi sten, andt hecr opsandt hef r
ui tsar eour s,
Baysandchannel sandshi pssai lingi nandoutar eour s--
whi leweov eral
l
,
Overt heareaspr eadbel ow, thet hreeorf ourmi lli
onsofsquar e
miles,thecapi tals,
Thef ort
ymi l
li
onsofpeopl e,--
Obar d!inl i
feanddeat hsupr eme,
We, evenwe, hencef orthflauntoutmast erful
,highupabov e,
Notf orthepr esental one, forat housandy earschant ingt hr oughy ou,
Thissongt ot hesoul ofonepoorl i
ttl
echi l
d.

Chil
d:
Omyf atherIl
ikenotthehouses,
Theywil
l nev
ertomebeanyt hi
ng,nordoIlikemoney,
Buttomountupt hereIwouldli
ke,Ofatherdear
,thatbannerIl
i
ke,
ThatpennantIwouldbeandmustbe.

Father:
Chil
dofmi neyouf i
l
l mewi t
hangui sh,
Tobet hatpennantwouldbet oofear ful
,
Lit
tl
eyouknowwhati tisthi
sday ,andaf t
erthi
sday,f
orev
er,
Iti
stogainnothing,butri
skanddef yev erythi
ng,
Forwardtostandinfrontofwar s-
-andO, suchwars!
--
whathavey
ou
todowi t
hthem?
Withpassionsofdemons, slaughter,premat ur
edeat
h?

Banner :
Demonsanddeat ht henIsi ng,
Putinal l
, ay eallwillI,swor d- shapedpennantf orwar ,
Andapl easur enewandecst at ic,andt hepr attledy ear ningofchi ldren,
Blentwitht hesoundsoft hepeacef ullandandt heliqui dwashoft hesea,
Andt hebl ackshi psf i
ghtingont heseaenv elop' dinsmoke,
Andt hei cycool oft hefar ,farnor th,withrust l
ingcedar sandpi nes,
Andt hewhi rrofdr umsandt hesoundofsol dier smar ching, andthe
hotsunshi ni
ngsout h,
Andt hebeach- wav escombi ngov erthebeachonmyEast ernshor e,
andmyWest ernshor et hesame,
Andal lbet weent hoseshor es, andmyev errunni ngMi ssi ssippiwith
bendsandchut es,
AndmyI l
linoisf i
elds,andmyKansasf iel
ds, andmyf ieldsofMi ssour i
,
TheCont inent ,
dev ot i
ngt hewhol ei dentit
ywi thoutr eser v i
nganat om,
Pourin!whel mt hatwhi chasks, whichsi ngs, withal landt hey i
eldofal l
,
Fusingandhol ding, cl
aimi ng, dev ouri
ngt hewhol e,
Nomor ewi thtenderl ip,normusi callabialsound,
Butoutoft heni ghtemer gi ngf orgood, ourv oiceper suasi venomor e,
Croakingl ikecr owsher ei nt hewi nd.

Poet
:
Myl imbs, myv einsdi late,myt hemei scl earatl ast ,
Bannersobr oadadv anci ngoutoft heni ght ,Isingy ouhaught yandr esol
ute,
Ibur stt hr oughwher eIwai tedl ong, t
ool ong, deaf en'dandbl i
nded,
Myhear ingandt onguear ecomet ome, (al i
ttlechi ldt aughtme, )
Ihearf r
om abov eOpennantofwary ouri ronical callanddemand,
Insensat e!i nsensat e!( y
etIatanyr atechanty ou, )Obanner !
Nothousesofpeacei ndeedar ey ou, noranynoral lthei r
pr osper ity ,(ifneedbe, youshal lagai nhav eev eryoneoft hose
housest odest r
oyt hem,
Yout houghtnott odest royt hosev aluabl ehouses, standi ngf ast ,
full ofcomf or t,bui ltwi thmoney ,
Mayt heyst andf ast ,then?notanhourexcepty ouabov et hem andal l
standf ast ;
)
Obanner ,notmoneysopr eciousar ey ou, notf arm pr oducey ou, nor
themat er ial goodnut r i
ment ,
Norexcel lentst ores, norl andedonwhar v esf rom t heshi ps,
Nott hesuper bshi pswi thsai l-
powerorst eam- power , fetchingand
car ry i
ngcar goes,
Normachi ner y ,vehi cles, trade, norr ev enues- -buty ouashencef ort
h
Iseey ou,
Runni ngupoutoft heni ght ,bringingy ourcl ust erofst ar s,
(ev er -
enl argi ngst ars,)
Dividerofday br eaky ou, cut tingt heai r,touch' dbyt hesun,
measur ingt hesky ,
(Passi onat el yseenandy ear n'df orbyonepoorl i
ttlechi ld,
Whi leot her sr emai nbusyorsmar tl
yt alking, for ev erteachi ng
thr i
f t,thr i
f t
;)
Oy ouupt her e!Opennant !wher ey ouundul atel ikeasnakehi ssing
socur ious,
Outofr each, ani deaonl y, yetf uriouslyf oughtf or , ri
skingbl oody
deat h, lov edbyme,
Sol ov ed- -Oy oubannerl eadi ngt hedaywi thst ar sbr oughtf rom t henight
!
Valuel ess, obj ectofey es, ov eral landdemandi ngal l-
-(absol ute
ownerofal l)--Obannerandpennant !
Itool eav et her est--greatasi tis, i
tisnot hi ng--houses, machi nes
arenot hi ng- -Iseet hem not ,
Iseebuty ou, Owar likepennant !Obannersobr oad, wi thstripes,
singy ouonl y ,
Flappi ngupt her eint hewi nd.

Ri
seODay
sfr
om YourFat
homl
essDeeps

1
RiseOday sfr
om y ourfathomlessdeeps, til
lyoul oft
ier,fi
ercersweep,
Longf ormysoul hunger inggymnast icIdevour '
dwhatt heearthgaveme,
LongIr oam'dami dthewoodsoft henorth,l
ongIwat ch'dNiagar
apouri
ng,
Itrav
el'dtheprair
iesov erandsleptont heirbreast ,
Icr oss'
d
theNev adas,Icross'dtheplateaus,
Iascendedt hetower i
ngr ocksalongt hePacific,Isail
'doutt osea,
Isail
'dthroughthest orm, Iwasrefresh'
dbyt hest orm,
Iwatch'dwi t
hjoyt hethreateni
ngmawsoft hewav es,

Imar k'
dt hewhitecombswher etheycareer'dsohigh,cur
li
ngover
,
Iheardt hewindpiping,Isawthebl ackclouds,
Sawf rom belowwhatar oseandmount ed, (
Osuper b!Owil
dasmy
heart,andpower f
ul!)
Heardt hecontinuousthunderasi tbel
low'daf t
ert
hel i
ght
ning,
Notedt heslenderandjaggedt hr
eadsofl ightni
ngassuddenand
fastami dthedintheychasedeachot heracrossthesky;
These,andsuchasthese,I
,el
ate,saw--
sawwi t
hwonder,y
etpensi
ve
andmasterf
ul,
Allt
hemenacingmightoftheglobeuprisenaroundme,
Yettherewi
thmysoul If
ed,If
edcont ent,superci
l
ious.

2
'
Twaswel l,Osoul --
't
wasagoodpr epar at i
ony ougav eme,
Nowweadv anceourl at entandampl erhungert ofill
,
Nowwegof or thtor ecei vewhatt heear thandt heseanev ergav eus,
Nott hrought hemi ght ywoodswego, butt hrought hemi ght i
erciti
es,
Somet hingf orusi spour i
ngnowmor et hanNi agarapour i
ng,
Torrent sofmen, (sour cesandr i
ll
soft heNor thwestar ey ouindeed
inexhaust i
ble? )
What ,topav ement sandhomest eadsher e, whatwer et hosest ormsof
themount ainsandsea?
What ,topassi onsIwi tnessar oundmet o-day ?wast hesear isen?
Wast hewi ndpi pingt hepi peofdeat hundert hebl ackcl ouds?
Lo!f r
om deepsmor eunf athomabl e,somet hingmor edeadl yandsav age,
Manhat tanr i
si ng,adv anci ngwi thmenaci ngf ront-
-Cincinnati,Chicago,
unchai n'd;
Whatwast hatswel lIsawont heocean?behol dwhatcomesher e,
Howi tclimbswi t
hdar i
ngf eetandhands- -howi tdashes!
Howt het ruet hunderbel l
owsaf tert hel ight ni
ng--howbr i
ghtthe
flashesofl ightning!
HowDemocr acywi t
hdesper atev engef ul portstri
deson, shown
throught hedar kbyt hosef lashesofl ight ni
ng!
(Yetamour nf ulwal landl owsobIf anci edIhear dt hrought hedar k,
Inal ullofthedeaf eningconf usion. )

3
Thunderon!st ri
deon, Democr acy!st ri
kewi t
hv engef ul stroke!
Anddoy our isehi ghert hanev ery etOday s, Oci ties!
Crashheav i
er ,heav iery etOst or ms!y ouhav edonemegood,
Mysoul prepar edi nt hemount ainsabsor bsy ouri mmor tal st
rongnut ri
ment,
LonghadIwal k'dmyci ti
es, mycount r
yr oadst hroughf arms, only
halfsatisfied,
Onedoubtnauseousundul ati
ngl i
keasnake, crawl '
dont hegr oundbeforeme,
Continuallypr ecedi ngmyst eps, tur ni
nguponmeof t,ir
oni cal
lyhissinglow;
Theci ti
esIl ov edsowel l
Iabandon' dandl eft, Ispedt ot he
certai
nt i
essui tablet ome,
Hunger i
ng, hunger ing, hunger ing, forpr imal ener gi esandNat ure'
s
daunt l
essness,
Iref
resh'dmy selfwi thi tonl y,Icoul dreli
shi tonl y,
Iwaitedt hebur stingf orthoft hepentf ir
e--ont hewat erandai r
waitedl ong;
ButnowInol ongerwai t,Iam f ullysat isfi
ed, Iam gl utted,
Ihavewi tness' dt het ruel ightning, Ihav ewi t
ness' dmyci tieselectr
ic,
Ihavel i
vedt obehol dmanbur stf or thandwar li
keAmer icar i
se,
HenceIwi llseeknomor et hef oodoft henor ther nsol i
tarywi l
ds,
Nomor et hemount ai
nsr oam orsai lthest ormysea.

Vi
rgi
nia-
-TheWest

Thenoblesir
efall
enonev i
lday
s,
Isawwi t
hhanduplif
ted,
menacing,br
andi
shi
ng,
(Memor i
esofoldi
nabeyance,l
oveandfai
thi
nabey
ance,
)
Theinsaneknif
etowardtheMotherofAl
l.

Thenobl
esononsi
newyf
eetadv
anci
ng,
Isaw,outofthelandofprai
ri
es,landofOhio'
swat er
sandofIndi
ana,
Totherescuethestal
wartgianthurryhi
splenteousoff
spri
ng,
Dresti
nblue,beari
ngthei
rtr
ustyr i
fl
esontheirshoul
ders.

ThentheMotherofAl lwit
hcalmv oicespeaki
ng,
AstoyouRebel l
ious,(
Iseemedt ohearhersay,)whystr
iveagai
nst
me,andwhyseekmyl ife?
Wheny ouyourselffor
everprovi
detodefendme?
Foryouprovi
dedmeWashi ngt
on--
andnowt hesealso.

Ci
tyofShi
ps

Cit
yofshi ps!
(Ot heblackshi ps!Ot hef i
erceshi ps!
Ot hebeaut iful shar p-bow' dst eam- shipsandsai l
-ships!
)
Cit
yoft hewor l
d!( forallracesar eher e,
Allthelandsoft heear t
hmakecont ri
butionsher e;
)
Cit
yoft hesea!ci t
yofhur riedandgl itt
eringt i
des!
Cit
ywhosegl eef ultidescont i
nuall
yr ushorr ecede, whir
linginand
outwi theddi esandf oam!
Cit
yofwhar vesandst ores--ci
tyoft all f
acadesofmar bl
eandi ron!
Proudandpassi onat ecity--
met tl
esome, mad, extr
avagantci t
y!
SpringupOci ty--notf orpeaceal one, butbei ndeedy our
sel f
,warli
ke!
Fearnot -
-submi tt onomodel sbuty ourownOci ty!
Behol dme- -i
ncar nat emeasIhav ei ncarnatedy ou!
Ihav erej
ect ednot hingy ouof fer'
dme- -
whom y ouadoptedIhav eadopted,
GoodorbadInev erquest iony ou--Ilov eall-
-Idonotcondemnanyt hing,
Ichantandcel ebr at eallthatisy our s--y
etpeacenomor e,
InpeaceIchant edpeace, butnowt hedr um ofwari smi ne,
War ,redwari smysongt hroughy ourst reets,Ocity!

TheCent
enar
ian'
sSt
ory

[Volunteerof1861-2,atWashi ngtonPark,Br
ooklyn,assist
ing
theCent enari
an.
]
Givemey ourhandoldRev ol
uti
onary,
Thehill
-topisnigh,
butaf ewsteps,(maker oom gentl
emen, )
Upt hepathy ouhavefoll
ow' dmewel l
,spi
teofyourhundredand
extr
ay ears,
Youcanwal koldman, t
houghy oureyesarealmostdone,
Yourfaculti
esserveyou, andpresentlyImusthav ethem serveme.

Rest,whileItel
lwhatt hecr owdar oundusmeans,
Ont heplainbelowr ecruitsar edril
li
ngandexer cisi
ng,
Thereist hecamp, oner egi mentdepar t
sto-morrow,
Doy ouheart heofficersgi vingtheirorders?
Doy ouheart heclankoft hemusket s?
Whywhatcomesov ery ounowol dman?
Whydoy outrembl eandcl utchmyhandsoconv ulsi
vel
y?
Thet r
oopsar ebutdr il
li
ng, theyar eyetsur r
oundedwithsmil
es,
Aroundt hem athandt hewel l
-dr
estfriendsandthewomen,
Whilesplendidandwar mt heaf t
ernoonsunshi nesdown,
Greent hemidsummerv erdur eandf reshblowsthedally
ingbreeze,
O'
erpr oudandpeacef ul ci
tiesandar m oft heseabetween.

Butdr
il
landpar
adear
eov
er,
theymar
chbackt
oquar
ter
s,
Onl
yheart
hatappr
oval
ofhands!hearwhatacl
appi
ng!

Aswendi
ngthecrowdsnowpar tanddisper
se-
-butweol
dman,
Notf
ornothi
nghaveIbroughty
ouhither-
-wemustremai
n,
Yout
ospeakinyourtur
n,andItoli
stenandtel
l.

[TheCent enar i
an]
WhenIcl ut ch'dy ourhandi twasnotwi thterror,
Butsuddenl ypour i
ngaboutmeher eonev eryside,
Andbel owt her ewher et heboy swer edril
li
ng, andupt
heslopest
heyran,
Andwher et ent sar epitch'
d, andwher everyouseesouthandsouth-
eastandsout h-west,
Overhi l
l
s, acr ossl owlands, andi ntheskirt
sofwoods,
Andal ongt heshor es,i
nmi re( nowf i
ll
'
dov er)cameagainand
suddenl yr aged,
Asei ghty-
fivey earsagonenomer eparader eceiv'
dwi
thappl
auseoffr
iends,
Butabat tlewhi chIt ookpar tinmy self-
-aye,longagoasiti
s,I
tookpar tini t,
Wal ki
ngt hent hishi l
lt
op, t
hissamegr ound.

Aye,t
hisistheground,
MyblindeyesevenasIspeakbehol ditre-peopl
edfrom graves,
Theyearsrecede,pavement sandst at
elyhousesdisappear,
Rudefort
sappearagai n, t
heoldhoop'dgunsar emount ed,
Iseetheli
nesofr ai
s'
dear thstr
etchingfrom ri
vert
obay ,
Imarkthevistaofwater s,Imarktheuplandsandslopes;
Herewelayencamp' d,itwasthistimeinsummeral so.

AsItalkIr
ememberal l,Ir
emembert heDecl
arat
ion,
I
twasr eadhere,thewholearmyparaded,i
twasreadtoushere,
Byhisstaf
fsurroundedtheGeneralstoodi
nthemi ddl
e,hehel
dup
hi
sunsheath'dsword,
I
tgli
tter
'di
nthesuni nfull
sightoft
hear my.

Twasaboldactthen-
-t
heEngl
ishwar-
shi
pshadjustarr
ived,
Wecouldwatchdownt hel
owerbaywheretheyl
ayatanchor,
Andthetr
anspor
tsswar mi
ngwit
hsoldi
ers.

Af
ewday
smor
eandt
heyl
anded,
andt
hent
hebat
tl
e.

Twentythousandwerebroughtagai
nstus,
Aveter
anf or
cefur
nish'
dwi t
hgoodarti
ll
ery
.

It
ellnotnowt hewholeofthebat
tl
e,
Butonebrigadeearl
yinthefor
enoonor der'
dforwardt
oengaget
he
r
ed-coats,
Ofthatbri
gadeItel
l,andhowsteadi
lyitmar ch'
d,
Andhowl ongandwel li
tst
oodconfrontingdeath.

Whodoy outhinkthatwasmarchingst
eadi
lyster
nlyconf
ronti
ngdeat
h?
I
twasthebr i
gadeoft hey
oungestmen,twothousandstr
ong,
Rai
s'di
nVirgi
niaandMar yl
and,andmostofthem knownpersonal
l
y
t
otheGeneral.

Jaunti
lyf or
war
dt heywentwithqui
ckstept owardGowanus'water
s,
Til
lofasuddenunl ook'
dforbydefi
lest
hr oughthewoods,gai
n'datnight
,
TheBritishadv
ancing,r
oundinginf
rom theeast,fi
ercel
ypl
ayi
ng
t
heirguns,
Thatbrigadeoftheyoungestwascutoffandatt heenemy'
smer cy.

TheGener
alwatch'
dthem f
rom t
hishi
ll
,
Theymaderepeat
eddesperat
eattempt
stobur
stt
hei
renv
ironment
,
Thendr
ewcloset
oget
her
,ver
ycompact
,thei
rfl
agfl
yi
nginthemiddl
e,
ButOfr
om t
hehil
l
showthecannonwer
et hi
nni
ngandthi
nningt
hem!

Itsi
ckensmeyet ,
thatsl
aughter!
Isawt hemoi
sturegatheri
ndr opsonthefaceoft
heGener
al.
Isawhowhewr unghishandsi nangui
sh.

Meanwhi
letheBri
ti
shmanoeuvr'
dtodr
awusoutforapi
tch'
dbat
tl
e,
Butwedarednott
rustt
hechancesofapi
tch'
dbat
tl
e.

Wef oughtthefightindetachments,
Sall
yingfort
hwef oughtatseveralpoi
nts,
butineachthel
uckwas
againstus,
Ourfoeadv anci
ng, steadi
lygett
ingthebestofi
t,push'
dusback
tothewor ksont hi
shi l
l
,
Ti
llwet urn'
dmenaci ngher e,
andthenheleftus.

Thatwasthegoingoutoft
hebri
gadeofthey
oungestmen,
twot
housand
st
rong,
Fewretur
n'd,
nearl
yall
remaini
nBrookl
yn.

Thatandher emyGeneral
'
sfir
stbat
tl
e,
Nowomenl ooki
ngonnorsunshi
netobaski
n,i
tdi
dnotconcl
ude
wit
happlause,
Nobodyclapp'dhandsher
ethen.

Butindarknessinmistont hegr
oundunderachillr
ain,
Weariedthatni
ghtwel ayfoil
'
dandsull
en,
Whil
escor nf
ull
ylaugh'dmanyanarrogantlor
doffagainstusencamp'
d,
Quit
ewi t
hinheari
ng,feast
ing,cl
i
nki
ngwi negl
assestogetherov
er
t
heirvi
ctory.

Sodullanddampandanot herday ,
Butthenightofthat
,mistl
if
ti
ng,rai
nceasing,
Si
lentasaghostwhi l
etheythoughttheyweresur
eofhi
m,my
Generalr
etreat
ed.

Isawhi m attheri
ver
-si
de,
Downbyt heferr
yli
tbytorches,hasteni
ngtheembar
cat
ion;
MyGener alwaitedti
ll
thesoldier
sandwoundedwer eal
lpass'
dov
er,
Andt hen,(i
twasjusteresunri
se,)theseey
esrest
edonhimfor
thelastti
me.

Ev
eryoneel
seseem'dfi
ll
'
dwi t
hgl oom,
Manynodoubtt
houghtofcapit
ulati
on.

ButwhenmyGener alpass'
dme,
Ashestoodinhisboatandlook'dtowardthecomi
ngsun,
Isawsomethingdi
fferentf
rom capit
ulat
ion.

[Terminus]
Enough,theCent
enari
an'sstor
yends,
Thet wo,t
hepastandpresent,
haveint
erchanged,
Imy sel
fasconnect
er,
aschansonnierofagr eatf
utur
e,am nowspeaki
ng.

Andisthi
sthegroundWashi ngtont
rod?
AndthesewatersIli
stl
essl
ydailycr
oss,ar
ethesethewatershecr
oss'
d,
Asresol
uteindefeatasothergener
alsi
nthei
rproudestt
riumphs?

Imustcopythestor
y,andsenditeast
war
dandwestwar
d,
Imustpreser
vethatl
ookasitbeam'donyour
iver
sofBr
ookl
yn.
See-
-astheannual roundr et
urnsthephantomsr etur
n,
I
tisthe27t hofAugustandt heBr i
ti
shhav elanded,
Thebat t
lebeginsandgoesagai nstus,beholdthroughthesmoke
Washington'sface,
ThebrigadeofVi rginiaandMar yl
andhav emar ch'
dfort
htoi nt
ercept
t
heenemy ,
Theyarecutof f,mur derousarti
l
leryfr
om thehill
splaysuponthem,
Rankaf t
errankfalls,whileoverthem si
lentl
ydroopstheflag,
Bapti
zedt hatdayi nmanyay oungman' sbloodywounds.
I
ndeath, defeat,
andsi st
ers'
,mothers't
ears.

Ah,hi
l
lsandslopesofBrookl
yn!Iper
cei
vey ouaremorev
aluabl
e
t
hanyourownerssupposed;
I
nthemidstofyoustandsanencampmentv er
yold,
St
andsforev
erthecampoft hatdeadbr
igade.

Cav
alr
yCr
ossi
ngaFor
d

Alineinlongar raywher etheywi ndbetwixtgr eenisl

ands,
Theytakeaser penti
necour se,thei
rarmsf l
ashi nthesun--harkto
themusi cal clank,
Beholdthesi lveryriver,i
nitthesplashinghor sesloiter
ingstop
todri
nk,
Beholdthebr own- f
acedmen, eachgroup, eachper sonapi cture,
the
negl
igentr estont hesaddl es,
Someemer geont heoppositebank, othersarej ustenter
ingt hefor
d--
whi
l
e,
Scarl
etandbl ueandsnowywhi te,
Theguidonf lagsf l
uttergayl
yint hewind.

Bi
vouaconaMount
ainSi
de

Iseebeforemenowat ravel
ingarmyhal t
ing,
Belowaf ert
ileval
leyspread,withbarnsandt heor chardsofsummer ,
Behind,t
het err
acedsidesofamount ain,abrupt,i
npl acesr i
singhigh,
Broken,wit
hr ocks,wit
hclingingcedars,withtall
shapesdi ngil
yseen,
Thenumer ouscamp- fi
resscat t
er'
dnearandf ar,
someawayupont he
mountain,
Theshadowyf ormsofmenandhor ses,l
oomi ng,large-si
zed,f l
i
ckeri
ng,
Andov erall
t hesky-
-t
hesky !far,
faroutofr each,studded,
breaki
ngout ,t
heeternalstars.

AnAr
myCor
psont
heMar
ch

Withitscloudofski rmishersinadvance,
Withnowt hesoundofasi ngleshotsnappi
ngl ikeawhi p,
andnowan
i
rregularvolley,
Theswar mingr ankspr essonandon, thedensebr igadespresson,
Gli
tt
er i
ngdi mly,toil
ingundert hesun--
thedust-cover'
dmen,
I
ncol umnsr i
seandf allt
ot heundulat
ionsofthegr ound,
Withartil
leryinterspers'
d--t
hewheel srumble,
thehor sessweat,
Asthear mycor psadv ances.
Byt
heBi
vouac'
sFi
tf
ulFl
ame

Bythebi vouac'sf i
tful
flame,
Aprocessi onwi ndingar oundme, solemnandsweetandsl ow--but
fi
rstInot e,
Thet ent soft hesleepingar my ,thef i
elds'andwoods' di
m outl
ine,
Thedar knessl i
tbyspot sofki ndledf i
re,t
hesilence,
Li
keaphant om farornearanoccasi onal f
igur
emov i
ng,
Theshr ubsandt rees,(
asIl iftmyey estheyseem t obesteal
thil
y
wat chingme, )
Whilewi ndi nprocessiont hought s,Ot enderandwondr ousthoughts,
Ofli
feanddeat h, ofhomeandt hepastandl oved,andofthoset hat
aref araway ;
Asol emnandsl owpr ocessi ont hereasIsi tontheground,
Bythebi vouac'sf i
tful
flame.

ComeUpf
rom t
heFi
eldsFat
her

Comeupfr
om t
hefi
eldsf
ather
,her
e'salet
terf
rom ourPete,
Andcomet
othefr
ontdoormother
,her
e'salet
terf
rom thydearson.

Lo,'
ti
saut umn,
Lo,wheret hetrees,deepergreen,yel
lowerandr edder
,
Coolandsweet enOhi o'
svill
ageswithleav
esflutter
ingint
he
moder at
ewi nd,
Whereappl esripeint heorchardshangandgr apesonthetrel
l
is'
dvi
nes,
(Smellyout hesmell ofthegrapesont hevi
nes?
Smellyout hebuckwheatwher ethebeeswer elatel
ybuzzi
ng?)

Aboveall
,l
o,theskysocalm,sot
ransparentaf
tert
herai
n,and
wit
hwondrousclouds,
Belowtoo,al
lcal
m,allvi
tal
andbeauti
ful
,andthefar
m pr
osperswel
l
.

Downint
hefi
eldsall
prosperswell
,
Butnowf
rom thef
iel
dscomef ather
,comeatthedaughter'
scal
l
.
Andcometotheentr
ymot her
,tothefr
ontdoorcomerightaway.

Fastasshecanshehur
ri
es,
somethi
ngominous,herst
epst
rembl
i
ng,
Shedoesnottar
ryt
osmoothherhai
rnoradj
usthercap.

Opent heenvel
opequi ckly,
Othisisnotourson'swr iti
ng,yethi
snamei ssign'
d,
Oast rangehandwr i
tesf orourdearson,
Ost r
ickenmother
'ssoul
!
Allswimsbeforeherey es,fl
asheswithbl
ack,shecatchest
hemai n
wordsonly,
Sentencesbroken,gunshotwoundi nthebreast,cav
alr
yski
rmish,
t
akent ohospit
al,
Atpresentlow,butwillsoonbebet t
er.

Ahnowt hesinglef
igur
etome,
AmidallteemingandwealthyOhiowit
halli
tsci
ti
esandfar
ms,
Si
cklywhiteinthef
aceanddullinthehead,
veryfai
nt,
Bythejambofadoorl eans.

Gri
evenotso,dearmother
,(t
hejust
-growndaughterspeakst
hrough
hersobs,
Thelit
tl
esist
ershuddl
earoundspeechlessanddi
smay '
d,)
See,
dear
estmot
her
,thel
ett
ersay
sPet
ewi
l
lsoonbebet
ter
.

Alaspoorboy,hewil
lnev
erbebet
ter
,(normay-
beneedstobe
bett
er,t
hatbrav
eandsimpl
esoul,
)
Whiletheyst
andathomeatthedoorheisdeadal
ready
,
Theonlysonisdead.

Butthemotherneedst obebetter
,
Shewiththi
nform present
lydresti
nblack,
Bydayhermealsunt ouch'
d,t
henatnightfi
tfull
ysl
eepi
ng,oft
enwaki
ng,
I
nthemi dni
ghtwaking,weeping,l
ongingwit
honedeepl ongi
ng,
Othatshemightwithdrawunnot i
ced,
sil
entfrom l
i
feescapeandwit
hdr
aw,
Tofoll
ow,toseek,t
obewi thherdeardeadson.

Vi
gil
Str
angeIKeptont
heFi
eldOneNi
ght

VigilstrangeIkeptont hef i
eldoneni ght ;
Wheny oumysonandmycomr adedr optatmysi det hatday ,
Onel ookIbutgav ewhi chy ourdearey esr et urn'dwi thal ookI
shal lnev erf orget ,
Onet ouchofy ourhandt omi neOboy ,reach' dupasy oul ayont heground,
Thenonwar dIspedi nt hebat tle, theev en-cont estedbat t
le,
Til
llatei nt heni ghtr eli
ev '
dt ot hepl aceatl astagai nImademyway ,
Foundy oui ndeat hsocol ddearcomr ade, foundy ourbodysonof
respondi ngki sses, (nev eragai nonear t
hr espondi ng, )
Baredy ourf acei nt hest arli
ght , cur ioust hescene, cool bl
ewt he
moder ateni ght -wi nd,
Longt her eandt heni nv i
gilIst ood, diml yar oundmet he
bat tl
ef i
el dspr eadi ng,
Vigilwondr ousandv igil sweett her ei nt hef ragr antsilentni ght,
Butnotat earf ell, notev enal ong- dr awnsi gh, long, l
ongIgazed,
Thenont heear thpar tiallyrecl iningsatbyy oursi del eaningmy
chini nmyhands,
Passi ngsweethour s,immor t al andmy st i
chour swi thy oudear est
comr ade- -
notat ear ,notawor d,
Vigilofsi lence, lov eanddeat h, v igilfory oumysonandmysol dier,
Asonwar dsi l
ent l
yst ar sal oft, east war dnewonesupwar dst ole,
Vigilfinal fory oubr aveboy ,(Icoul dnotsav ey ou, swi ftwasy ourdeath,
Ifait
hf ullyl ovedy ouandcar edf ory oul i
v i
ng, Ithinkweshal l
surel ymeetagai n, )
Til
latl atestl i
nger ingoft heni ght , i
ndeedj ustast hedawnappear '
d,
Mycomr adeIwr apti nhi sbl anket ,env el op'dwel lhisform,
Foldedt hebl anketwel l, t
ucki ngi tcar eful l
yov erheadand
caref ullyunderf eet ,
Andt her eandt henandbat hedbyt her isingsun, mysoni nhi s
grav e, i
nhi sr ude- duggr aveIdeposi ted,
Endingmyv i
gi lst rangewi t
ht hat ,v i
gi lofni ghtandbat tle-
fielddi m,
Vigilforboyofr espondi ngki sses, (nev eragai nonear threspondi ng,
)
Vigilforcomr adeswi ftl
ysl ain, v igilInev erf orget ,howasday
bright en'd,
Irosef r
om t hechi llgr oundandf oldedmysol dierwel linhisbl anket,
Andbur iedhi m wher ehef ell
.

AMar
chi
ntheRanksHar
d-Pr
est
,andt
heRoadUnknown

Amar
chi
nther
ankshar
d-pr
est
,andt
her
oadunknown,
Arout et hroughaheav ywoodwi thmuf fledst epsi nt hedar kness,
Ourar myf oil'
dwi thl osssev ere, andt hesul l
enr emnantr etreating,
Til
laftermi dni ghtgl i
mmeruponust helight sofadi m- l
ight edbui l
ding,
Wecomet oanopenspacei nt hewoods, andhal tbyt hedi m- l
ightedbui l
ding,
'
Tisal ar geol dchur chatt hecr ossingr oads, nowani mpr ompt uhospi tal
,
Enteringbutf orami nut eIseeasi ghtbey ondal l t
hepi cturesand
poemsev ermade,
Shadowsofdeepest , deepestbl ack, j
ustl itbymov i
ngcandl esandl amps,
Andbyonegr eatpi tchyt orchst at i
onar ywi thwi ldr edf lameand
cloudsofsmoke,
Byt hese, crowds, gr oupsoff ormsv aguel yIseeont hef l
oor ,some
i
nt hepewsl aiddown,
Atmyf eetmor edi stinct l
yasol di er,amer el ad, indangerof
bleedi ngt odeat h, ( heisshoti ntheabdomen, )
Istancht hebl oodt empor arily,(they oungst er'sfacei swhi teasal il
y,
)
Thenbef or eIdepar tIsweepmyey eso' ert hescenef aint oabsor bitall,
Faces, var i
et i
es, post uresbey onddescr i
pt ion, mosti nobscur ity,
someoft hem dead,
Surgeonsoper ating, attendant shol dingl ight s,thesmel lofet her ,
odorofbl ood,
Thecr owd, Ot hecr owdoft hebl oodyf orms, t
hey ardout sideal sof i
ll
'd,
Someont hebar egr ound, someonpl anksorst retcher s, somei nt he
deat h-spasm sweat ing,
Anoccasi onal scr eam orcr y,thedoct or'
sshout edor der sorcal ls,
Thegl istenoft hel itt
lest eel instrument scat chingt hegl i
ntof
thet orches,
TheseIr esumeasIchant ,Iseeagai nthef or ms, Ismel ltheodor ,
Thenhearout sidet heor dersgi v en, Fallin, mymen, f
al lin;
Butf i
rstIbendt ot hedy ingl ad, hisey esopen, ahal f-
smi legi vesheme,
Thent heey escl ose, calml ycl ose, andIspeedf ortht ot hedar kness,
Resumi ng, mar ching, everindar knessmar chi ng, onint her anks,
Theunknownr oadst illmar ching.

ASi
ghti
nCampi
ntheDay
breakGr
ayandDi
m

Asightincampint heday breakgrayanddi m,

Asf r
om mytentIemer gesoear l
ysleepless,
AsslowIwalkinthecool fr
eshairthepat hnearbythehospitalt
ent,
ThreeformsIseeonst retcherslyi
ng,br oughtoutt
hereuntendedly
ing,
Overeachtheblanketspread, amplebr ownishwoolenblanket
,
Grayandheavyblanket,folding,
coveringal l
.

Curi
ousIhal tandsi l
entstand,
Thenwithl i
ghtfingersIfrom thefaceoft henearestthef i
rst
j
ustli
fttheblanket;
Whoar ey ouelderlymansogauntandgr im, wi
thwel l
-gray
'dhair
,
andfl
eshal lsunkenaboutt heey es?
Whoar ey oumydearcomr ade?
ThentothesecondIst ep--andwhoar ey oumychi l
danddar l
ing?
Whoar ey ousweetboywi thcheeksy etblooming?
Thentothet hir
d--afacenorchi l
dnorol d,verycalm,asof
beaut
ifulyell
ow- whit
eivory;
YoungmanIt hinkIknowy ou--
Ithi
nkt hi
sf aceisthefaceoft he
Chri
sthimsel f
,
Deadanddi vineandbr otherofall,andhereagai nhelies.
AsToi
l
someIWander
'dVi
rgi
nia'
sWoods

Ast oilsomeIwander '

dVirgi
nia'swoods,
Tot hemusi cofrustli
ngleaveskick'
dbymyf eet
, (
for't
wasautumn,)
Imar k'datt hefootofatreet hegraveofasol di
er;
Mor tallywoundedheandbur i
edont heretreat,(
easil
yal l
could
under stand,)
Thehal tofami d-dayhour,whenup!not i
met olose-
-yetthi
ssignl
eft
,
Onat abl etscrawl'dandnail'
dont hetreebyt hegr ave,
Bold, caut i
ous,true,andmyl ovingcomr ade.

Long,l
ongImuse, t
henonmywaygowander ing,
Manyachangef ulseasontofol
l
ow, andmanyasceneofl i
fe,
Yetatti
mest hroughchangef
ulseasonandscene,abr
upt,alone,or
i
nthecrowdedst reet
,
Comesbeforemet heunknownsoldier
'sgr
ave,comestheinscri
pti
on
r
udeinVirgini
a'swoods,
Bold,
cauti
ous, t
rue,andmylovi
ngcomr ade.

Nott
hePi
l
ot

Notthepil
othaschar gedhimselft obri
nghisshipi nt
opor t,
t
houghbeat enbackandmanyt i
mesbaf f
led;
Notthepathfinderpenetrat
inginlandwearyandl ong,
Bydesert
spar ch'd,snowschill
'd,river
swet,persev er
est i
ll
he
r
eacheshi sdestinati
on,
MorethanIhav echar gedmy self
, heededorunheeded, t
ocompose
marchfortheseSt ates,
Forabatt
le-call
,rousingtoarmsi fneedbe, years,centuri
eshence.

YearThatTr
embl
edandReel
'
dBeneat
hMe

Yearthattr
embledandreel
'
dbeneat hme!
Yoursummerwi ndwaswar m enough,
yettheairIbreathedf
rozeme,
Athickgloom f
ell
thr
oughthesunshineanddarken'dme,
MustIchangemyt ri
umphantsongs?saidItomy self
,
MustIindeedlear
ntochantthecolddi
rgesofthebaf fl
ed?
Andsullenhymnsofdefeat
?

TheWound-
Dresser

1
Anoldmanbendi ngIcomeamongnewf aces,
Yearslookingbackwar dr esumi nginanswert ochi l
dren,
Comet ellusoldman, asf rom youngmenandmai densthatloveme,
(Ar
ous'dandangr y,I
'dt houghtt obeatt healarum, andurger el
ent
lesswar,
Butsoonmyf ingersf ail'
dme, myfacedr oop'dandIr esign'dmyself
,
Tositbyt hewoundedandsoot hethem, orsil
entlywatcht hedead;)
Yearshenceoft hesescenes, ofthesef uri
ouspassi ons,thesechances,
Ofunsur pass'
dher oes, (wasonesi desobr ave?theot herwasequal l
ybrav
e;)
Nowbewi tnessagai n, paintthemi ght
iestarmi esofearth,
Ofthosear miessor api dsowondr ouswhatsawy out otellus?
Whatst ayswithy oulat estanddeepest ?ofcur iouspanics,
Ofhar
d-f
oughtengagement
sorsi
egest
remendouswhatdeepestr
emai
ns?

2
Omai densandy oungmenIl oveandt hatloveme,
Whaty ouaskofmyday sthoset hest r
angestandsuddeny ourtalki
ngr
ecal
ls,
Soldieraler
tIarr
iveaf teral ongmar chcover'dwithsweatanddust ,
I
nt heni ckofti
meIcome, pl ungei nthefi
ght,loudlyshoutint he
rushofsuccessf ulchar ge,
Entert hecapt
ur'
dwor ks--yetl o,l
ikeaswift-r
unningrivertheyf ade,
Passandar egonet heyf ade- -Idwellnotonsol di
ers'peri
l
sor
soldiers'
joy
s,
(BothIr ememberwel l--manyt hehar dshi
ps,fewt hejoys,yetIwascontent.
)

Butinsil
ence,i
ndreams' pr
oject
ions,
Whilet
hewor ldofgainandappearanceandmi rt
hgoeson,
Sosoonwhati soverforgot
ten,andwav eswashtheimpri
ntsofft
hesand,
Withhingedkneesretur
ningIenterthedoor
s,(whil
efory
ouupt her
e,
Whoevery ouare,
foll
owwi t
houtnoiseandbeofst r
ongheart.
)

Beari
ngthebandages, wat erandsponge,
Str
aightandswi f
ttomywoundedIgo,
Wheretheylieont hegroundaf t
erthebat t
lebroughti n,
Wheretheirpri
celessbloodr eddenst hegrasst hegr ound,
Ortotherowsoft hehospi taltent,
orundert her oof'dhospi
tal,
Tothelongrowsofcot supanddowneachsi deIr eturn,
Toeachandal loneafteranot herIdr awnear,notonedoImi ss,
Anattendantfoll
owshol dingat ray,hecarri
esar efusepail
,
Soontobef i
ll'
dwi t
hclottedragsandbl ood,empt ied,andfi
ll
'dagai
n.

Ionwardgo, Istop,
Withhingedkneesandst eadyhandtodresswounds,
Iam fi
rm witheach,thepangsaresharpyetunavoidabl
e,
Oneturnstomehi sappeal
ingeyes-
-poorboy!Ineverknewy ou,
YetIthinkIcouldnotref
usethi
smomentt odieforyou,ift
hat
wouldsav eyou.

3
On,onIgo,(opendoor soft i
me!openhospitaldoors!
)
Thecrush'
dheadIdr ess,(
poorcrazedhandt earnotthebandageaway
,)
Theneckoft hecav al
ry-
manwi ththebull
etthroughandt hr
oughexami
ne,
Hardthebreathingrattl
es,qui
teglazedal
readytheey e,y
etli
fe
st
ruggl
eshar d,
(Comesweetdeat h!beper suadedObeaut i
fuldeath!
I
nmer cycomequi ckl
y.)

From t
hestumpoft hearm, t
heamput atedhand,
Iundotheclott
edlint,r
emov etheslough,washoffthemat
terandblood,
Backonhispill
owt hesoldierbendswithcurv'
dneckandsidefal
l
inghead,
Hiseyesar
ecl osed,hisfaceispale,hedaresnotl
ookonthe
bl
oodystump,
Andhasnoty etlook'donit.

Idr
essawoundinthesi
de,deep,deep,
Butadayortwomore,
forseetheframeal
lwast
edandsi
nki
ng,
Andtheyel
l
ow-bl
uecount
enancesee.

Idresstheperf
orat
edshoul
der,
thef
ootwit
hthebul l
et-
wound,
Cleansetheonewithagnawi
ngandputr
idgangrene,sosickeni
ng,
sooffensi
ve,
Whiletheatt
endantst
andsbehi
ndasi
demehol dingthetr
ayandpail.

Iam f
ait
hful
,Idonotgi
veout
,
Thefract
ur'
dthigh,
theknee,t
hewoundintheabdomen,
Theseandmor eIdresswit
himpassi
vehand,(
yetdeepi
nmybr
east
afi
re,aburni
ngflame.
)

4
Thusinsilencei ndreams' pr
ojecti
ons,
Retur
ning,resumi ng,It
hreadmywayt hr
oughthehospi t
als,
ThehurtandwoundedIpaci fywi t
hsoothinghand,
Isi
tbyt her estl
essallt
hedar knight,somearesoy oung,
Somesuf fersomuch, Irecal
ltheexper i
encesweetandsad,
(Manyasol dier
'sl
ovingarmsaboutt hi
sneckhav ecross'
dandr
est
ed,
Manyasol dier'
skissdwellsont hesebeardedli
ps.)

Long,
TooLongAmer
ica

Long,toolongAmer i
ca,
Traveli
ngroadsallev enandpeacef ul
y oulearn'
df r
om joysand
prosperi
tyonl
y,
Butnow, ahnow, t
ol earnfrom cr
isesofangui sh,advanci
ng,
grappli
ngwithdirestfateandrecoil
ingnot ,
Andnowt oconcei
v eandshowt othewor l
dwhaty ourchil
dren
en-massereall
yar e,
(Forwhoexceptmy selfhasyetconceiv '
dwhaty ourchil
drenen-masse
real
lyare?)

Gi
veMet
heSpl
endi
dSi
l
entSun

1
Gi
vemet hespl endidsi lentsunwi thallhisbeamsf ul
l-
dazzl
ing,
Gi
vemeaut umnal f
ruitripeandr edfrom t heor chard,
Gi
vemeaf iel
dwher et heunmow' dgrassgr ows,
Gi
vemeanar bor, givemet het rell
i
s'dgr ape,
Gi
vemef reshcor nandwheat ,givemeser ene- mov i
nganimalsteaching
content,
Gi
vemeni ght sper f
ectlyqui etasonhi ghpl ateauswestoft he
Mississippi ,andIl ooki ngupatt hest ars,
Gi
vemeodor ousatsunr i
seagar denofbeaut ifulfl
owerswher eIcan
walkundi sturb'd,
Gi
vemef ormar r
iageasweet -breath'dwomanofwhom Ishoul dnev ert
ir
e,
Gi
vemeaper fectchi l
d, givemeawayasi def rom thenoiseofthe
worldar ural domest icli
fe,
Gi
vemet owar blespont aneoussongsr ecl usebymy sel
f,f
ormyownear sonl
y,
Gi
vemesol i
tude, givemeNat ur e,giv
emeagai nONat ureyourpri
mal
sani
ties!

Thesedemandingt ohav et hem, (

tiredwithceasel essexcit
ement ,and
r
ack'
dbyt hewar -st
ri
fe,)
Thesetoprocureincessant lyasking,ri
singincri
esf r
om myhear t,
Whil
eyetincessantlyaskingst i
llIadheretomyci ty,
Dayupondayandy earupony earOci ty,walki
ngy ourstr
eets,
Whereyouholdmeenchai n'dacer tai
ntimer ef
usi ngtogivemeup,
Yetgi
vi
ngt omakemegl utted,enrich'
dofsoul ,yougi vemef orev
erf aces;
(OIseewhatIsoughtt oescape, conf r
onting,r
ev ersi
ngmycr i
es,
seemyownsoul tramplingdownwhati task'dfor .
)

2
Keepy ourspl endi dsi lentsun,
Keepy ourwoodsONat ur e, andt hequi etpl acesbyt hewoods,
Keepy ourf i
eldsofcl ov erandt i
mot hy,andy ourcor n-fieldsandor chards,
Keept hebl ossomi ngbuckwheatf i
el dswher et heNi nth-mont hbeeshum;
Givemef acesandst reet s--gi vemet hesephant omsi ncessantand
endl essal ongt het rot toirs!
Givemei nter mi nabl eey es- -givemewomen- -
giv emecomr adesand
lover sbyt het housand!
Letmeseenewonesev er yday --
letmehol dnewonesbyt hehandev eryday
!
Givemesuchshows- -giv emet hest reet sofManhat tan!
GivemeBr oadway ,wi tht hesol diersmar chi ng- -gi
vemet hesoundof
thet rumpet sanddr ums!
(Thesol di ersi ncompani esorr egiment s--somest arti
ngaway ,f
lush'd
andr eckl ess,
Some, thei rtimeup, ret urni ngwi tht hinn'dr anks, young, yetv ery
old, wor n, mar ching, not i
ci ngnot hing;)
Givemet heshor esandwhar v
esheav y-fringedwi thbl ackshi ps!
Osuchf orme!Oani ntensel ife,full t
or epl etionandv ari
ed!
Thel i
feoft het heat re, bar -room, hugehot el,forme!
Thesal oonoft hest eamer !thecr owdedexcur sionf orme!t he
torchl ightpr ocessi on!
Thedensebr i
gadeboundf ort hewar ,wi thhi ghpi ledmi l
itarywagons
foll
owi ng;
Peopl e, endl ess, streami ng, wit hstr ongv oices, passi ons, pageants,
Manhat tanst reet swi tht hei rpower ful t
hr obs, withbeat ingdr umsasnow,
Theendl essandnoi sychor us, ther ust l
eandcl ankofmusket s,
(ev en
thesi ghtoft hewounded, )
Manhat tancr owds, wi tht hei rturbul entmusi cal chorus!
Manhat tanf acesandey esf orev erf orme.

Di
rgef
orTwoVet
erans

Thelastsunbeam
Li
ghtl
yfall
sfrom thefi
nish'
dSabbath,
Onthepavementher e,
andt her
ebeyondi
tisl
ooki
ng,
Downanew- madedoubl egrave.

Lo,themoonascending,
Upfrom theeastt
hesil
veryr
oundmoon,
Beauti
fulovert
hehouse-t
ops,ghast
ly,
phant
om moon,
Immenseandsi l
entmoon.

Iseeasadpr ocessi
on,
AndIhearthesoundofcomi ngfull
-key
'dbugl
es,
Al
lthechannelsofthecit
ystreet
sthey'
refl
ooding,
Aswithvoicesandwithtears.

Ihearthegreatdrumspounding,
Andthesmal l
drumsst eadywhirri
ng,
Andev er
yblowoft hegreatconvul
siv
edr
ums,
Str
ikesmet hroughandt hr
ough.

Fort
hesonisbroughtwit
ht hefather,
(I
nthef
oremostranksofthefi
erceassaulttheyf
ell
,
Twoveter
anssonandf at
herdropttogether
,
Andthedoubl
egraveawaitsthem. )

Nownearerbl
owt hebugl
es,
Andthedr
umsstrikemoreconvul
si
ve,
Andthedayl
i
ghto'
erthepav
ementqui
tehasf
aded,
Andthestr
ongdead-
marchenwr
apsme.

Intheeaster
nskyup- buoying,
Thesorrowfulv
astphant om mov esil
lumin'
d,
('
Tissomemot her
'slar
get ransparentface,
Inheavenbri
ghtergrowing.)

Ostrongdead-
marchyoupleaseme!
Omoonimmensewi t
hyoursi
lver
yfaceyousoot
heme!
Omysoldi
erst
wain!Omyv et
eranspassi
ngtobur
ial
!
WhatIhaveIal
sogiveyou.

Themoongivesyouli
ght,
Andthebugl
esandthedrumsgiv
ey oumusic,
Andmyheart,Omysoldi
ers,myvet
erans,
Myheartgi
vesyoulov
e.

Ov
ert
heCar
nageRosePr
ophet
icaVoi
ce

Overt
hecar nagerosepr ophet
icav oice,
Benotdisheart
en'
d, af
fectionshallsolvet
hepr obl
emsoff
reedom y
et,
Thosewhol oveeachot hershallbecomei nv
incibl
e,
Theyshally
etmakeCol umbiavictori
ous.

Sonsoft
heMot herofAl
l
,youshal
lyetbev
ictor
ious,
Youshal
lyetl
aughtoscornt
heatt
acksofall
theremainderoft
heear
th.

Nodangershallbal
kColumbi
a'sl
over
s,
I
fneedbeat housandshal
lst
ernl
yimmolat
ethemsel
vesf
orone.

Onefr
om Massachusettsshal
lbeaMi ssourian'
scomrade,
Fr
om Maineandfrom hotCarol
ina,
andanot heranOregonese,
shal
l
bef
ri
endstri
une,
Morepreci
oustoeachotherthanallt
herichesoftheeart
h.

ToMichi
gan,Fl
ori
daperf
umesshall
tenderl
ycome,
Nott
heperfumesoffl
owers,
butsweeter
,andwaft
edbey
onddeat
h.

I
tshal
lbecustomar yi
nthehousesandstreetstoseemanl
yaff
ect
ion,
Themostdauntlessandrudeshal
ltouchfacetofacel
i
ghtl
y,
ThedependenceofLiber
tyshal
lbelover
s,
Theconti
nuanceofEquali
tyshal
lbecomr ades.

Theseshallt
iey
ouandbandyoustr
ongert
hanhoopsofi
ron,
I
,ecstat
ic,
Opartner
s!Ol
ands!wi
ththel
oveofl
overst
iey
ou.

(
Wereyoulookingtobeheldtogetherbylawyer
s?
Orbyanagreementonapaper ?orbyar ms?
Nay,
northewor l
d,noranyl
iv
ingthing,wil
lsocoher
e.)

ISawOl
dGener
alatBay

IsawoldGener
alatbay,
(Ol
dashewas,hisgrayeyesy
etshoneouti
nbattl
elikest
ars,
)
Hissmall
for
cewasnowcompl et
elyhemm'din,
inhisworks,
Hecall'
dforvolunteer
st oruntheenemy 'sli
nes, adesper ateemer
gency
,
Isawahundr edandmor estepf or
thfr
om t her anks,buttwoorthr
ee
wereselect
ed,
Isawthem receivetheiror
dersaside,t
heyl isten'dwithcare,t
he
adj
utantwasv erygrave,
Isawthem depar twit
hcheerfulness,
freelyriskingtheirl
ives.

TheAr
ti
ll
ery
man'
sVi
sion

Whi l
emywi featmysi del iessl umber ing, andt hewar sar eov erlong,
Andmyheadont hepi llowr est sathome, andt hev acantmi dnightpasses,
Andt hr ought hest il
lness, thr ought hedar k, Ihear ,justhear ,the
breat hofmyi nf ant ,
Ther eint her oom asIwakef rom sl eept hisv i
sionpr essesuponme;
Theengagementopenst her eandt heni nf ant asyunr eal ,
Theski rmi sher sbegi n, theycr awl caut iousl yahead, Iheart he
irr
egul arsnap!snap!
Iheart hesoundsoft hedi ffer entmi ssi l
es, theshor tt-h- t
!t -h-t!
oft her i
f l
e-balls,
Iseet heshel lsexpl odi ngl eav ingsmal lwhi tecl ouds, Iheart he
greatshel lsshr iekingast heypass,
Thegr apel i
ket hehum andwhi rrofwi ndt hrought het rees,
(tumul tuousnowt hecont estr ages, )
Allthescenesatt hebat teriesr i
sei ndet ai lbef oremeagai n,
Thecr ashi ngandsmoki ng, thepr ideoft hemeni nt hei rpi eces,
Thechi ef -
gunnerr angesandsi ght shi spi eceandsel ect saf useof
ther ightt i
me,
Afterf i
r i
ngIseehi ml eanasi deandl ookeager lyof ft onot et heef f
ect;
Elsewher eIheart hecr yofar egimentchar ging, (they oungcol onel
leadshi msel fthi st i
mewi thbr andi sh'dswor d,)
Iseet hegapscutbyt heenemy 'sv oll
ey s, (qui cklyf ill
'dup, nodel ay,
)
Ibreat het hesuf f
ocat ingsmoke, thent hef latcl oudshov erl ow
conceal i
ngal l;
Nowast rangel ullforaf ewseconds, notashotf iredonei thersi de,
Thenr esumedt hechaosl oudert hanev er,wi theagercal lsand
order sofof fi
cer s,
Whi l
ef r om somedi st antpar toft hef ieldt hewi ndwaf t
st omyear s
ashoutofappl ause, (somespeci al success, )
Andev ert hesoundoft hecannonf arornear ,(rousi ngev eni n
dreamsadev il
ishexul tat i
onandal ltheol dmadj oyi nt he
dept hsofmysoul ,)
Andev ert hehast eni ngofi nf ant ryshi fti
ngposi t i
ons, bat teries,
cav alry ,mov i
nghi therandt hither,
(Thef al l
ing, dy i
ng, Iheednot , thewoundeddr i
ppi ngandr ed
heednot ,somet ot her earar ehobbl ing, )
Grime, heat ,rush, ai de- de- campsgal lopi ngbyoronaf ullrun,
Wi t
ht hepat terofsmal l arms, t
hewar nings- s-toft her ifl
es,
(thesei nmyv isionIhearorsee, )
Andbombsbur stingi nai r,andatni ghtt hev ari-col or'dr ocket s.

Et
hiopi
aSal
uti
ngt
heCol
ors

Whoareyouduskywoman,soancienthar
dlyhuman,
Wi
thyourwool
ly-
whit
eandturban'
dhead,andbarebonyfeet
?
Whyr
isi
ngbytheroadsi
dehere,doyouthecolor
sgreet
?
('
Tiswhil
eourar
mylinesCarol
i
na'ssandsandpines,
Forthf
rom t
hyhovel
doorthouEthiopi
acom'stt
ome,
Asunderdought
yShermanImar chtowardt
hesea.)

Memast eryearsahundredsi
ncef r
om mypar ent
ssunder'
d,
Ali
tt
lechil
d,theycaughtmeast hesavagebeastiscaught
,
Thenhi
thermeacr osstheseathecruelsl
averbrought
.

Nofur
therdoesshesay,butl
ingeri
ngal
ltheday,
Herhi
gh-bornet
urban'
dheadshewags,andr ol
l
sherdarkl
i
ngey
e,
Andcourtesi
est
ot her
egiments,t
hegui
donsmov ingby
.

Whati
sitf
atef
ulwoman,soblear
,hardl
yhuman?
Whywagyourheadwit
hturbanbound,yel
l
ow,redandgreen?
Ar
ethethi
ngssostr
angeandmar vel
ousyouseeorhaveseen?

NotYout
hPer
tai
nst
oMe

Notyout hper t
ainstome,
Nordelicatesse, Icannotbegui l
ethetimewithtal
k,
Awkwar di nt hepar l
or,neit
heradancernorelegant,
Inthelearn'dcot eriesit
tingconstr
ain'
dandstil
l,f
orlearni
ng
i
nuresnott ome,
Beauty,knowl edge,inurenottome- -
yett
herearetwoort hreethi
ngs
i
nuret ome,
Ihavenour ish'dt hewoundedandsoot h'
dmanyady ingsoldi
er,
Andati nterval swaiti
ngori nthemidstofcamp,
Composedt hesesongs.

RaceofVet
erans

Raceofveterans--
raceofv ictor
s!
Raceofthesoil,r
eadyf orconf l
ict
--
raceoft
heconqueri
ngmar
ch!
(Nomorecr eduli
ty'
srace,abi di
ng-t
emper'
drace,)
Racehenceforthowningnol awbutt hel
awofitsel
f,
Raceofpassionandt hest orm.

Wor
ldTakeGoodNot
ice

Worl
dtakegoodnot i
ce,si
lverstarsfadi
ng,
Mil
kyhueript
, wetofwhitedetaching,
Coal
sthir
ty-
eight,bal
efulandbur ni
ng,
Scar
let
,si
gnif
icant,handsof fwarning,
Nowandhencef orthfl
auntfrom theseshores.

OTan-
FacedPr
air
ie-
Boy

Ot an-f
acedprai
ri
e-boy,
Beforey oucametocampcamemanyawel comegift
,
Praisesandpresentscameandnour
ishi
ngf
ood,
til
latlastamong
 t
herecr
uits,
Youcame,tacit
urn,
wit
hnothi
ngtogiv
e--
webutl
ook'
doneachot
her
,
Whenlo!mor et
hanall
thegif
tsoft
heworldy
ougaveme.

LookDownFai
rMoon

Lookdownfai
rmoonandbat hethisscene,
Poursof
tl
ydownnight'sni
mbusfloodsonf acesghast
ly,
swol
l
en,
pur
ple,
Onthedeadontheirbackswi
tharmst oss'
dwi de,
Pourdownyourunsti
ntedni
mbussacr edmoon.

Reconci
l
iat
ion

Wordov erall,
beaut i
fulast hesky,
Beauti
fulthatwarandal li
tsdeedsofcar nagemusti ntimebe
ut
terl
ylost,
Thatthehandsoft hesistersDeat handNightincessant l
ysoft
ly
washagai n,andev eragai n,
thissol
idworld;
Formyenemyi sdead,amandi vi
neasmy selfi
sdead,
Il
ookwher ehel i
eswhi t
e-facedandst i
lli
nthecof f
in--Idrawnear
,
Benddownandt ouchlightlywithmyl i
psthewhi t
ef aceinthecoff
in.

HowSol
emnAsOnebyOne[
Washi
ngt
onCi
ty,
1865]

Howsol emnasonebyone,
Asther anksr et
urningwor nandsweat y,ast hemenf il
ebywher estand,
Asthef acest hemasksappear ,asIgl anceatt hefacesstudyi
ngthemasks,
(AsIglanceupwar doutoft hispagest udyingy ou,dearfr
iend,
whoev ery ouare,)
Howsol emnt hethoughtofmywhi sper i
ngsoul toeachintheranks,
andtoy ou,
Iseebehi ndeachmaskt hatwonderaki ndr edsoul,
Othebul letcouldnev erkil
l whaty our eallyar e,
dearfri
end,
Northebay onetstabwhaty our eall
yar e;
Thesoul !yoursel
fIsee, greatasany ,
goodast hebest,
Waiti
ngsecur eandcont ent ,whicht hebul letcouldneverkil
l,
Northebay onetstabOf riend.

AsILaywi
thMyHeadi
nYourLapCamer
ado

AsIl aywithmyheadi nyourlapcamer ado,

Theconf essionImadeIr esume,whatIsaidtoy ouandt heopenai r
Iresume,
IknowIam r estlessandmakeot hersso,
Iknowmywor dsar eweaponsf ull
ofdanger,f
ullofdeath,
ForIconf r
ontpeace, securit
y,andallt
hesettl
edl aws,t
o
unsett
let hem,
Iam mor eresol utebecauseal lhavedeniedmet hanIcoul deverhave
beenhadal lacceptedme,
Iheednotandhav eneverheededei t
herexper
ience,cautions,
 major
it
ies,norr
idi
cule,
Andthethreatofwhatiscall'
dhell i
sli
tt
leornot
hingt ome,
Andthelureofwhatiscal l
'
dheav enisli
ttl
eornot
hi ngtome;
Dearcamerado!IconfessIhav eurgedy ouonwar
dwi t
hme, andsti
l
l
ur
geyou, wit
houttheleasti
deawhati sourdestinati
on,
Orwhetherweshal l
bev ict
ori
ous, orut
terl
yquel
l'
danddef eated.

Del
i
cat
eCl
ust
er

Del
icat
ecl uster!fl
agoft eemingli
fe!
Coveri
ngal lmyl ands-
-allmyseashor esli
ning!
Fl
agofdeat h!(howIwat ch'
dy outhroughthesmokeofbat t
lepr
essi
ng!
HowIhear dy ouf l
apandr ustl
e,clot
hdef i
ant!)
Fl
agcerulean--sunnyflag,withtheorbsofni ghtdappl
ed!
Ahmysi l
ver ybeauty--
ahmywool lywhiteandcr i
mson!
Ahtosingt hesongofy ou,mymat r
onmi ghty!
Mysacredone, mymot her.

ToaCer
tai
nCi
vi
li
an

Didyouaskdul cetr hymesf rom me?

Didyouseekt heci vil
ian'speacef ulandlanguishingr hy
mes?
Didyouf indwhatIsanger ewhi l
esohar dt ofoll
ow?
WhyIwasnotsi ngi nger ewhilef oryoutof ol
low, tounderstand--nor
am Inow;
(Ihav
ebeenbor noft hesameast hewarwasbor n,
Thedr um- corps'r attl
ei sev ertomesweetmusi c,Ilovewellthe
mar t
ialdirge,
Withslowwai landconv ulsivet hrobleadingtheof ficer
'sf
uner al;
)
Whatt osuchasy ouany howsuchapoetasI ?ther efor
eleavemywor ks,
Andgol ullyoursel fwithwhaty oucanunder stand, andwithpi ano-t
unes,
ForIlullnobody , andy ouwi llneverunder st
andme.

Lo,
Vict
ressont
hePeaks

Lo,Victressont hepeaks,
Wher ethouwi thmi ghtybrowr egardingtheworld,
(Thewor l
dOLi ber t
ad,thatvai
nlyconspiredagainstthee,
)
Outofi tscountlessbeleagueringtoils,
aftert
hwartingthem all
,
Domi nant,withthedazzl i
ngsunar oundt hee,
Flauntestnowunhar m'dinimmor talsoundnessandbl oom- -
lo,i
n
thesehour ssupr eme,
Nopoem pr oud, Ichanti
ngbr i
ngtot hee,normastery'
srapturousver
se,
Butacl ustercont ai
ningnight'
sdarknessandbl ood-dri
ppingwounds,
Andpsal msoft hedead.

Spi
ri
tWhoseWor
kIsDone[
Washi
ngt
onCi
ty,
1865]

Spir
itwhoseworki
sdone-
-spi
ri
tofdr
eadful
hour
s!
Eredepart
ingf
adefr
om myeyesyourfor
est
sofbay
onet
s;
Spiri
tofgl oomi estfear sanddoubt s,(yetonwar dev erunf al
teri
ng
pressing,)
Spiri
tofmanyasol emndayandmanyasav agescene- -el
ectri
cspirit
,
Thatwi thmut ter i
ngv oicet hrought hewarnowcl osed, l
ikea
ti
relessphant om f l
itted,
Rousi ngthel andwi thbr eathoff lame, whiley oubeatandbeatt hedrum,
Nowast hesoundoft hedr um, hol lowandhar sht ot hel ast,
reverberat esr oundme,
Asy ourr anks, youri mmor tal r
anks, return, r
eturnf rom t hebattl
es,
Ast hemusket soft hey oungmeny etl eanov ertheirshoul ders,
AsIl ookont hebay onet sbr ist
lingov erthei rshoul der s,
Ast hosesl antedbay onet s, whol ef orestsoft hem appear inginthe
distance, appr oachandpasson, returninghomewar d,
Mov ingwi thst eadymot i
on, sway ingt oandf rotot her ightandl eft
,
Evenlylightlyrisingandf al l
ingwhi lethest epskeept i
me;
Spiri
tofhour sIknew, allhect i
cr edoneday ,butpal easdeat hnextday ,
Touchmymout her ey oudepar t,pr essmyl i
pscl ose,
Leav emey ourpul sesofr age--bequeat ht hem t ome- -fil
l mewi th
currentsconv ul
sive,
Letthem scor chandbl i
steroutofmychant swheny ouar egone,
Letthem i dent i
fyy out ot hef uturei nt hesesongs.

Adi
eut
oaSol
dier

AdieuOsol dier,
Youoft her udecampai gning,(
whichweshar ed,)
Therapidmar ch,theli
feofthecamp,
Thehotcont enti
onofopposi ngfronts,t
helongmanoeuvre,
Redbat tl
eswi ththeirsl
aughter,t
hest i
mulus,t
hestr
ongterr
if
icgame,
Spellofallbraveandmanl yheart
s,thetrai
nsoftimethr
oughyou
andlikeofy oual l
fil
l'
d,
Withwarandwar '
sexpr essi
on.

Adieudearcomr ade,
Yourmi ssi
oni sfulfi
ll'
d--
butI ,
mor ewarl
ike,
Myselfandt hiscont enti
oussoul ofmine,
Sti
l
l onourowncampai gningbound,
Throughunt ri
edr oadswi thambushesopponent sli
ned,
Throughmanyashar pdefeatandmanyacr isi
s,oft
enbaffl
ed,
Heremar ching,ev ermar chingon,awarf i
ghtout--
ayehere,
Tof i
ercer,
wei ghti
erbat tl
esgi veexpr
ession.

Tur
nOLi
ber
tad

TurnOLi ber tad, f

orthewari sov er
,
From itandal l
hencef orthexpandi ng,doubt ingnomor e,r
esolut
e,
sweepi ngt hewor l
d,
Turnfrom l andsr etrospectiverecordingpr oof softhepast,
From thesi nger sthatsingt hetrail
inggl or
iesoft hepast,
From thechant soft hef eudalwor l
d,thet ri
umphsofki ngs,sl
avery,
caste,
Turntot hewor ld,thetri
umphsr eserv'dandt ocome--giveupthat
backwar dwor ld,
Leavet othesi nger sofhi t
herto,givethem t het r
ail
i
ngpast ,
Butwhatr emai nsr emainsf orsingersf oryou- -
warstocomear eforyou,
(Lo,howt hewar softhepasthav edul yinuredt oyou,andthewar s
ofthepr esental soi nure;
)
Thent
urn,andbenotalar
m' dOLi ber
tad-
-t
urnyourundy
ingf
ace,
Towherethefut
ure,gr
eaterthanallt
hepast,
I
sswif
tl
y,surel
yprepar
ingfory ou.

Tot
heLeav
en'
dSoi
lTheyTr
od

Tot heleav en'dsoilt heyt rodcal li

ngIsi ngf orthel ast,
(Forthfrom myt entemer gingf orgood, loosing, untyi
ngt het ent
-ropes,
)
I
nt hef r
eshnesst hef orenoonai r,
int hef ar-stretchingcircui t
s
andv istasagai nt opeacer estored,
Tot hefier yfi
eldsemanat iveandt heendl essv istasbey ond, tothe
Sout handt heNor th,
Tot heleav en'dsoiloft hegener alWest er nwor l
dt oattestmysongs,
Tot heAl leghanianhi llsandt het i
rel
essMi ssissippi,
Tot herocksIcal li
ngsi ng,andal lt
het r
eesi nt hewoods,
Tot hepl ainsoft hepoemsofher oes, tot hepr airi
esspr eadi ngwi de,
Tot hefar -of
fseaandt heunseenwi nds, andt hesanei mpal pableair;
Andr espondi ngt heyansweral l,(butnoti nwor ds,)
Theav erageear t
h, thewi t
nessofwarandpeace, acknowl edgesmut el
y,
Thepr airiedrawsmecl ose, ast hefat hert obosom br oadt heson,
TheNor therniceandr ainthatbeganmenour ishmet ot heend,
Butt hehotsunoft heSout hist ofull
yr ipenmysongs.

BOOKXXI
I.MEMORI
ESOFPRESI
DENTLI
NCOLN

WhenLi
l
acsLasti
ntheDoor
yar
dBl
oom'
d

1
Whenlil
acslastinthedooryardbloom'd,
Andthegreatstarearl
ydroop'dinthewesternskyi
nthenight
,
Imourn'
d,andy etshal
lmour nwithever-
ret
urni
ngspri
ng.

Ever
-r
eturni
ngspri
ng, tri
nit
ysur
etomeyoubr
ing,
Li
lacbl
oomi ngperennialanddr
oopi
ngst
ari
nthewest
,
Andthoughtofhim Ilove.

2
Opower f
ulwest ernfal
lenst
ar!
Oshadesofni ght--
Omoody ,tear
fulni
ght!
Ogreatstardi
sappear '
d--
Otheblackmur kthathi
desthestar
!
Ocruelhandst hatholdmepower l
ess--
Ohel pl
esssoulofme!
Oharshsurroundingcloudthatwill
notfreemysoul.

3
I
nthedooryardfrontinganol dfar
m-houseneart hewhite-wash'
dpalings,
St
andsthelil
ac-busht all
-growi
ngwithheart
-shapedleavesofr i
chgreen,
Wit
hmanyapoi ntedbl ossom r
isi
ngdeli
cate,wit
ht heperfumestrongIlove,
Wit
heveryleafami racle--andf
rom t
hisbushinthedoor yard,
Wit
hdeli
cate-color'
dblossomsandhear t-
shapedl eavesofr i
chgreen,
Aspri
gwithitsflowerIbr eak.

4
I
ntheswampinsecl
udedrecesses,
Ashyandhi
ddenbir
diswarbli
ngasong.
Sol
it
arythethrush,
Thehermitwit
hdr awnt
ohimsel
f,av
oidi
ngt
heset
tl
ement
s,
Si
ngsbyhi mselfasong.

Songofthebleedi
ngthr
oat,
Death'
soutl
etsongofli
fe,(
forwell
dearbr
otherIknow,
I
fthouwastnotgrant
edt osingt
houwouldstsur
elydie.
)

5
Overthebr eastoft hespr i
ng,theland,amidci t
ies,
Ami dlanesandt hroughol dwoods, wherelatel
yt heviol
etspeep'd
fr
om t hegr ound, spotti
ngt hegraydebris,
Ami dthegr assi nt hef i
eldseachsi deofthel anes,passingthe
endlessgr ass,
Passingt hey el
low- spear '
dwheat ,everygrainfrom itsshroudinthe
dark-brownf ieldsupr isen,
Passingt heappl e-treebl owsofwhi teandpi nki ntheorchards,
Carryi
ngacor pset owher eitshallr
estinthegr ave,
Nightanddayj our ney sacof fin.

6
Coffi
nthatpassest hroughl anesandst r
eets,
Throughdayandni ghtwi ththegr eatclouddar keningt heland,
Withthepompoft hei nl oop'dflagswi ththeci t
iesdr apedinblack,
Withtheshowoft heSt atesthemsel v
esasofcr ape-veil
'
dwomenst andi
ng,
Withprocessi onsl ongandwi ndingandt heflambeausoft henight,
Withthecount l
esst orchesl it,withthesi l
entseaoff acesandt he
unbaredheads,
Withthewai t
ingdepot ,thear r
ivingcof f
in,andt hesombr efaces,
Withdirgest hrought heni ght, withthethousandv oicesr i
singstr
ong
andsol emn,
Withallthemour nfulv oicesoft hedi r
gespour '
dar oundt hecoffi
n,
Thedim- l
itchur chesandt heshudder ingor gans--wher eami dt
hese
youjour ney,
Withthet oll
ingt oll
ingbel ls'
per petualclang,
Here,coffinthatsl owl ypasses,
Igiveyoumyspr igofl ilac.

7
(Norforyou,f
oronealone,
Blossomsandbranchesgreentocoff
insallIbr
ing,
Forfreshasthemorning,t
huswouldIchantasongf ory
ouOsane
andsacreddeath.

All
ov erbouquetsofr oses,
Odeat h,Icoveryouov erwi t
hrosesandearlyl
il
ies,
Butmost lyandnowt hel i
lacthatbl
oomst hefi
rst,
CopiousIbr eak,
Ibreakt hespr i
gsfr
om thebushes,
Withloadedar msIcome, pouringf
oryou,
Foryouandt hecof
finsal lofyouOdeath.)

8
Owesternor bsail
ingtheheav en,
NowIknowwhaty oumusthav emeantasamont hsinceIwalk'd,
AsIwalk'dinsil
encethet ransparentshadowynight
,
AsIsawy ouhadsomet hi
ngtot el
lasy oubentt
omeni ghtafternight
,
Asyoudr oop'
dfrom theskyl owdownasi ftomyside,(whil
ethe
ot
herstarsalll
ook'don,)
Aswewander '
dtogetherthesol emnnight,(
forsomethingIknownot
whatkeptmef rom sleep,)
Asthenightadvanced, andIsawont herim oft
hewesthowf ullyou
 wer
eofwoe,
AsIstoodontheri
singgroundi nthebr
eezeinthecoolt
ranspar
entni
ght
,
AsIwatch'
dwhereyoupass' dandwasl osti
nthenether
wardblack
oft
henight
,
Asmysoul i
nitst
roubledissati
sfi
edsank,aswhereyousadorb,
Concl
uded,dr
optinthenight,andwasgone.

9
Singontherei
nt heswamp,
Osingerbashf
ul andtender,Iheary ournotes,Ihearyourcal
l
,
Ihear,
Icomepr esentl
y,Iunderstandy ou,
ButamomentIl inger,
forthelustrousst arhasdetain'
dme,
Thestarmydepar ti
ngcomr adehol dsanddet ainsme.

10
OhowshallIwarblemysel
fforthedeadonether
eIloved?
AndhowshallIdeckmysongf orthelar
gesweetsoult
hathasgone?
Andwhatshal
l myperf
umebef orthegr
aveofhi
m Ilov
e?

Sea-windsblownf r
om eastandwest ,
Blownf r
om theEasternseaandbl ownfrom t
heWest
ernsea,
til
l
ther
eont heprairi
esmeeting,
Theseandwi ththeseandthebr eathofmychant
,
I
'l
l per
fumethegr aveofhim Il
ove.

11
Owhatshal lIhangont hechamberwal ls?
Andwhatshal lthepi cturesbet hatIhangont hewalls,
Toador nthebur ial-
houseofhi m Ilov
e?
Pi
ct ur
esofgr owi ngspr ingandf armsandhomes,
WiththeFour th-mont hev eatsundown, andthegraysmokel uci
dandbr i
ght
,
Withfloodsoft hey ellowgol doft hegor geous,i
ndolent,sinki
ng
sun,burning, expandi ngt heai r,
Withthef r
eshsweether bageunderf oot,andthepalegr eenleaves
ofthetreespr oli
fic,
I
nt hedistancet heflowi nggl aze,thebreastoftheri
v er,witha
wind-dappleher eandt here,
Withranginghi l
lsont hebanks, withmanyal i
neagai nstthesky,
andshadows,
Andt hecityathandwi thdwel l
ingssodense, andstacksofchi mney s,
Andal lt
hescenesofl ifeandt hewor kshops,andthewor kmen
homewar dr eturni
ng.

12
Lo,bodyandsoul -
-t
hisland,
MyownManhat tanwithspir
es,andthesparkl
ingandhurr
yingt
ides,
andtheships,
Thev ari
edandampl eland,t
heSouthandt heNort
hintheli
ght,
Ohio'
sshoresandf l
ashingMissouri
,
Andev erthefar
-spr
eadingprai
ri
escov er
'dwit
hgrassandcorn.

Lo,t
hemostexcel lentsunsocal m andhaught y
,
Theviol
etandpur plemor nwi thjust-
fel
tbreezes,
Thegentlesoft
-bornmeasur elessli
ght,
Themi r
aclespreadingbat hingall,t
heful
fi
ll'
dnoon,
Thecomi ngevedel i
cious,thewel comenightandt hest
ars,
Overmyci t
iesshiningall,
env elopi
ngmanandl and.

13
Si
ngon,singonyougray-br
ownbi rd,
Si
ngfrom theswamps,therecesses,poury
ourchantfr
om t
hebushes,
Li
mit
lessoutofthedusk,outofthecedarsandpines.
Singondear
estbr
other
,warbl
eyourr
eedysong,
Loudhumansong,wit
hv oi
ceofut
ter
mostwoe.

Oli
quidandfreeandt ender!
Owil
dandl ooset omysoul -
-Owondroussi
nger!
YouonlyIhear-
-yett
hest arhol
dsme, (
butwil
lsoondepar
t,
)
Yett
helil
acwithmast eri
ngodorholdsme.

14
Nowwhi l
eIsati nthedayandl ook'dforth,
I
nt hecl oseoft hedaywi t
hi t
slightandt hef ieldsofspr ing,and
t
hef armer spreparingt heircrops,
I
nt hel argeunconsci ousscener yofmyl andwi thitslakesandf orests,
I
nt heheav enlyaerialbeaut y,(
aftertheper turb'dwi ndsandt hest orms,
)
Undert hear chingheav ensoft heafternoonswi f
tpassi ng,andt he
voicesofchi l
drenandwomen,
Themany -
mov i
ngsea- t
ides,andIsawt heshi pshowt heysai l
'
d,
Andt hesummerappr oachi ngwi t
hr i
chness, andt hef i
eldsallbusy
withl abor,
Andt hei nfi
niteseparat ehouses, howt heyal lwenton, eachwi t
h
i
tsmeal sandmi nut i
aofdai lyusages,
Andt hest reetshowt heirthrobbingsthrobb' d, andt heciti
espent -
-
l
o, thenandt here,
Fal
lingupont hem al l
andamongt hem all,env elopingmewi thther est,
Appear 'dthecl oud,appear '
dt helongbl ackt rail,
AndIknewdeat h,i
tst hought ,
andt hesacr edknowl edgeofdeat h.

Thenwiththeknowledgeofdeat haswal ki
ngonesi deofme,
Andthethoughtofdeathclose-walkingtheothersideofme,
AndIinthemi ddl
easwi t
hcompani ons,
andashol dingthehandsof
companions,
If
ledfort
ht othehi
dingrecei
vingnightthattalksnot,
Downt otheshoresofthewater,thepathbyt heswampi nt
hedimness,
Tothesolemnshadowycedar sandghost l
ypinessost i
ll
.

Andthesingersoshytother estrecei
v'
dme,
Thegray
-brownbirdIknowr eceiv'
duscomradesthree,
Andhesangt hecarolofdeath,andav er
sef
orhim Ilov
e.

Fr
om deepsecludedrecesses,
Fr
om thef
ragrantcedarsandtheghost
lypi
nessost
il
l,
Camethecarolofthebird.

Andthechar
m ofthecar
olraptme,
AsIhel
dasifbythei
rhandsmycomr adesi
nt heni
ght
,
Andthevoi
ceofmyspiri
ttal
li
edthesongofthebir
d.

Comel ovelyandsoothi
ngdeat h,
Undulateroundtheworld,serenel
yar
ri
vi
ng,
arr
ivi
ng,
I
ntheday ,intheni
ght,toall
,toeach,
Soonerorlaterdel
icat
edeat h.

Prai
s'dbethefathomlessuniverse,
Forl
ifeandjoy,andforobjectsandknowledgecuri
ous,
Andf orl
ove,sweetl
ov e-
-butprai
se!pr
aise!prai
se!
Forthesure-
enwindi
ngar msofcool -
enfoldi
ngdeath.

Darkmotheral
waysgl idingnearwit
hsoftfeet
,
Havenonechantedf ortheeachantoffull
estwel
come?
ThenIchanti
tforthee, Igl
ori
fytheeaboveall
,
Ibri
ngtheeasongt hatwhent houmustindeedcome,comeunf
alt
eri
ngl
y.
Approachstr
ongdeliv
eress,
Wheni ti
sso,whenthouhasttakenthem Ij
oyousl
ysi
ngt
hedead,
Lostinthel
ovingf
loati
ngoceanofthee,
Lavedinthefl
oodofthyblissOdeat
h.

Fr
om met ot heegl
adserenades,
DancesfortheeIproposesalut
ingthee,
adornmentsandf east
ingsforthee,
Andthesightsoftheopenlandscapeandthehigh-spreadshyarefi
tti
ng,
Andli
feandt hefi
elds,
andthehugeandt houghtf
ul ni
ght.

Thenighti
nsi
lenceundermanyast ar
,
Theoceanshoreandthehuskywhisperi
ngwavewhosevoi
ceIknow,
Andthesoult
urningtotheeOvastandwell-
vei
l'
ddeat
h,
Andthebodygratef
ull
ynestl
i
ngclosetothee.

Overthetr
ee-topsIfl
oattheeasong,
Overtheri
singandsinki
ngwav es,
overthemyr
iadfi
eldsandthe
prairi
eswide,
Overthedense-pack'
dcit
iesal
landtheteemi
ngwharv esandways,
If
loatthi
scarol wi
thj
oy,withj
oytotheeOdeath.

15
Tothetall
yofmysoul,
Loudandst r
ongkeptupthegray
-brownbir
d,
Withpuredeli
ber
atenot
esspreadingfi
l
li
ngtheni
ght
.

Loudinthepi
nesandcedarsdim,
Cleari
nthefr
eshnessmoistandt
heswamp-
per
fume,
AndIwithmycomr adest
hereint
heni
ght
.

Whi
lemysightt
hatwasboundi nmyey
esuncl
osed,
Ast
olongpanoramasofvi
sions.

AndIsawaskantt hearmies,
Isawasinnoiselessdr eamshundr edsofbattle-
fl
ags,
Bornet
hrought hesmokeoft hebat t
lesandpierc'
dwithmi
ssi
lesIsawt
hem,
Andcarri
edhitherandy ont hr
ought hesmoke, andtor
nandbloody,
Andatlastbutaf ewshr edsleftonthestaff
s,(andall
insi
l
ence,)
Andthestaff
sal l
spl i
nter'
dandbr oken.

Isawbattl
e-corpses, myriadsoft hem,
Andthewhiteskel et
onsofy oungmen, Isawt hem,
Isawthedebr i
sanddebr isofal l theslainsoldiersofthewar,
ButIsawtheywer enotaswast hought ,
Theythemsel v
eswer eful
lyatr est ,theysuf f
er'
dnot ,
Theli
vingr
emai n'dandsuf fer'
d, themot hersuffer'
d,
Andthewifeandt hechildandt hemusi ngcomr adesuff
er'
d,
Andthearmi est hatremain'dsuf fer'
d.

16
Passi ngthevisions, passingt henight ,
Passi ng,unl
oosi ngt heholdofmycomr ades' hands,
Passi ngthesongoft heher mitbi
r dandt het ally
ingsongofmysoul ,
Victorioussong, deat h'
sout l
etsong, yetvaryi
ngev er-
alt
eri
ngsong,
Asl owandwai li
ng, yetclearthenot es,ri
singandf all
i
ng,
floodingtheni ght,
Sadl ysinki
ngandf ainti
ng, aswar ningandwar ni
ng, andyetagai
n
bur sti
ngwithj oy,
Cov eringtheear thandf il
li
ngt hespr eadoft heheav en,
Ast hatpower ful psalmi nthenightIhear dfrom r ecesses,
Passi ng,Il
eavet heel il
acwi thheart-shapedl eav es,
Il
eav
etheet
her
eint
hedoor
-yar
d,bl
oomi
ng,
ret
urni
ngwi
thspr
ing.

Iceasefrom mysongfort
hee,
From mygazeont heei
nthewest,
front
ingt
hewest
,communi
ngwi
tht
hee,
Ocomr adelust
rouswit
hsil
verf
aceintheni
ght
.

Yeteacht okeepandal l,retr

ievementsoutoft henight,
Thesong, thewondr ouschantoft hegray-brownbi r
d,
Andt hetal
lyingchant ,theechoar ous'dinmysoul ,
Withthelustrousanddr oopingst arwit
ht hecount enancef ul
lofwoe,
Withthehol dersholdingmyhandnear ingt hecallofthebird,
Comr adesmi neandIi nthemi dst
,andt hei
rmemor yev ertokeep,
for
thedeadIl ov edsowel l,
Forthesweet est,wi
sestsoul ofallmyday sandl ands--andthi
sfor
hisdearsake,
Li
lacandst arandbi rdt winedwi ththechantofmysoul ,
Thereinthef ragrantpinesandt hecedar sduskanddi m.

OCapt
ain!MyCapt
ain!

OCapt ain!myCapt ai
n!ourfearfult
ripi
sdone,
Theshiphasweat her'
deveryrack,thepri
zewesoughtiswon,
Thepor tisnear ,
thebellsIhear,thepeopl
eallexul
ti
ng,
Whilefollowey esthesteadykeel ,t
hevessel
grim anddar
ing;
ButOhear t
!hear t
!heart
!
Ot hebl eedi
ngdr opsofred,
Wher eont hedeckmyCapt ainli
es,
Fallencoldanddead.

OCapt ai
n!myCapt ain!ri
seupandheart hebel
ls;
Riseup- -
foryoutheflagi sfl
ung--
foryouthebugletri
ll
s,
Fory oubouquet sandr i
bbon'dwreaths--
foryoutheshoresa-cr
owdi
ng,
Fory outheycall,t
hesway i
ngmass, thei
reagerfacestur
ning;
Her eCaptain!dearfather!
Thisarm beneathy ourhead!
I
tissomedr eam thatont hedeck,
You'vefall
encoldanddead.

MyCapt ai
ndoesnotanswer ,
hisli
psarepal
eandst i
ll
,
Myf atherdoesnotf eelmyarm, hehasnopulsenorwill
,
Theshi pisanchor '
dsaf eandsound,it
svoyageclosedanddone,
From fearful t
ri
pthev ict
orshipcomesinwithobj
ectwon;
ExultOshor es,andr i
ngObells!
ButIwi thmour nfult
read,
Walkt hedeckmyCapt ainl
ies,
Fall
encol danddead.

Hush'
dBet
heCampsTo-
Day[
May4,
1865

Hush'
dbet hecampsto-day
,
Andsoldi
ersletusdr
apeourwar-wor
nweapons,
Andeachwi t
hmusingsoulret
ir
etocelebr
ate,
Ourdearcommander'sdeat
h.

Nomoreforhi
mlif
e'sstor
myconfl
ict
s,
Norv
ict
ory,
nordef
eat--
nomoreti
me'sdar
kev
ent
s,
Chargingl
ikeceasel
esscl
oudsacr
osst
hesky
.
Butsingpoetinourname,

Si
ngoft
hel
ovewebor
ehi
m--
becausey
ou,
dwel
l
eri
ncamps,
knowi
ttr
uly
.

Astheyinvaul
tthecof
fi
nthere,
Si
ng--astheycl
osethedoorsofear
thuponhi
m--
onev
erse,
Fortheheavyheart
sofsoldi
ers.

Thi
sDustWasOncet
heMan

Thi
sdustwasoncet heman,
Gent
le,
plai
n,justandr esolut
e,underwhosecaut
ioushand,
Agai
nstthefoulestcri
mei nhistor
yknowninanylandorage,
WassavedtheUni onoft heseStates.

BOOKXXI
II

ByBl
ueOnt
ari
o'
sShor
e

ByblueOntario'
sshore,
AsImusedoft hesewarli
keday sandofpeacer et
urn'd,andt
he
deadthatreturnnomor e,
APhant om gi
gant i
csuperb,
wi t
hsternvi
sageaccost edme,
Chantmet hepoem, i
tsai
d,thatcomesfrom thesoul ofAmeri
ca,
chantmet hecarolofvi
ctory,
Andstri
keupt hemar chesofLibert
ad,marchesmor epower f
ulyet
,
Andsingmebef oreyougothesongoft hethroesofDemocr acy.

(Democr
acy
,thedest
in'dconquer
or,y
ett
reacher
ousl
i
p-smi
l
esev
ery
wher
e,
Anddeat
handinfi
del
ityatever
ystep.
)

2
ANat i
onannounci
ngitself
,
ImyselfmaketheonlygrowthbywhichIcanbeappr
eci
ated,
Ir
ejectnone,
acceptall
,thenrepr
oduceal
linmyownfor
ms.

Abreedwhosepr oofisintimeanddeeds,
Whatwear ewear e,nati
vit
yisanswerenought oobj ections,
Wewi el
dour sel
vesasaweaponi swiel
ded,
Wearepower f
ulandt remendousi nour
selves,
Weareexecut iv
ei nourselves,wearesuff
icientint hev ari
etyof
ourselves,
Wearethemostbeaut i
fultooursel
vesandi nour selves,
Westandsel f-
pois'
di nthemi ddl
e,br
anchingt henceov ertheworl
d,
Fr
om Mi ssouri
,Nebraska, orKansas,l
aughingat tackst oscorn.

Nothi
ngissinful
t ousoutsideofoursel
ves,
Whateverappears,what
ev erdoesnotappear,
wear
ebeaut
if
ulor
si
nfuli
nourselvesonl
y.

(
OMot her
--OSist
ersdear
!
I
fwearelost,novi
ctorel
sehasdest
roy
'dus,
I
tisbyoursel
veswegodownt oeter
nalni
ght
.)
 3
Haveyouthoughtt
herecouldbebutasinglesupr
eme?
Therecanbeanynumberofsupr emes-
-onedoesnotcount
erv
ail
anot
heranymorethanoneey esi
ghtcounter
vai
l
sanother
,or
oneli
fecount
erv
ail
sanother.

Al
li
seli
gibletoall
,
Al
li
sfori
ndi v
idual
s,al
lisf
oryou,
Nocondi
tionisprohi
bit
ed,
notGod'sorany
.

Al
lcomesbyt
hebody
,onl
yheal
thput
syour
appor
twi
tht
heuni
ver
se.

Pr
oducegr
eatPer
sons,
ther
estf
oll
ows.

4
Piet
yandconf ormitytothem t
hatl
ike,
Peace,obesi
ty,al
legiance,t
othem t
hatli
ke,
Iam hewhot auntinglycompel
smen, women,nat
ions,
Cryi
ng,Leapfrom y ourseat
sandcontendfory
ourli
ves!

Iam hewhowalkst
heStat
eswithabarb'dtongue,
questi
oningever
y
oneImeet
,
Whoar ey
outhatwant
edonlyt
obetoldwhaty ouknewbef or
e?
Whoar ey
outhatwant
edonlyabookt
oj oinyouinyournonsense?

(Wit
hpangsandcri
esasthi
neownObearerofmanychi
l
dren,
Thesecl
amorswil
dtoaraceofpr
ideIgi
ve.
)

Olands,
woul
dyoubefreert
hanallt
hathasev
erbeenbef
ore?
I
fyouwouldbef
reert
hanallt
hathasbeenbef
ore,
comeli
stentome.

Feargrace,
elegance,ci
vil
i
zation,deli
cat
esse,
Fearthemellowsweet ,
thesuckingofhoney -
-j
uice,
Bewaretheadv anci
ngmor tal
r i
peningofNature,
Bewarewhatpr ecedesthedecayoft heruggednessofst
atesandmen.

5
Ages,
precedent
s,havelongbeenaccumul
ati
ngundir
ect
edmat
eri
als,
Ameri
cabringsbui
lder
s,andbri
ngsitsownst
yles.

Theimmor t
al poetsofAsi
aandEuropehavedonet
hei
rworkand
pass'
dtoot herspher
es,
Awor kremains,theworkofsur
passi
ngall
theyhav
edone.

Amer ica,curioust owardforeigncharacters,st

andsbyi tsownatall
hazar ds,
Standsr emov ed,spaci
ous, composite,sound,initi
atesthet
rueuse
ofpr ecedent s,
Doesnotr epel them orthepastorwhatt heyhav eproducedunder
theirforms,
Takest hel essonwi thcalmness, per
ceivesthecor pseslowlyborne
from thehouse,
Perceivest hatitwaitsal i
tt
lewhileinthedoor ,thatitwas
fi
ttestforitsday s,
Thatitsl i
fehasdescendedt othestalwartandwel l-
shapedheirwho
appr oaches,
Andt hatheshal lbefit
testforhisdays.

Anyperi
odonenat
ionmustlead,
Onelandmustbet
hepromiseandrel
i
anceoft
hef
utur
e.

TheseSt
atesar
etheampl
estpoem,
Hereisnotmerelyanati
onbutat eemi ngNati
onofnat ions,
Herethedoingsofmencor r
espondwi ththebroadcastdoingsoft he
dayandnight,
Hereiswhatmov esinmagnifi
centmassescar elessofpar ti
cul
ars,
Herearetheroughs,
beards,f
ri
endl i
ness,combativeness,thesoullov
es,
Herethefl
owingtrai
ns,her
ethecr owds,equal
ity,diver
sit
y,the
soull
oves.

6
Landofl andsandbar dst ocor robor ate!
Oft hem st andi ngamongt hem, onel ift st ot hel ightawest -
br edf ace,
Tohi mt heher edi tarycount enancebequeat h' dbot hmot her '
sandf ather'
s,
Hisf irstpar tssubst ances, ear th, wat er ,ani mal s, t
rees,
Builtoft hecommonst ock, hav ingr oom f orf arandnear ,
Usedt odi spensewi thot herl ands, incar nat ingt hisl and,
Attract ingi tbodyandsoul tohi msel f, hangi ngoni tsneckwi th
incompar abl el ov e,
Plungi nghi ssemi nal muscl ei nt oi tsmer itsanddemer i
ts,
Maki ngi tsci ties, begi nni ngs, ev ent s, di ver si ti
es, war s, vocal i
nhi m,
Maki ngi tsr iver s, l
akes, bay s, embouchur ei nhi m,
Missi ssi ppi wi thy ear lyf reshet sandchangi ngchut es, Col umbi a,
Ni agar a, Hudson, spendi ngt hemsel v esl ov inglyi nhi m,
IftheAt lant iccoastst ret chort hePaci ficcoastst retch, he
st ret chi ngwi tht hem Nor thorSout h,
Spanni ngbet weent hem EastandWest , andt ouchi ngwhat ev eri sbetweent hem,
Growt hsgr owi ngf rom hi mt oof fsett hegr owt hsofpi ne, cedar ,heml ock,
live- oak, locust ,chest nut ,hickor y ,cot tonwood, or ange, magnol ia,
Tangl esast angl edi nhi m asanycanebr akeorswamp,
Hel ikeni ngsi desandpeaksofmount ains, for est scoat edwi th
nor ther nt ranspar enti ce,
Offhi m past uragesweetandnat ur al assav anna, upl and, pr airie,
Thr oughhi mf li
ght s, whi rls,scr eams, answer ingt hoseoft he
fish- hawk, mocki ng-bi rd, night -her on, andeagl e,
Hisspi r i
tsur roundi nghi scount ry '
sspi rit,uncl osedt ogoodandev il,
Sur roundi ngt heessencesofr eal thi ngs, oldt i
mesandpr esentt imes,
Sur roundi ngj ustf oundshor es, islands, tribesofr edabor i
gines,
Weat her -beat env essel s, landi ngs, set tlement s,embr yost atur eandmuscl e,
Thehaught ydef i
anceoft heYearOne, war ,peace, thef or mat ionof
theConst itution,
Thesepar ateSt at es, thesi mpl eel ast icscheme, thei mmi grant s,
TheUni onal way sswar mi ngwi thbl ather er sandal way ssur eandi mpr egnable,
Theunsur vey '
di nter ior,log- houses, cl ear ings, wildani mal s,
hunt er s, trapper s,
Sur roundi ngt hemul tiform agr i
cul tur e, mi nes, t
emper atur e,t he
gest at ionofnewSt ates,
Congr essconv eni ngev eryTwel f th-mont h, themember sdul ycomi ng
upf r om t heut ter mostpar ts,
Sur roundi ngt henobl echar acterofmechani csandf armer s, especi all
y
they oungmen,
Respondi ngt hei rmanner s, speech, dr ess, friendshi ps, thegai tt hey
hav eofper sonswhonev erknewhowi tf eltt ost andi nt he
pr esenceofsuper i
ors,
Thef reshnessandcandoroft hei rphy siognomy ,t
hecopi ousnessand
deci sionoft hei rphr enol ogy ,
Thepi ct ur esquel oosenessoft hei rcar riage, theirf i
er cenesswhenwr ong'd,
Thef luencyoft hei rspeech, thei rdel ighti nmusi c,thei rcur i
osi ty,
goodt emperandopen- handedness, thewhol ecomposi temake,
Thepr ev ai l
ingar dorandent erpr ise, thel argeamat i
v eness,
Theper fectequal i
tyoft hef emal ewi tht hemal e, thef l
uidmov ement
oft hepopul at ion,
Thesuper iormar ine, freecommer ce, fisher ies, whal i
ng, gold- digging,
Whar f-hemm' dci ties, railroadandst eamboatl i
nesi nt ersect ingal lpoint
s,
Factories,mercantileli
fe,l
abor-savingmachi ner
y,theNor t
heast,
Nor thwest,
Sout hwest ,
Manhat t
anfir
emen, theYankeeswap, southernplantati
onli
fe,
Slavery--
themur derous, t
reacherousconspi r
acytor aisei
tuponthe
ruinsofalltherest ,
Onandont othegr applewithit-
-Assassin!thenyourl i
feorours
bet hestake,andr espitenomor e.

7
(Lo,hight owar dheav en, t
hisday ,
Libert
ad, from t heconquer ess'fieldreturn'd,
Imar kthenewaur eolaar oundy ourhead,
Nomor eofsof tast ral,butdazzlingandf ierce,
Wi t
hwar 'sf l
amesandt helambentl ightni
ngspl aying,
Andy ourpor timmov ablewher ey oust and,
Wi t
hst i
l
l thei nextinguishablegl anceandt heclinch'dandli
ft
edfist
,
Andy ourf ootont heneckoft hemenaci ngone, thescornerutt
erl
y
crush'dbeneat hy ou,
Themenaci ngar rogantonet hatst rodeandadv ancedwi t
hhis
senselessscor n, bear i
ngt hemur derouskni fe,
Thewi de-swel l
ingone, thebraggar tthatwoul dy ester
daydosomuch,
To-dayacar riondeadanddamn' d,thedespi sedofal lt
heeart
h,
Anof falrank, tothedunghi llmaggot sspur n'd.)

8
Otherstakef i
nish, buttheRepubl i
cisev erconstructiveandev er
keepsv ista,
Othersador nt hepast , butyouOday soft hepresent,Iadorny ou,
Oday soft hef utur eIbelieveiny ou--
Iisolatemy selfforyoursake,
OAmer i
cabecausey oubuildf ormanki ndIbui l
df oryou,
Owel l-
belov edst one-cutter
s, Ileadthem whopl anwi thdecisi
on
andsci ence,
Leadt hepr esentwi t
hf ri
endlyhandt owar dthefuture.
(Bravastoal limpul sessendi ngsanechi ldrentothenextage!
Butdamnt hatwhi chspendsi tselfwit
hnot houghtoft hestain,
pains,dismay ,
f eebleness,itisbequeat hing.)

9
Il
istenedtot hePhantom byOntari
o'
sshore,
Iheardthev oiceari
singdemandingbards,
Byt hem al
lnat i
veandgrand,bythem al
onecantheseSt
atesbe
fusedint
ot hecompactorgani
sm ofaNat i
on.

Toholdment ogetherbypaperandsealorbycompulsi
onisnoaccount
,
Thatonlyhol
dsment oget
herwhichaggr
egatesall
inali
vi
ngpri
ncipl
e,
astheholdoftheli
mbsoft hebodyorthefi
bresofpl
ants.

OfallracesanderastheseSt
ateswithvei
nsfull
ofpoet
icalst
uffmost
needpoets,andaretohavethegreat
est,
andusethem thegreatest,
TheirPresi
dentsshal
lnotbethei
rcommonr efer
eesomuchast heir
poetsshall
.

(Soul
ofloveandtongueoffir
e!
Eyetopier
cethedeepestdeepsandsweepthewor
ld!
AhMot her
,pr
oli
fi
candf ul
li
nallbesi
des,
yethowl
ongbar
ren,
bar
ren?
)

10
OftheseStatesthepoetistheequableman,
Notinhim butofffr
om himt hi
ngsaregrotesque, eccentri
c,f
ail
of
t
heirf
ullretur
ns,
Nothi
ngoutofi tspl
aceisgood, not
hinginit
spl acei sbad,
Hebestowsonev er
yobjectorquali
tyit
sfitpropor t
ion,nei
ther
 mor enorl ess,
Hei st hear biteroft hedi verse, heist hekey ,
Hei st heequal izerofhi sageandl and,
Hesuppl i
eswhatwant ssuppl ying,hecheckswhatwant schecking,
I
npeaceoutofhi m speakst hespi ri
tofpeace, large,ri
ch,
thrifty,bui l
di ngpopul oust owns, encour agi ngagr i
culture,art
s,
commer ce, li
ght ingt hest udyofman, t
hesoul ,
health,
i
mmor tali
ty ,gov ernment ,
I
nwarhei sthebestbackeroft hewar ,hef etchesar t
il
leryas
goodast heengi neer's,hecanmakeev erywor dhespeaksdr awblood,
They ear sst ray i
ngt owar dinf ideli
tyhewi thhol dsbyhi sst eadyfait
h,
Hei snoar guer ,hei sjudgment ,(Natureaccept shi m absol utel
y,)
Hej udgesnotast hejudgej udgesbutast hesunf ai
li
ngr ound
helpl esst hi ng,
Asheseest hef arthesthehast hemostf aith,
Hist hought sar et hehy mnsoft hepraiseoft hings,
I
nt hedi sput eonGodandet er nityhei ssil
ent ,
Heseeset erni t
yl essl i
keapl aywi thapr ologueanddenouement ,
Heseeset erni t
yi nmenandwomen, hedoesnotseemenandwomen
asdr eamsordot s.

Fort
hegreatI
dea,t
hei deaofperf
ectandfreeindi
viduals,
Fort
hat,t
hebardwalksinadvance,l
eaderofleader
s,
Theatt
it
udeofhim cheersupsl
avesandhor r
ifi
esforeigndespot
s.

Withoutext
inctioni
sLi
berty,wit
houtr
etr
ogr
adeisEqual
it
y,
Theylivei
nt hefeel
i
ngsofy oungmenandthebestwomen,
(Notfornothinghavet
heindomi t
abl
eheadsoft
heearthbeenal
way
s
readytofallf
orLi
bert
y.)

11
Fort
hegr
eatIdea,
That
,Omybrethren,
thati
sthemi
ssi
onofpoet
s.

Songsofsterndefi
anceev erready
,
Songsoftherapidarmingandt hemar ch,
Theflagofpeacequick-f
olded,andinsteadt
hef
lagweknow,
Warli
kefl
agoft hegreatI
dea.

(Angrycl ot
hIsawt hereleaping!
Istandagai ninleadenr ainyourf l
appingfoldssalut
ing,
Isingy ouov eral
l,fl
yingbeckoni ngthrought hefi
ght--
Ot he
hard- contestedfight!
Thecannonsopet heirrosy-
flashingmuzzl es--
thehurtl
edbal l
sscream,
Thebat tle-
fr
ontfor msami dt hesmoke- -t
hev oll
eyspouri ncessant
from t heline,
Har k,ther i
ngingwor dChar ge!--
nowt hetussleandt hefurious
maddeni ngy el
ls,
Nowt hecor psest umblecur l
'dupont hegr ound,
Cold, coldindeat h,forpreci
ousl ifeofyou,
Angr ycl othIsawt hereleaping.)

12
Areyouhewhowoul dassumeaplacetoteachorbeapoether
ein
t
heSt at
es?
Theplaceisaugust
,thet
ermsobdurat
e.

Whowouldassumet oteachheremaywel l
preparehi
mselfbodyandmind,
Hemaywellsurv
ey,ponder,ar
m, f
orti
fy,harden,
makelit
hehimself
,
Heshal
lsur
elybequestion'
dbeforehandbymewi thmanyandster
nquesti
ons.

Whoar
eyoui
ndeedwhowoul
dtal
korsi
ngt
oAmer
ica?
Havey oust udiedoutt hel and, itsidi omsandmen?
Havey oulear n'dt hephy siology , phrenol ogy ,poli
ti
cs, geogr aphy,
pri
de, freedom, friendshi poft hel and?i tssubst rat umsandobj ect
s?
Havey ouconsi der '
dt heor ganiccompactoft hef i
rstdayoft he
fi
rsty earofI ndependence, sign'dbyt heCommi ssi oners,rati
fi
ed
byt heSt ates, andr eadbyWashi ngt onatt heheadoft hear my ?
Havey oupossess' dy our selfoft heFeder al Const i
t ut i
on?
Doy ouseewhohav el eftal lfeudal processesandpoemsbehi ndthem,
andassumedt hepoemsandpr ocessesofDemocr acy?
Arey ouf aithf
ul tot hings?doy out eachwhatt helandandsea, the
bodi esofmen, womanhood, amat iveness, heroi
canger s, t
each?
Havey ouspedt hroughf leetingcust oms, popul ari
ties?
Cany ouhol dy ourhandagai nstal lseduct ions, f
olli
es, whirls,
fi
ercecont ent ions?ar ey ouv eryst rong?ar eyour eal l
yoft he
whol ePeopl e?
Arey ounotofsomecot erie?someschool ormer er eligi
on?
Arey oudonewi thr ev iewsandcr it
icismsofl i
fe?ani mat i
ngnowt o
l
ifeitself?
Havey ouv ivi
fiedy our sel ffrom t hemat erni tyoftheseSt ates?
Havey out oot heol dev er-freshf orbear anceandi mpar ti
ali
ty?
Doy ouhol dthel i
kel ov ef ort hosehar deni ngt omat ur it
y?forthe
l
ast -born?littleandbi g?andf ortheer rant ?

Whati sthisy oubr ingmyAmer ica?

I
si tuni f
or m wi thmycount r
y ?
I
si tnotsomet hingt hathasbeenbet tert oldordonebef or e?
Hav ey ounoti mpor tedt hisort hespi ritofi tinsomeshi p?
I
si tnotamer etale?ar hy me?apr ett
iness? --
Ist hegoodol dcausei nit
?
Hasi tnotdangl edl ongatt heheel soft hepoet s,polit
icians,
l
iterats, ofenemi es' lands?
Doesi tnotassumet hatwhati snot oriousl ygonei sst i
llher e?
Doesi tansweruni v er sal needs?wi l
li
ti mpr ov emanner s?
Doesi tsoundwi t
ht rumpet -voi cet hepr oudv ictoryoft heUni oni
n
thatsecessi onwar ?
Cany ourper formancef acet heopenf ieldsandt heseasi de?
Willitabsor bi ntomeasIabsor bfood, air,toappearagai ninmy
strengt h, gai t
, f
ace?
Hav er ealempl oyment scont ributedt oi t?or iginal maker s, notmer e
amanuenses?
Doesi tmeetmoder ndi scov er i
es, calibres, fact s,facet of ace?
Whatdoesi tmeant oAmer icanper sons, pr ogresses, cities?Chi cago,
Kanada, Ar kansas?
Doesi tseebehi ndt heappar entcust odi anst her eal cust odians
standi ng, menaci ng, sil
ent, themechani cs, Manhat t
anese, Wester
n
men, Sout herner s, signi fi
cantal ikeint hei rapat hy,andi nt he
prompt nessoft hei rlov e?
Doesi tseewhatf i
nal lybef alls, andhasal way sf inall
ybef all
en,
eacht empor i
zer, pat cher ,out si
der ,par ti
alist,alarmist ,
i
nf i
del ,whohasev erask' danyt hingofAmer ica?
Whatmocki ngandscor nfulnegl i
gence?
Thet rackst rew' dwi tht hedustofskel et ons,
Byt her oadsi deot her sdi sdainf ullytoss' d.

13
Rhymesandr hymer spassaway ,
poemsdi st
il
l'
dfr
om poemspassaway ,
Theswar msofr efl
ect orsandthepol it
epass, andleaveashes,
Admirers,i
mporters, obedientpersons,makebutt hesoi l
ofli
ter
atur
e,
Americajusti
fi
esi t
sel f
,giveitt
ime, nodi sgui
secandeceiveit
orconcealfr
om i t,i
tisimpassiv eenough,
Onlytowardthelikesofi tsel
fwillitadvancet omeetthem,
I
fitspoetsappeari twi l
linduetimeadv ancetomeett hem,ther
e
i
snof earofmi stake,
(
Thepr oofofapoetshal
lbester
nlydef
err
'dt
il
lhiscount
ry
absorbshi
m asaff
ecti
onat
elyashehasabsorb'di
t.
)

Hemast erswhosespi r
itmaster
s,hetastessweetestwhor esult
s
sweet estinthelongr un,
Thebl oodoft hebr awnbelovedoftimeisunconstrai
nt;
I
nt heneedofsongs, phil
osophy
,anappropriat
enat i
vegrand-opera,
shipcraft
, anycraft
,
Heorshei sgr eat
estwhocont ri
butesthegreat
estorigi
nal
practi
cal example.

Alr
eadyanonchal antbr eed,sil
entlyemer ging,appearsont hest r
eet
s,
People'
sli
pssal ut eonlydoer s,l
ov ers,sati
sfi
ers,posit
iveknower s,
Therewillshort
lybenomor epriests,Isaytheirworkisdone,
Deathiswi t
houtemer genciesher e,butl i
feisperpetualemer genci
eshere,
Areyourbody ,day s,manner s,super b?afterdeathyoushal lbesuperb,
Justi
ce,health,self-
esteem, clearthewaywi thirr
esisti
blepower ;
Howdar ey oupl aceanyt hingbef oreaman?

14
Fal
lbehi
ndmeStates!
Amanbef or
eal
l
--mysel
f,t
ypi
cal
,bef
oreal
l
.

Givemet hepayIhav eser v

edf or,
Givemet osi ngt hesongsoft hegr eatIdea, takeal l ther est,
Ihavel ov edt heear th, sun, ani mal s,Ihavedespi sedr i
ches,
Ihavegi venai mst oev er yonet hatask' d,stoodupf ort hest upid
andcr azy ,dev otedmyi ncomeandl abort oot her s,
Hatedt y rants,ar guednotconcer ningGod, hadpat i
enceandi ndulgence
towar dt hepeopl e, t
akenof fmyhatt onot hingknownorunknown,
Gonef reel ywi thpower fuluneducat edper sonsandwi tht hey oung,
andwi tht hemot her soff ami li
es,
Readt hesel eav est omy selfint heopenai r,tri
edt hem byt rees,
stars, ri
ver s,
Dismiss' dwhat ev eri nsul tedmyownsoul ordef i
ledmybody ,
Claim'dnot hingt omy sel fwhi chIhav enotcar efullycl aim' dfor
other sont hesamet erms,
Spedt ot hecamps, andcomr adesf oundandaccept edf r
om ev er
ySt at
e,
(Upont hi sbr easthasmanyady ingsol di
erl ean'dt obr eathehi slast,
Thisar m, t
hishand, thisv oice,hav enour ish'd,rais'd, restored,
Tol i
fer ecallingmanyapr ostrat efor m;)
Iam wi lli
ngt owai tt obeunder st oodbyt hegr owt hoft het asteofmy sel
f,
Rejectingnone, permi ttingal l
.

(
SayOMother,
haveInott
oyourthoughtbeenf
ait
hful
?
Hav
eInott
hroughl
if
ekeptyouandy our
sbefor
eme? )

15
IswearIbegi
ntoseet hemeaningofthesethi
ngs,
Iti
snottheeart
h,iti
snotAmericawhoi ssogreat,
Iti
sIwhoam greatortobegreat,i
tisYouupthere,oranyone,
Iti
stowalkrapi
dlythr
oughcivi
l
izat
ions,gov
ernments,theor
ies,
Throughpoems,pageants,
shows,toformindi
vidual
s.

Underneathall
, i
ndi
vidual
s,
Iswearnot hi
ngisgoodt omenowt hatignoresindi
vi
duals,
TheAmer icancompacti salt
ogetherwithindiv
idual
s,
Theonlygov ernmentisthatwhichmakesmi nuteofindi
vi
dual
s,
Thewhol etheoryoftheuniver
seisdirectedunerri
nglytoone
si
ngleindivi
dual-
-namelytoYou.

(
Mot
her
!wi
thsubt
lesensesev
ere,
wit
hthenakedswor
diny
ourhand,
Isawy
ouatl
astr
efuset
otr
eatbutdi
rect
lywi
thi
ndi
vi
dual
s.)

16
Underneat
hall,Nati
vit
y,
IswearIwil
lstandbymyownnat i
vi
ty,pi
ousorimpioussobeit
;
IswearIam charm'dwi t
hnothi
ngexceptnat
ivi
ty,
Men,women, citi
es,nat
ions,
areonl
ybeauti
fulf
rom nati
vi
ty.

Underneathall
istheExpr
essi
onofl
oveformenandwomen,
(IswearIhaveseenenoughofmeanandimpotentmodesofexpr
essi
ng
loveformenandwomen,
Afterthi
sdayItakemyownmodesofexpr essi
nglov
eformenand
women. )i
nmy sel
f,

IswearIwill
haveeachqual
i
tyofmyr aceinmyself
,
(Talkasyouli
ke,heonl
ysui
tstheseStat
eswhosemanner
sfav
or
theaudaci
tyandsubl
imetur
bulenceoftheSt
ates.
)

Underneaththelessonsofthi
ngs,spir
it
s,Natur
e,gover
nment
s,
ownerships,
IswearIpercei
veot herl
essons,
Underneathallt
omei smysel
f,t
oy ouyoursel
f,(
thesame
monotonousol dsong.)

17
OIseef lashingt hatthisAmer i
cai sonl yyouandme,
I
tspower ,weapons, testi
mony ,arey ouandme,
I
tscr imes, li
es,thefts,defecti
ons, areyouandme,
I
tsCongr essi sy ouandme, theof fi
cers,capi
tol
s,ar
mies,shi
ps,
ar eyouandme,
I
tsendl essgest ati
onsofnewSt atesarey ouandme,
Thewar ,(thatwarsobl oodyandgr i
m, thewarIwill
hencefor
th
forget),wasy ouandme,
Nat uralandar ti
fici
al ar
ey ouandme,
Freedom, l
anguage, poems, empl oyment s,ar
eyouandme,
Past ,pr
esent ,future,areyouandme.

Idar
enotshi rkanypar tofmy sel
f,
NotanypartofAmer i
cagoodorbad,
Nottobuil
df orthatwhi chbui
ldsf ormanki
nd,
Nottobalanceranks, complexions,cr
eeds,andthesexes,
Nottoj
ust i
fysciencenort hemar chofequali
ty,
Nortofeedthear rogantbloodoft hebrawnbelov'
dofti
me.

Iam f
ort
hoset
hathavenev
erbeenmast er
'd,
Formenandwomenwhoset empershavenev erbeenmaster'
d,
Fort
hosewhom l
aws,
theor
ies,convent
ions,cannevermaster.

Iam f
orthosewhowal
kabreastwi
ththewhol
eear
th,
Whoinaugurat
eonet
oinaugur
ateal
l.

Iwil
lnotbeoutfacedbyir
rat
ional
thi
ngs,
Iwil
lpenet
ratewhatiti
sinthem t
hatissarcast
icuponme,
Iwil
lmakeciti
esandcivil
i
zati
onsdefertome,
Thi
siswhatIhav elear
ntfr
om America-
-i
tistheamount
,andi
tI
t
eachagain.

(Democracy,whil
eweaponswereever
y whereaim'daty
ourbreast
,
Isawy ouserenel
ygivebi
rt
htoimmortalchil
dren,sawi
ndreams
yourdi
lat
ingform,
Sawy ouwithspreadi
ngmantl
ecoveri
ngt hewor l
d.)

18
Iwil
lconf
ronttheseshowsoft hedayandni ght
,
Iwil
lknowifIam tobel essthanthey ,
Iwil
lseei
fIam notasmaj esti
cast hey,
Iwil
lseei
fIam notassubt l
eandr ealasthey,
Iwil
lseei
fIam t obelessgener ousthanthey,
Iwil
lseei
fIhav enomeani ng,whilethehousesandshipshavemeani
ng,
Iwil
lseei
fthef i
shesandbi rdsaretobeenoughf ort
hemselv
es,
andIam nottobeenoughf ormy sel
f.

Imatchmyspi ri
tagainstyour
sy ouorbs,growths,
mount ai
ns,br
utes,
Copiousasy ouareIabsorbyoualli
nmy self
,andbecomet hemastermy
sel
f,
Amer i
caisol
atedyetembody i
ngall,
whati sitfi
nal
lyexceptmysel
f?
TheseStates,whataretheyexceptmy sel
f?

Iknownowwhytheeart
hisgross,t
ant
ali
zing,wi
cked,
iti
sformysake,
Itakey
ouspeci
all
ytobemine,yout
err
ibl
e,rudef
orms.

(Mother
,benddown,bendclosetomey ourface,
Iknownotwhattheseplot
sandwar sanddef er
ment sar
efor
,
Iknownotfrui
ti
on'
ssuccess,butIknowt hatthroughwarandcr
ime
yourworkgoeson,andmusty etgoon.)

19
ThusbyblueOntar
io'
sshore,
Whil
ethewindsfann'
dmeandt hewavescametroopi
ngt
owardme,
It
hri
ll
'dwi
ththepower'spul
sati
ons,
andthechar
m ofmytheme
wasuponme,
Ti
llt
heti
ssuesthathel
dmepar tedt
hei
rti
esuponme.

AndIsawthefreesoul
sofpoets,
Thelof
ti
estbar
dsofpastagesstr
odebeforeme,
Str
angelar
gemen, l
ongunwaked,undi
scl
osed,
weredi
scl
osedt
ome.

20
Omyr aptverse,
mycal l,
mockmenot !
Notforthebardsoft hepast,nott
oinvokethem hav
eIl
aunch'
d
y
ouf ort
h,
Nottocallev
ent hosel oft
ybardsher
ebyOnt ar
io'
sshor
es,
HaveIsungsocapr iciousandloudmysav agesong.

Bardsformyownl andonlyIi
nvoke,
(Forthewarthewarisover,
thefi
eldiscl
ear'
d,)
Til
ltheyst
ri
keupmar cheshencefor
thtri
umphantandonwar
d,
TocheerOMot heryourboundl
essexpectantsoul
.

BardsofthegreatIdea!bardsoft hepeacef
ul i
nventi
ons!(fort
he
war,
thewari sover!)
Yetbardsoflatentarmies,amill
ionsoldi
erswai t
ingever-
ready,
Bardswithsongsasf rom burni
ngcoal sortheli
ghtning'
sfork'
dstr
ipes!
AmpleOhi o'
s,Kanada'sbards--
bardsofCali
f or
nia!i
nlandbards-
-
bar
dsoft hewar !
Youbymychar m Iinv
oke.

Rev
ersal
s

Letthatwhi
chst
oodinfrontgobehind,
Letthatwhi
chwasbehindadvancetothefr
ont
,
Letbigot
s,f
ool
s,uncl
eanpersons,
offernewpr
oposi
ti
ons,
Lett
heol
dpropositi
onsbepostponed,
Letamanseekpleasur
eeverywhereexceptinhimself
,
Letawomanseekhappinesseverywhereexceptinhersel
f

BOOKXXI
V.AUTUMNRI
VULETS

AsConsequent
,Et
c.

Asconsequentfrom stor
eofsummerr ai
ns,
Orwaywardr i
vulet
sinautumnflowi
ng,
Ormanyaher b-li
nedbrook'
sret
icul
ati
ons,
Orsubt
erraneansea-ri
l
lsmakingforthesea,
SongsofcontinuedyearsIsi
ng.

Li
fe'
sever
-modernr
api
dsfir
st,(
soon,
soont
obl
end,
Witht
heoldst
reamsofdeath.
)

Somethr
eadingOhi o'
sfarm- f
iel
dsorthewoods,
SomedownCol orado'scanonsf r
om sourcesofperpetual
snow,
Somehal
f-hidi
nOr egon,orawaysout hwardinTexas,
Somei
nthenor thfindi
ngt hei
rwaytoEr i
e,Niagara,
Ot t
awa,
SometoAtlant
ica'
sbay s,andsot ot
hegr eatsaltbr
ine.

I
nyouwhoe'eryouar
emybookper usi
ng,
I
nImy sel
f,i
nall
theworl
d,t
hesecurr
entsf
lowi
ng,
Al
l,
all
towardthemysti
coceantendi
ng.

Curr
entsforst
arti
ngacont inentnew,
Overtur
essenttothesoli
doutoft hel
iquid,
Fusi
onofoceanandl and,tenderandpensi vewav
es,
(Notsafeandpeacefulonl
y, wavesrous'dandominoustoo,
Outofthedepthsthestorm'saby smicwav es,
whoknowswhence?
Ragingovert
hev ast
,withmanyabr okensparandtatt
er'
dsai
l.
)

Orf
rom theseaofTi
me, col
l
ect
ingvast
ingal
l
,Ibr
ing,
Awindr
ow-dri
ftofweedsandshel
ls.

Ol i
ttl
eshel l
s,socur ious-conv ol
ute,sol i
mpi d- coldandv oicel
ess,
Willyounotl it
tleshellstot het y
mpansoft empl esheld,
Mur mur sandechoesst i
llcallup,eternit
y'smusi cfaintandf ar
,
Waf tedinland,sentf rom Atlanti
ca'sr i
m, strainsf ort
hesoul of
thepr ai
ries,
Whi sper'
dr everberati
ons, chordsf ortheearoft heWestj oyouslysoundi
ng,
Yourt idi
ngsol d,yetev ernewandunt r
anslat able,
I
nfinitesi
mal soutofmyl i
fe,andmanyal ife,
(Fornotmyl if
eandy earsal oneIgi ve-
-all
,allIgi ve,
)
Thesewai fsfrom thedeep, casthighanddr y,
Wash' donAmer i
ca'sshor es?

TheRet
urnoft
heHer
oes

1
Fort
helandsandforthesepassi
onatedaysandf ormy
sel
f,
NowIawhiler
eti
retotheeOsoi l
ofautumnf i
elds,
Recl
i
ningonthybreast,
givi
ngmy sel
ftothee,
Answeri
ngthepul
sesofthysaneandequabl
ehear
t,
Turni
ngaversef
orthee.

Oeart
ht hathastnov oi
ce,confi
detomeav oice,
Oharvestofmyl ands--
Oboundlesssummergr owths,
Olav
ishbr ownparturi
enteart
h--
Oinfi
nit
eteemingwomb,
Asongt onarr
atethee.

2
Everupont hisst age,
I
sact edGod' scal m annual dr ama,
Gorgeouspr ocessi ons,songsofbi rds,
Sunri
set hatf ullestfeedsandf reshensmostt hesoul,
Theheav ingsea, t
hewav esupont heshor e,themusi cal,st
rongwav es,
Thewoods, thest al
war ttrees, theslender ,t
aper ingtr
ees,
Theli
liputcount lessar miesoft hegr ass,
Theheat ,theshower s,themeasur elesspast urages,
Thescener yoft hesnows, t
hewi nds' fr
eeor chest r
a,
Thest ret
chi ngl i
ght-hungr oofofcl ouds, t
hecl earceruleanandt he
si
lveryfringes,
Thehi gh-
dilat i
ngst ars,thepl acidbeckoni ngst ar
s,
Themov i
ngf locksandher ds, thepl ainsandemer al
dmeadows,
Theshowsofal lthev ari
edl andsandal lt
hegr owthsandpr oducts.

3
FecundAmer i
ca- -
today ,
Thouar tall overseti nbirthsandj oy s!
Thougr oan' stwi thr i
ches, thyweal thclothest heeasaswat hing-
garment
,
Thoul aughestl oudwi thacheofgr eatpossessi ons,
Amy r
iad-twi ni
ngl ifelikeint erl
acingv i
nesbi ndsal lt
hyv astdemesne,
Assomehugeshi pf reightedt owat er'
sedget hour i
destintoport,
Asr ai
nf all
sf r
om t heheav enandv apor sri
sef rom earth,sohav e
thepr eciousv aluesf all
enupont heeandr isenoutoft hee;
Thouenv yoft hegl obe!thoumi racl e!
Thou, bathed, choked, swimmi ngi npl enty,
Thoul uckyMi stressoft het ranquil barns,
ThouPr airieDamet hatsittestint hemi ddl
eandl ookestoutupon
thywor ld, andl ookestEastandl ookestWest ,
Dispensat ress,t hatbyawor dgivestat housandmi l
es,ami ll
i
on
farms, andmi ssestnot hing,
Thoual l
-accept r ess--t
houhospi tabl e,(t
houonl yarthospitabl
eas
Godi shospi table.)

4
WhenlateIsangsadwasmyv oice,
Sadweretheshowsaroundmewi thdeafeningnoi
sesofhat
redand
smokeofwar;
I
nt hemi
dstoftheconfl
i
ct ,
theheroes,Istood,
Orpass'
dwithslowst
ept hroughthewoundedanddy ing.

ButnowIsingnotwar,
Northemeasur'
dmar chofsoldi
ers,
nort
hetent
sofcamps,
Northeregi
mentshasti
lycomingupdepl
oyi
nginli
neofbat
tl
e;
Nomor ethesad,
unnaturalshowsofwar
.

Ask'
droom thosef
lush'
dimmor t
alranks,
thef
ir
stf
orth-
steppi
ngar
mies?
Askroom al
astheghastl
yranks,t
hear mi
esdr
eadthatfol
low'
d.

(
Pass,
pass,yeproudbri
gades,
wi t
hy ourt
rampi ngsi
newylegs,
Wit
hyourshoul
dersyoungandstrong,wit
hy ourknapsacksandyourmusket
s;
Howelat
eIstoodandwatch'dyou,wherestart
ingoffyoumarch'
d.
Pass--
thenr at
tl
edrumsagai n,
Foranar myheav esinsight
,Oanot hergatheri
ngarmy,
Swarming, tr
ail
i
ngont herear,Oyoudr eadaccrui
ngarmy ,
Oyour egimentssopi t
eous,withyourmor tal
diar
rhoea,
withyourf
ever
,
Omyl and'smai m'ddarli
ngs,wi
ththepl ent
eousbloodybandageand
t
hecr utch,
Lo,yourpalli
darmyf ol
lows.)

5
Butonthesedaysofbr i
ght
ness,
Onthefar-
str
etchingbeaut
eouslandscape,
ther
oadsandl
anest
he
hi
gh-
pil
edfarm- wagons,
andthefrui
tsandbar
ns,
Shoul
dthedeadi ntr
ude?

Ahthedeadtomemarnot,theyf
itwell
inNature,
Theyfi
tver
ywell
int
helandscapeunderthetr
eesandgrass,
Andalongt
heedgeoft
heskyi nt
hehorizon'
sfarmar
gin.

NordoIforgetyouDepart
ed,
Norinwint
erorsummermyl ostones,
Butmostintheopenairasnowwhenmysoul
isr
aptandatpeace,
l
ikepl
easingphantoms,
Yourmemor iesr
isi
nggli
desi
lent
lybyme.

6
Isawt hedaytheretur
noftheher
oes,
(Yettheheroesneversur
pass'
dshal
lnev
err
etur
n,
Them thatdayIsawnot .
)

Isawtheint
erminablecorps,
Isawt heprocessionsofarmi
es,
Isawthem approachi
ng,defi
l
ingbywi t
hdivisions,
Str
eamingnorthward,t
heirworkdone,campi ngawhil
eincl
ust
ersof
might
ycamps.

Noholi
daysoldi
ers-
-youthf
ul,yetveter
ans,
Worn,
swart,
handsome, st
rong,ofthestockofhomest
eadandwor
kshop,
Har
den'dofmanyal ongcampai gnandsweat ymarch,
I
nur
edonmanyahar d-foughtbloodyfiel
d.

Apause-
-t
hear mi
eswait,
Amill
i
onflush'
dembattl
edconquer
orswai
t,
Theworl
dtoowaits,t
hensof
tasbreaki
ngni
ghtandsur
easdawn,
Theymel
t,theydi
sappear
.

Exul
tOl ands!v
ictor
iousl
ands!
Notthereyourvict
oryonthoseredshudder
ingf
iel
ds,
Buthereandhencey ourvi
ctor
y.

Melt,meltawayyearmies-
-di
spersey ebl
ue-cladsol
dier
s,
Resolveyebackagain,gi
veupforgoody ourdeadlyarms,
Otherthearmsthefiel
dshencefort
hf ory
ou, orSout
horNort
h,
Withsanerwars,sweetwars,
li
fe-gi
vingwars.

7
LoudOmyt hr
oat,andclearOsoul!
Theseasonofthanksandthevoiceoff
ull
-yi
eldi
ng,
Thechantofj
oyandpowerf orboundl
essfert
ili
ty.

Allt
il
l'
dandunt i
ll
'
dfiel
dsexpandbef oreme,
Iseethetruearenasofmyr ace,orf
irstorl
ast
,
Man'sinnocentandstrongarenas.
Iseet
heher
oesatothertoi
ls,
Iseewel
l
-wi
eldedi
ntheirhandst
hebet
terweapons.

IseewheretheMotherofAll
,
Withf
ull
-spanni
ngeyegazesf or
th,
dwell
slong,
Andcountsthevar
iedgather
ingofthepr
oducts.

Busythefar
,thesunlitpanorama,
Prai
ri
e,or
chard,andy ell
owgr ainoftheNor th,
Cott
onandr i
ceoft heSout handLoui siani
ancane,
Openunseededf al
lows, r
ichfiel
dsofcl overandtimot
hy ,
Ki
neandhor sesfeeding,anddr ovesofsheepandswi ne,
Andmanyast atelyri
verf l
owingandmanyaj ocundbrook,
Andhealt
hyuplandswi t
hherby -
perfumedbr eezes,
Andthegoodgr eengr ass,t
hatdelicatemi r
acletheev
er-recur
ri
nggr
ass.

8
Toi
lonheroes!harvestt
heproducts!
Notal
oneont hosewar l
i
kefi
eldstheMotherofAl
l
,
Wit
hdil
atedform andlambenteyeswatch'
dyou.

Toi
lonheroes!t
oilwel
l!handl
etheweaponswel
l
!
TheMotherofAll
,yethereasevershewat
chesyou.

Wel l
-pleasedAmer i
cathoubehol dest ,
Overt hef i
eldsoft heWestt hosecr awlingmonst ers,
Thehuman- di
vinei nventions,t
hel abor-
sav i
ngimpl ement s;
Behol destmov i
ngi nev erydir
ectionimbuedaswi t
hl i
fethe
revolvinghay -rakes,
Thest eam- powerr eaping-machinesandt hehorse-powermachi nes
Theengi nes,t
hr ashersofgr ainandcl eanersofgr ain,well
separ ati
ngt hest raw, t
henimbl ewor koft hepatentpi t
chfor
k,
Behol destthenewersaw- mil
l
,thesout herncotton-gin,andthe
ri
ce- cl
eanser .

Beneaththyl
ookOMater
nal
,
Withtheseandel
seandwi
ththei
rownst
ronghandst
heher
oeshar
vest
.

All
gatherandal lhar
vest,
YetbutfortheeOPower f
ul,
notascyt
hemightswingasnowinsecur
it
y,
Notamai ze-st
alkdangleasnowitssi
lkent
assel
sinpeace.

Undert heeonl ytheyharvest ,evenbutawi spofhayundert hygreat

faceonl y,
Harvestt hewheatofOhi o, I
ll
i
noi s, Wisconsi
n,ever
ybar bedspear
undert hee,
Harvestt hemai zeofMi ssour i,
Kent ucky,
Tennessee,eacheari nits
l
ight-greensheat h,
Gathert hehayt oitsmy ri
admowsi ntheodoroustr
anqui lbarns,
Oatst otheirbins,thewhitepot at o, t
hebuckwheatofMi chigan,t
ot hei
rs;
Gathert hecot t
oni nMississippi orAl abama,digandhoar dt he
goldent hesweetpot atoofGeor giaandtheCarol
inas,
Cl
ipt hewool ofCalif
orniaorPennsy l
vani
a,
Cutthef laxintheMi ddleSt ates,orhemport obaccoint heBor ders,
Pi
ckt hepeaandt hebean, orpul lappl esfr
om thetr
eesorbunches
ofgr apesf r
om thev i
nes,
Oraughtt hatri
pensinal ltheseSt atesorNorthorSouth,
Undert hebeami ngsunandundert hee.
Ther
eWasaChi
l
dWentFor
th

Therewasachil
dwentf ort
hev er
yday,
Andthefi
rstobj
ecthel
ook'dupon, t
hatobj
ecthebecame,
Andthatobj
ectbecamepar tofhi
mf ort
hedayoracertai
npar
toft
heday
,
Orformanyyearsorst
retchingcycl
esofyear
s.

Theear l
yl i
lacsbecamepar tofthischild,
Andgr assandwhi t
eandredmor ning-glori
es,andwhiteandr ed
cl
over,andt hesongoft hephoebe- bird,
AndtheThi rd-
mont hlambsandt hesow' spi
nk-fai
ntli
tter
,andthe
mare'sf oalandt hecow'scalf,
Andthenoi sybr oodofthebarnyardorbyt hemi reofthepond-side,
Andthef ishsuspendi ngthemsel vessocur i
ouslybel
owt here,andthe
beautif
ul curiousli
qui
d,
Andthewat er
-plant
swiththeirgraceful fl
atheads,al
lbecamepar tofhi
m.

Thef i
eld-sproutsofFour th-mont handFi fth-
mont hbecamepar tofhi
m,
Winter-
gr ai
nspr outsandt hoseoft helight-y
ellowcor n,andt he
esculentr oot
soft hegar den,
Andt heappl e-t
reescov er'dwi t
hbl ossomsandt hef ruitaf t
erward,
andwood- berri
es,andt hecommonestweedsbyt her oad,
Andt heol ddrunkardst agger i
nghomef r
om t heout houseoft he
taver
nwhencehehadl atelyri
sen,
Andt heschool mistressthatpass' donherwayt ot heschool ,
Andt hef ri
endlyboyst hatpass' d,andt hequar relsomeboy s,
Andt het i
dyandf resh-cheek' dgir
ls,andt hebar ef ootnegr oboyandgi rl
,
Andal lthechangesofci tyandcount rywher everhewent .

Hisownpar
ents,
het hathadfather
'dhim andshethathadconcei
v'
d
hi
minherwombandbi r
th'
dhim,
Theygav
ethi
schildmor eofthemselvesthanthat
,
Theygav
ehim af
terwardeveryday,theybecamepartofhim.

Themot herathomequi et l
ypl acingt hedi shesont hesupper -tabl
e,
Themot herwi thmi ldwor ds, cl eanhercapandgown, awhol esome
odorf alli
ngof fherper sonandcl othesasshewal ksby ,
Thef ather, str
ong, sel f
-suf ficient ,manl y,mean, anger '
d, unjust ,
Thebl ow, thequi ckl oudwor d, thet i
ghtbar gai n,thecr aftylure,
Thef ami l
yusages, thel anguage, thecompany ,thefur ni
t ure,the
yearningandswel li
nghear t,
Affecti
ont hatwi llnotbegai nsay 'd, t
hesenseofwhati sr eal ,
t he
thoughti faf teral litshoul dpr ov eunr eal ,
Thedoubt sofday -timeandt hedoubt sofni ght -
time, thecur i
ous
whet herandhow,
Whet hert hatwhi chappear ssoi sso, orisital lf
lashesandspecks?
Menandwomencr owdi ngf asti nt hest reets,iftheyar enotf lashes
andspeckswhatar ethey ?
Thest reetst hemsel vesandt hef acadesofhouses, andgoodsi nthewi
ndows,
Vehicles,teams, t heheav y-plank' dwhar ves, t
hehugecr ossi ngat
thef err
ies,
Thev il
lageont hehi ghl andseenf rom af aratsunset , t
her iverbetween,
Shadows, aur eolaandmi st,thel i
ghtf al
lingonr oofsandgabl esof
whiteorbr ownt womi lesof f,
Theschoonernearbysl eepi lydr oppi ngdownt het i
de, thel itt
le
boatsl ack- t
ow' dast er n,
Thehur r
yingt umbl ingwav es, quick- brokencr ests,slappi ng,
Thest rataofcol or '
dcl ouds, thel ongbarofmar oon-tintaway
solit
arybyi tself,thespr eadofpur ityitli
esmot i
onlessi n,
Thehor i
zon' sedge, thef lyi
ngsea- crow, thef r
agr anceofsal tmar sh
andshor emud,
Thesebecamepar toft hatchi ldwhowentf orthev eryday ,andwho
 nowgoes,
andwi
l
lal
way
sgof
ort
hev
eryday
.

Ol
dIr
eland

Farhenceamidani sleofwondr ousbeaut y,

Crouchi
ngoveragr aveananci entsor r
owf ulmother,
Onceaqueen, nowleanandt atter'
dseatedont heground,
Heroldwhit
ehai rdroopingdishev el
'droundhershoulders,
Atherfeetf
all
enanunusedr oy alharp,
Longsil
ent,
shet oolongsi l
ent,mour ni
nghershr oudedhopeandheir
,
Ofallt
heearthherhear tmostf ullofsorrowbecausemostf ul
lofl
ove.

Yetawor danci entmot her,

Youneedcr oucht herenolongeront hecoldgroundwi thf or
ehead
betweeny ourknees,
Oy ouneednotsi ttherevei
l'
di ny ouroldwhitehairsodi shevel
'
d,
Forknowy out heoney oumour nisnotinthatgrav e,
I
twasani l
lusion, thesony oul ovewasnotr eal
l
ydead,
TheLor disnotdead, heisri
senagai nyoungandst r
ongi nanothercount
ry,
Evenwhi l
ey ouweptt her
ebyy ourfall
enharpbyt hegr ave,
Whaty ouweptf orwast r
anslat ed,pass'
dfrom thegr ave,
Thewi ndsfav or'dandt heseasai l
'dit
,
Andnowwi thr osyandnewbl ood,
Mov esto-
dayi nanewcount ry.

TheCi
tyDead-
House

Bytheci tydead- housebyt hegat e,

Asidl ysaunt er ingwendi ngmywayf r
om t hecl angor,
Icuriouspause, forlo, anout castfor m, apoordeadpr osti
tutebr ought
,
Hercor pset heydeposi tuncl aim'd,itl
iesont hedampbr i
ckpav ement ,
Thedi v inewoman, herbody ,Iseet hebody ,Ilookoni talone,
Thathouseoncef ullofpassi onandbeaut y
, al
lelseInot i
cenot ,
Norst illnesssocol d, norr unni ngwat erf rom faucet, norodor s
mor bifici mpr essme,
Butthehouseal one- -
thatwondr oushouse- -thatdelicat efairhouse
--
thatr uin!
Thati mmor tal housemor et hanal lther owsofdwel li
ngsev erbui lt
!
Orwhi te-domedcapi tolwi thmaj est i
cf i
gur esur mount ed, orallthe
oldhi gh- spi redcat hedr als,
Thatl itt
lehouseal onemor et hanthem al l
--
poor ,desper atehouse!
Fair
,f ear ful wr eck- -tenementofasoul --
itselfasoul ,
Unclai m' d, av oidedhouse- -
t akeonebr eat hfrom myt remul ousl ips,
Takeonet eardr optasi deasIgof ort houghtofy ou,
Deadhouseofl ov e--
houseofmadnessandsi n,crumbl ed,crush' d,
Houseofl ife, erewhi let alkingandl aughi ng--butah,poorhouse,
deadev ent hen,
Mont hs, year s, anechoi ng, gar ni
sh'dhouse- -butdead, dead, dead.

Thi
sCompost

1
Somet
hingst
art
lesmewher
eIt
houghtIwassaf
est
,
Iwi
thdrawf r
om thest i
l
lwoodsIloved,
Iwi
l
l notgonowont hepasturest
owalk,
Iwi
l
l notstri
ptheclothesfr
om mybodyt omeetmyl ov
erthesea,
Iwi
l
l nottouchmyf leshtotheeart
hastootherf
leshtorenewme.

Ohowcanitbethatt hegroundit
selfdoesnotsicken?
Howcanyoubeal iv
ey ougrowthsofspring?
Howcanyoufurnishhealthyoubloodofherbs,roots,
orchar
ds,
grai
n?
Ar
etheynotconti
nual l
yputt
ingdist
emper '
dcorpseswithi
nyou?
I
snotever
ycontinentwork'doverandov erwi
thsourdead?

Wherehav eyoudi sposedoft heircarcasses?

Thosedrunkardsandgl uttonsofsomanygener ati
ons?
Wherehav eyoudr awnof fall
t hef oull
iquidandmeat?
Idonotseeanyofi tupony out o-day,orperhapsIam decei
v'
d,
Iwil
lrunaf ur
rowwi thmypl ough, Iwi
llpressmyspadet hr
ough
t
hesodandt urnitupunder neat h,
Iam sureIshallexposesomeoft hefoul meat.

2
Beholdt hiscompost !behol ditwel l!
Perhapsev er
ymi tehasoncef orm'dpar tofasi ckper son--
yetbehol
d!
Thegr assofspr ingcov ersthepr air
ies,
Thebeanbur stsnoi selesslyt hrought hemoul dint hegarden,
Thedel i
cat espearoft heoni onpi ercesupwar d,
Theappl e-budscl ustert ogetheront heappl e-branches,
Ther esurrectionoft hewheatappear swi thpal ev i
sageoutofi t
sgraves,
Thet i
ngeawakesov ert hewillow- t
reeandt hemul berry
-tr
ee,
Thehe- birdscar ol mor ningsandev eningswhi letheshe-birdssi
ton
theirnests,
They oungofpoul trybr eakthr ought hehat ch' deggs,
Thenew- bornofani mal sappear ,thecal fisdr optfrom thecow, t
he
coltfrom themar e,
Outofi tslit
tl
ehi llfaithfull
yriset hepot ato'
sdar kgreenleaves,
Outofi tshillri
sest hey ell
owmai ze-stalk,t
hel i
l
acsbl oom in
thedoor yards,
Thesummergr owt hi sinnocentanddi sdai nfulabov eallt
hosestrat
a
ofsourdead.

Whatchemi stry!
Thatthewi ndsar er eall
ynoti nfectious,
Thatthisisnocheat ,
thistranspar entgreen-washoft heseawhich
i
ssoamor ousaf terme,
Thatitissafet oallowi ttolickmynakedbodyal loverwi t
hit
stongues,
Thatitwillnotendangermewi t
ht hefever sthathavedeposited
themselvesi nit,
Thatalliscleanf oreverandf orever,
Thatthecool dri
nkf rom thewel lt
astessogood,
Thatblackber ri
esar esof lavorousandj ui cy,
Thatthef r
uitsoft heappl e-orchardandt heor ange-
or char
d,t
hat
melons,gr apes,peaches, plums, wil
lnoneoft hem poisonme,
ThatwhenIr ecli
neont hegr assIdonotcat chanydi sease,
Thoughpr obabl yev eryspearofgr assri
sesoutofwhatwasonce
catchi
ngdi sease.

NowIam t er
rif
iedattheEar t
h, i
tist
hatcalm andpat i
ent,
I
tgrowssuchsweett hingsoutofsuchcor r
uptions,
I
tturnsharmlessandstainlessoni t
saxis,wit
hsuchendl ess
successi
onsofdiseas'
dcor pses,
I
tdisti
ll
ssuchexquisi
tewi ndsoutofsuchi nfusedf et
or,
I
trenewswi t
hsuchunwi tti
ngl ooksit
sprodigal,annual,
sumpt uouscr
ops,
I
tgivessuchdivinemateri
alst omen, andaccept ssuchleavi
ngs
 f
rom t
hem atl
ast
.

ToaFoi
l
'dEur
opeanRev
olut
ionai
re

Couragey et,mybr otherormysi st

er!
Keepon- -
Libertyi stobesubser v'
dwhatev eroccurs;
Thatisnot hi
ngt hati squell'
dbyoneort wof ail
ures,
orany
numberoff ail
ur es,
Orbyt heindifferenceori ngrat
it
udeofthepeopl e,orbyany
unfait
hfulness,
Ortheshowoft het ushesofpower ,sol
diers,cannon,penal
stat
utes.

Whatwebel iev
einwai t
slatentforeverthroughall
theconti
nents,
I
nv i
tesnoone,promisesnot hi
ng,sit
sincal mnessandlight
,is
positi
veandcomposed, knowsnodi scouragement,
Waitingpati
ent
ly,wai
ti
ngitst i
me.

(Notsongsofloyal
tyal
onear et
hese,
Butsongsofinsurr
ecti
onalso,
ForIam theswornpoetofeverydaunt
lessrebelt
heworl
dov
er,
Andhegoi ngwit
hmel eavespeaceandr out
inebehi
ndhi
m,
Andstakeshisli
fetobelostatanymoment .
)

Thebat tl
erageswi thmanyal oudal ar
m andf r
equentadv anceandr et
reat,
Theinfideltri
umphs, orsupposeshet riumphs,
Thepr i
son, scaf
fol
d, garrote,handcuf fs,ironnecklaceand
l
eadbal l
sdot hei
rwor k,
Thenamedandunnamedher oespasst oot herspheres,
Thegr eatspeakersandwr i
tersareexi led,theyliesi
cki ndistantlands,
Thecausei sasleep, thest r
ongestt hroat sar echokedwi t
ht heirownbl ood,
They oungmendr oopt heireyelashest owar dthegroundwhent heymeet ;
ButforallthisLi
bertyhasnotgoneoutoft heplace,northe
i
nfi
del enter'
dintofull possession.

Whenl i
ber
tygoesoutofapl
aceiti
snotthef
ir
stt
ogo,
nort
he
secondort
hirdt
ogo,
I
twai t
sforal
lther
esttogo,
iti
sthelast
.

Whentherearenomor ememor iesofheroesandmar t

yrs,
Andwhenal ll
i
feandal lt
hesoulsofmenandwomenar edischar
ged
f
rom anypartoftheearth,
Thenonlyshalll
i
bertyortheideaoflibert
ybedischar
gedfrom
t
hatpartoftheearth,
Andtheinfi
delcomei nt
of ul
lpossession.

Thencour
ageEuropeanrev
olter
,rev
olt
ress!
Fort
il
lal
lceasesnei
thermustyoucease.

Idonotknowwhaty ouarefor,(
IdonotknowwhatIam formysel
f,
norwhatanythi
ngi sfor,
)
ButIwill
sear
chcar eful
lyf
oriteveninbeingf
oil
'
d,
Indefeat
,pover
ty,
mi sconcept
ion,i
mprisonment
--f
ort
heytooar
egreat
.

Di
dwet hinkvi
ctorygreat
?
Soiti
s--
butnowi tseemstome,whenitcannotbehel
p'
d,t
hat
def
eatisgr
eat,
Andthatdeat
handdi smayaregr
eat.
UnnamedLand

Nationst ent housandy earsbef oretheseSt at

es,andmanyt i
mest en
thousandy ear sbeforet heseSt ates,
Garner '
dcl ust ersofagest hatmenandwomenl i
keusgr ewupand
travel'dt hei rcourseandpass' don,
Whatv ast -bui l
tciti
es, whator derlyrepubl i
cs,whatpastoral t
ribes
andnomads,
Whathi stor ies,rulers,heroes,per hapst ranscendingallothers,
Whatl aws, cust oms, wealth,arts,tradit
ions,
Whatsor tofmar ri
age, whatcost umes, whatphy siol
ogyandphr enol
ogy
,
Whatofl i
ber t
yandsl averyamongt hem, whatt heythoughtofdeat h
andt hesoul ,
Whower ewi tt
yandwi se,whobeaut i
fulandpoet ic,whobr ut
ishand
undev elop' d,
Notamar k, notar ecor dremai ns--andy etallr
emai ns.

OIknowt hatthosemenandwomenwer enotf

ornot
hing,
anymore
thanwearef ornot
hing,
Iknowthattheybelongtotheschemeoftheworl
dev
erybitasmuch
aswenowbel ongtoit
.

Afart heystand, yetneart omet heyst and,

Somewi t
hov alcount enancesl earn'dandcal m,
Somenakedandsav age,somel ikehugecol lectionsofinsects,
Somei ntents, herdsmen, patri
archs, tri
bes,horsemen,
Somepr owl i
ngt hroughwoods, somel ivi
ngpeaceabl yonfarms,
l
abor ing,reaping, fi
lli
ngbar ns,
Somet raversingpav edav enues, ami dtemples, palaces,
factori
es,
l
ibr ar
ies,shows, courts,theatres, wonderfulmonument s.
Aret hosebi l
lionsofmenr eall
ygone?
Aret hosewomenoft heoldexper i
enceoft heear t
hgone?
Dot heirli
ves, cit
ies,ar t
s,restonl ywi t
hus?
Didtheyachi evenot hingforgoodf orthemsel ves?

Ibel
ieveofal
lthosemenandwoment hatf
il
l'
dtheunnamedlands,
ever
yoneexiststhi
shourhereorel
sewhere,i
nvi
si
bletous.
Inexactpr
oporti
ontowhatheorshegr ewfr
om inl
ife,
andoutof
whatheorshedid,fel
t,became,
lov
ed,si
nn'd,
inl
ife.

Ibeliev
et hatwasnott heendoft hosenat i
onsoranyper sonof
them, anymor ethant hisshallbetheendofmynat i
on,orofme;
Oft hei
rlanguages,gover nment s,marri
age, l
it
eratur
e,pr
oducts,
games, wars,manner s, cr
imes, pr
isons,slaves,her
oes,poets,
Isuspectt hei
rresul
tscur iouslyawaitinthey etunseenworld,
counterpart
sofwhataccr uedtothem int heseenwor l
d,
IsuspectIshall meetthem t here,
IsuspectIshall t
herefindeachol dpar ti
cularofthoseunnamedl ands.

SongofPr
udence

Manhat
tan'
sstreetsIsaunter
'dponder
ing,
OnTime,Space,Real
ity
--onsuchasthese,
andabr
eastwi
tht
hem Pr
udence.

Thelastexpl
anati
onalwaysr
emainstobemadeaboutprudence,
Li
ttl
eandl ar
geali
kedropqui
etl
yasi
defrom t
hepr
udencethat
sui
tsimmor t
ali
ty.
Thesoulisofit
self,
All
vergestoit
,allhasreferencetowhatensues,
All
thatapersondoes, says,thi
nks,i
sofconsequence,
Notamov ecanamanorwomanmake, t
hataff
ectshim orheri
naday
,
month,anypartofthedirectli
fet
ime,orthehourofdeath,
Butthesameaf f
ectshim orheronwar dafter
wardthroughthe
i
ndir
ectli
fet
ime.

Theindi
rectisj
ustasmuchasthedirect
,
Thespir
itrecei
vesfr
om t
hebodyjustasmuchasi
tgi
vest
othe
body,
ifnotmore.

Notonewor dordeed, notvenerealsore,di

scolorat
ion,pr
ivacyof
theonanist,
Putri
dit
yofgl ut
tonsorr um-dri
nkers,peculat
ion,cunning,
betr
ayal,murder,seducti
on,prostit
ution,
Buthasr esul
tsbeyonddeat hasr eall
yasbef oredeath.

Char
it
yandper
sonal
for
cear
etheonl
yinv
est
ment
swor
thanyt
hing.

Nospeci f
icat
ionisnecessary
,al
lthatamaleorfemaledoes,that
i
sv igor
ous,benevol
ent,cl
ean,i
ssomuchpr ofi
ttohim orher,
I
nt heunshakableorderoftheuni
verseandthr
oughthewhol escope
ofitfor
ever.

Whohasbeenwi serecei
vesinterest
,
Savage,f
elon,
President,
judge,farmer,
sai
l
or,mechani
c,l
i
ter
at,
y
oung, ol
d,i
tisthesame,
Theinter
estwil
lcomer ound--
allwill
comeround.

Si
ngl y,whol ly ,
toaf fectnow, affect edt heirti
me, wi l
lfor everaf fect
,
allofthepastandal l ofthepr esentandal loft hef uture,
Allthebr av eact ionsofwarandpeace,
Allhelpgi vent or elat i
ves, stranger s,thepoor ,old, sor rowf ul,
youngchi ldren, wi dows, thesi ck, andt oshunn' dper sons,
Allself-
deni al thatst oodst eadyandal oofonwr ecks, andsaw
othersf il
l theseat soft heboat s,
Allofferi
ngofsubst anceorl i
fef ort hegoodol dcause, orf ora
fri
end'ssake, oropi nion'ssake,
Allpainsofent husi ast sscof f'
datbyt heirneighbor s,
Allthelimi tl
esssweetl oveandpr eci oussuf feringofmot hers,
Allhonestmenbaf fledi nst ri
fesr ecor dedorunr ecorded,
Allthegr andeurandgoodofanci entnat i
onswhosef ragment sweinher
it
,
Allthegoodoft hedozensofanci entnat i
onsunknownt ousbyname,
date,locat ion,
Allthatwasev ermanf ullybegun, whet heritsucceededorno,
Allsuggest i
onsoft hedi vinemi ndofmanort hedi v i
nityofhi s
mout h, ort heshapi ngofhi sgr eathands,
Allthatiswel lt houghtorsai dthi sdayonanypar toft hegl obe,
oronanyoft hewander i
ngst ars, oronanyoft hef i
x'dst ars,
byt hoset her easwear eher e,
Allthatishencef ortht obet houghtordonebyy ouwhoev ery ouare,
orbyanyone,
Thesei nur e, hav ei nured, shal linur e,tothei dent it
iesf rom whi ch
theyspr ang, orshal lspr ing.

Didyouguessanythinglivedonlyit
smoment ?
Thewor l
ddoesnotsoexi st,nopartspal
pableorimpal
pablesoexi
st,
Noconsummat i
onexi st
swi thoutbeingf
rom somelongprevi
ous
consummati
on,andt hatfrom someother,
Withoutt
hefar
thestconcei v
ableonecomi ngabitnear
erthe
 begi
nni
ngt
hanany
.

What ev
ersatisfiessoulsi
strue;
Prudenceentirelysati
sfi
esthecravi
ngandglutofsoul
s,
I
tselfonlyfi
nallysati
sfi
esthesoul,
Thesoul hasthatmeasur el
esspr i
dewhi
chrevolt
sfrom ev
eryl
esson
butit
sown.

NowIbr eat
hethewordoft
heprudencet
hatwalksabr
eastwi
thti
me,
space,r
eali
ty,
Thatanswersthepr
idewhi
chr
efusesever
ylessonbuti
tsown.

Whati spr udencei si ndivi

sible,
Declinestosepar ateonepar tofl ifefrom ev er ypar t
,
Divi
desnott her ighteousf r
om t heunr ighteousort hel i
vingf r
om thedead,
Matchesev erythoughtoractbyi t
scor relati
v e,
Knowsnopossi bleforgivenessordeput edat onement ,
Knowst hatthey oungmanwhocomposedl yper i
l'
dhi slifeandlostit
hasdoneexceedi nglywell forhimsel fwi thoutdoubt ,
Thathewhonev erper il
'dhislife,butr etainsitt ooldagei n
ri
chesandease, haspr obabl yachi ev'dnot hingf orhimsel fworth
ment i
oni ng,
Knowst hatonlyt hatper sonhasr eall
yl earn'dwhohasl earn'dto
preferresults,
Whof avorsbodyandsoul thesame,
Whoper ceivest heindirectassur edlyfol l
owingt hedi rect,
Whoi nhisspiritinanyemer gencywhat evernei therhurriesnor
avoidsdeat h.

TheSi
ngeri
nthePr
ison

Osightofpit
y,shameanddol e!
Ofearf
ulthought-
-aconv
ictsoul.

1
Rangtherefrainalongthehall,t
hepr i
son,
Rosetother oof,thevault
sofheav enabove,
Pouri
nginfloodsofmel odyi
nt onessopensivesweetandst
rongthe
l
ikewhereofwasnev erheard,
Reachi
ngthef ar-offsentr
yandt hearmedguards,whoceas'
dthei
rpaci
ng,
Makingthehear er'
spulsesstopf orecst
asyandawe.

2
Thesunwasl owi nthewestonewi nterday ,
Whendownanar rowaisleami dthethiev esandoutlawsoft heland,
(Therebyt hehundr edsseat ed,sear-f
acedmur derers,wil
ycounterfei
ter
s,
Gather '
dtoSundaychur chi nprisonwal ls,t
hekeeper sround,
Plenteous,wel l
-armed,wat chingwi t
hv igil
anteyes,)
Calml yaladywal k'dholdingal i
ttl
einnocentchi l
dbyei therhand,
Whom seat i
ngont hei
rstoolsbesi deheront heplatf
orm,
She,firstprel
udingwi t
ht hei nst
rumental owandmusi calprel
ude,
I
nv oicesur passingall
,sangf or
thaquai ntoldhymn.

Asoul confi
nedbybar sandbands,
Cr
ies,help!Ohelp!andwr i
ngsherhands,
Bl
indedherey es,bl
eedingherbreast
,
Norpar donfi
nds,norbalm ofr
est.

Ceasel
essshepacest
oandf
ro,
 Oheart
-sickdays!Onightsofwoe!
Norhandoff r
iend,norl
ovingf
ace,
Norfavorcomes, norwordofgrace.

I
twasnotIt hatsinn'
dthesin,
Therut
hlessbodydr agg'
dmei n;
ThoughlongIstrovecourageousl
y,
Thebodywast oomuchf orme.

Dearpri
son'
dsoulbearupaspace,
Forsoonorl
atethecertai
ngrace;
Tosettheef
reeandbeart heehome,
Theheavenl
ypardonerdeathshal
lcome.

Convi
ctnomore,
norshame,nordol
e!
Depar
t-
-aGod-
enfr
anchi
s'
dsoul!

3
Thesi ngerceas'
d,
Onegl ancesweptf rom herclearcalm eyeso'erallt
hoseupturn'
dfaces,
Strangeseaofpr isonfaces,at housandv ar
ied,craf
ty,br
utal
,
seam' dandbeaut eousfaces,
Thenr isi
ng,passingbackalongt henarrowai slebetweenthem,
Whi l
ehergownt ouch'dthem rustli
nginthesilence,
Shev anish'
dwi t
hherchi l
drenint hedusk.

Whi l
euponal l,conv i
ctsandar medkeeper seret heystir
r'
d,
(Convictf orgetti
ngpr ison, keeperhisl oadedpistol,
)
Ahushandpausef elldownawondr ousmi nute,
Withdeephal f
-stif
ledsobsandsoundofbadmenbow' dandmov edtoweepi
ng,
Andy outh' sconv ulsivebr eathi
ngs, memor i
esofhome,
Themot her '
sv oiceinl ul
laby ,t
hesister '
scare,thehappychildhood,
Thelong- pentspi r
itrous'dt oreminiscence;
Awondr ousmi nutet hen--butaf t
erint hesoli
tarynight,t
omany ,
manyt here,
Yearsaf ter,eveni nthehourofdeat h, t
hesadr efrai
n,thetune,
thev oi
ce, thewor ds,
Resumed, t
hel argecal ml adywal kst henarrowai sl
e,
Thewai l
i
ngmel odyagai n, t
hesi ngerint hepri
sonsi ngs,

Osightofpit
y,shameanddol e!
Ofearf
ulthought-
-aconv
ictsoul.

War
blef
orLi
l
ac-
Time

Warblemenowf orjoyofl ilac-time, (returni

ngi nreminiscence,)
SortmeOt ongueandl ipsf orNat ure'ssake, souvenir
sofear l
iestsummer,
Gathert hewel comesi gns, (aschi ldrenwi thpebblesorst ri
ngingshel
ls,
)
PutinApr ilandMay ,t
hehy lascr oaki ngintheponds, theelasticai
r,
Bees, butt
er fli
es, thespar rowwi thi t
ssi mplenot es,
Bl
ue-bi rdanddar ti
ngswal low, norf orgetthehi gh-
holeflashi
nghi s
goldenwi ngs,
Thetranqui l sunnyhaze, thecl ingingsmoke, thevapor ,
Shimmerofwat erswithf ishi nt hem, theceruleanabov e,
Allt
hati sjocundandspar kling, thebr ooksrunning,
Themapl ewoods, t
hecr ispFebr uar yday sandt hesugar -
making,
Therobi nwher ehehops, bright -
ey ed, brown-breast
ed,
Withmusi cal clearcall atsunr ise, andagai natsunset ,
Orfli
ttingamongt hetreesoft heappl e-
orchard,bui
ldingthenest
 ofhismat e,
Themel tedsnowofMar ch,thewi ll
owsendi ngforthi
tsy ell
ow-greenspr
out
s,
Forspr i
ng- t
imei sher e!thesummeri shere!andwhati sthisinit
andf rom i t
?
Thou,soul ,unl oosen'd--
ther estl
essnessaf t
erIknownotwhat ;
Come, l
etusl agherenol onger ,l
etusbeupandaway !
Oifonecoul dbutf l
yl i
keabi r
d!
Otoescape, tosailforthasi nashi p!
Toglidewi t
ht heeOsoul ,
o'erall,i
nal l
,asashipo'erthewat ers;
Gatheringt hesehi nts,thepr eludes,thebluesky,thegrass,the
mor ningdr opsofdew,
Thelil
ac- scent ,t
hebusheswi thdarkgr eenheart-
shapedl eaves,
Wood- violets,thelit
tledelicatepalebl ossomscalledinnocence,
Sampl esandsor t
snotf orthemsel vesalone,butfort
heirat mosphere,
Togracet hebushIl ove--tosingwi ththebirds,
Awar blef orjoyofr eturningi nreminiscence.

Out
li
nesf
oraTomb[
G.P.
,Bur
ied1870]

1
Whatmaywechant ,Othouwithi
nthistomb?
Whattablet
s,out
li
nes,hangforthee,Omi l
li
onnai
re?
Thelif
ethouli
ved'
stweknownot ,
Butthatt
houwalk'dstt
hyyearsinbarter,
'midthehaunt
sof
br
okers,
Norheroi
sm thi
ne,norwar,norglor
y.

2
Si
lent
,mysoul ,
Withdroopi
nglids,aswai
ti
ng,ponder
'd,
Turni
ngfrom al
l t
hesamples,
monument sofher
oes.

Whilethr
ought heinteri
orvi
stas,
Noisel
essuprose, phantasmi
c, (
asbynightAuror
asoft
henor
th,
)
Lambenttableaus, pr
opheti
c,bodil
essscenes,
Spi
rit
ualproj
ections.

I
none,amongthecit
yst
reet
sal aborer
'shomeappear
'd,
Aft
erhi
sday'
sworkdone,cl
eanly,
sweet-ai
r'
d,t
hegasl
i
ghtbur
ning,
Thecar
petsweptandafi
rei
nt hecheerful
stov
e.

I
none,thesacredpar
tur
it
ionscene,
Ahappypainl
essmotherbir
th'
daperfectchi
l
d.

I
none, atabounteousmorni
ngmeal,
Satpeaceful
parentswi
thcontent
edsons.

I
none,byt
wosandt hr
ees,y
oungpeople,
Hundr
edsconcent
ri
ng,wal
k'
dthepathsandst
reet
sandr
oads,
Towar
datall
-domedschool
.

I
noneat ri
obeautif
ul,
Grandmother
,lov
ingdaught
er,
lov
ingdaught
er'
sdaught
er,
sat
,
Chatti
ngandsewing.

I
none, alongasui teofnoblerooms,
'
Midplent eousbooksandj ournal
s,pai
nti
ngsont
hewalls,
finest
atuet
tes,
Weregr oupsoff r
iendl
yjourneymen,mechani
csyoungandold,
Readi
ng, conversi
ng.
All
, alltheshowsofl aboringl i
fe,
Cityandcount ry,women' s, men'sandchi ldr en'
s,
Thei rwant spr ovidedf or,huedi nt hesunandt i
ngedf oroncewithj
oy,
Mar riage,thest reet,thef actory,farm,thehouse- r
oom, lodgi
ng-r
oom,
Laborandt oll,
thebat h,gy mnasi um, pl
aygr ound,l
ibr
ar y
,coll
ege,
Thest udent, boyorgi rl,
ledf orwar dtobet aught,
Thesi ckcar edfor ,
theshoel essshod, theor phanfather'
dandmot her
'd,
Thehungr yf ed, t
hehousel esshoused;
(Thei ntentionsper fectanddi vi
ne,
Thewor ki
ngs, detail
s, haplyhuman. )

3
Ot houwithi
nthistomb,
From theesuchscenes, t
houstintl
ess,l
avi
shgi
ver,
Tally
ingthegif
tsofearth,l
argeast heeart
h,
Thynameanear th,wi
thmount ains,f
iel
dsandt
ides.

Norbyyourst
reamsal one,y
our i
vers,
Byyou,
yourbanksConnect i
cut,
Byyouandallyourteemi ngli
feoldThames,
ByyouPotomacl av
ingt hegroundWashi ngtont
rod,
byy
ouPat
apsco,
YouHudson,youendl essMississi
ppi-
-noryoual
one,
Butt
othehighseasl aunch,myt hought,hi
smemor y
.

Outf
rom Behi
ndThi
sMask[
ToConf
rontaPor
trai
t]

1
Outf rom behi ndt hisbendi ngrough- cutmask,
Thesel ight sandshades, thisdr amaoft hewhol e,
Thiscommoncur tai
noft hef acecont ain'
dinmef orme, i
ny oufor
you, ineachf oreach,
(Tragedi es, sor r
ows, l
aught er,tear s--
0heav en!
Thepassi onat et eemi ngpl ay sthi scur tainhid!
)
Thisgl azeofGod' sser enestpur estsky ,
Thisf i
lm ofSat an'sseet hingpi t,
Thishear t'sgeogr aphy 'smap, thi sli
mi t
lesssmal lconti
nent,thi
s
soundl esssea;
Outf rom t heconv olut ionsoft hisgl obe,
Thissubt lerast ronomi cor bt hansunormoon, thanJupiter,Venus,
Mars,
Thiscondensat ionoft heuni ver se, (
nayher etheonl yuni
verse,
Her ethei dea, allint hismy sti
chandf ulwr apt;
)
Thesebur in'dey es, flashi ngt oy out opasst ofutureti
me,
Tol aunchandspi nt hroughspacer ev ol
v i
ngsideling,f
rom thesetoemanat
e,
Toy ouwhoe' ery ouar e--al ook.

2
At r
av elerofthought sandy ears,ofpeaceandwar ,
Ofy outhl ongspedandmi ddleagedecl i
ning,
(Ast hef ir
stvolumeofat aleperusedandl aidaway ,andthi
sthesecond,
Songs, v entures,specul
ations,presentl
ytoclose,)
Linger i
ngamomenther eandnow, toyouIopposi t
et ur
n,
Asont her oadoratsomecr evi
cedoorbychance, oropen'dwindow,
Pausi ng, i
ncli
ning,bari
ngmyhead, youspeciall
yIgreet,
Todr awandcl i
nchy oursoul f
oroncei nseparablywithmine,
Thent r
av eltr
av elon.
Vocal
i
sm

1
Vocal ism, measur e,concent ration,det ermi nati
on, andthedi vi
ne
powert ospeakwor ds;
Arey ouf ull
-lung'dandl imber -l
ipp'dfrom l ongt rial?fr
om vigorous
pract ice?f rom phy sique?
Doy oumov ei nthesebr oadl andsasbr oadast hey ?
Comedul ytot hedi vinepowert ospeakwor ds?
Foronl yatl astaf termanyy ears,afterchast it
y,fri
endship,
procr eat i
on, pr udence, andnakedness,
Aftert readinggr oundandbr east i
ngr i
v erandl ake,
Afteral oosen' dt hroat, afterabsor binger as, t
emper ament s,races,
afterknowl edge, freedom, crimes,
Aftercompl etef aith,aftercl arifyi
ngs, elevat i
ons, andremov ing
obst ruct i
ons,
Aftert heseandmor e,itisj ustpossi blet her ecomest oaman,
woman, thedi vinepowert ospeakwor ds;
Thent owar dt hatmanort hatwomanswi ftl
yhast enall-
-none
refuse, allattend,
Armi es, ships, ant i
quities, li
braries,paint i
ngs, machi nes,cit
ies,
hat e, despai r,ami ty,pai n,theft,mur der, aspirati
on,formi n
closer anks,
Theydebouchast heyar ewant edt omar chobedi entl
ythrought he
mout hoft hatmanort hatwoman.

2
Owhati siti
nmet hatmakesmet remblesoatv oi
ces?
Surelywhoeverspeakst omeintherightv
oice,him orherIshal
lfol
l
ow,
Ast hewaterfol
lowst hemoon,si
lent
ly,wi
thflui
dsteps,anywhere
aroundtheglobe.

All
waitsfortheri
ghtvoices;
Whereisthepracti
s'
dandper fector
gan?wherei
sthedevel
op'
dsoul
?
ForIseeeverywordutter'
dthencehasdeeper
,sweet
er,
newsounds,
i
mpossibleonlessterms.

Iseebrainsandl
ipscl
osed,
tympansandtemplesunst
ruck,
Unti
lthatcomeswhichhasthequal
i
tytostr
ikeandtouncl
ose,
Unti
lthatcomeswhichhasthequal
i
tytobri
ngfort
hwhatlies
sl
umber i
ngfor
everr
eadyinal
lwords.

ToHi
m ThatWasCr
uci
fi
ed

Myspi ritt
oy our sdearbr other ,
Donotmi ndbecausemanysoundi ngy ournamedonotunder standyou,
Idonotsoundy ourname, butIunder standy ou,
Ispecifyyouwi t
hj oyOmycomr adetosal uteyou, andt osal
ute
thosewhoar ewi t
hy ou, bef oreandsi nce,andthoset ocomeal so,
Thatweal ll
abort oget hert ransmi tti
ngt hesamechar geandsuccession,
Wef ewequal sindifferentofl ands, i
ndiffer
entoft i
mes,
We, enclosersofal lcont inent s,allcastes,all
ower sofal lt
heol
ogies,
Compassi onat ers,percei vers, r
appor tofmen,
Wewal ksil
entamongdi sput esandasser t
ions,butrejectnotthe
disputersnoranyt hingt hati sasser ted,
Weheart hebawl i
nganddi n,wear ereach'datbydi vi
sions,
j
ealousies,recr i
mi nati
onsonev eryside,
Theycl oseper empt oril
yuponust osur roundus, mycomr ade,
Yetwewal kunheld,
free,thewhol eeart
hover,j
our
ney
ingupand
downti
llwemakeouri neffaceablemarkuponti
meandthediv
erseer
as,
Ti
llwesaturat
etimeander as, t
hatthemenandwomenofraces,
agest
ocome, maypr ovebr ethr
enandlover
sasweare.

YouFel
onsonTr
ial
inCour
ts

Youf el
onsont ri
alincourts,
Youconv i
ctsi
npr i
son-cel
l
s,yousentencedassassi
nschain'
dand
handcuf f
'dwit
hiron,
Whoam It oothatIam notontri
alorinpri
son?
Mer uthlessanddev i
l
ishasany,thatmywr i
stsarenotchai
n'
dwit
h
i
ron, ormyankleswi thi
ron?

Youpr
osti
tut
esfl
aunt
ingovert
het
rot
toi
rsorobsceneiny
ourr
ooms,
Whoam It
hatIshoul
dcall
youmoreobscenet
hanmy sel
f?

Oculpable!Iacknowl
edge-
-Iexpose!
(Oadmirers,prai
senotme--
compl i
mentnotme--
youmakemewi
nce,
Iseewhaty oudonot--
Iknowwhaty oudonot.
)

Insi
det hesebreast-
bonesIli
esmut ch'dandchoked,
Beneatht hi
sfacethatappearssoimpassi vehel
l
'sti
desconti
nuall
yrun,
Lustsandwi ckednessareacceptabletome,
Iwalkwi thdel
inquentswit
hpassionatelove,
IfeelIam ofthem--Ibel
ongtothoseconv ict
sandprosti
tut
esmy sel
f,
Andhencef ort
hIwi l
lnotdenythem--forhowcanIdenymy sel
f?

Lawsf
orCr
eat
ions

Lawsf orcreations,
Forstr
ongar tistsandl eaders,f
orf
reshbroodsofteachersand
perf
ectli
terat sforAmer i
ca,
Fornoblesav ansandcomi ngmusi ci
ans.
Allmusthav er efer
encet otheensembleoftheworld,andthe
compactt ruthoft hewor l
d,
Thereshallbenosubj ecttoopronounced-
-al
lworksshalli
ll
ust
rat
e
thedivi
nelawofi ndirect
ions.

Whatdoy ousupposecreationis?
Whatdoy ousupposewillsati
sfythesoul
,excepttowalkfreeand
ownnosuper ior
?
Whatdoy ousupposeIwoul dinti
matetoyouinahundr edways,but
thatmanorwomani sasgoodasGod?
Andt hatt
hereisnoGodanymor edivi
net
hanYour self
?
Andt hatt
hatiswhatt
heol destandnewestmy thsfi
nall
ymean?
Andt haty
ouoranyonemustappr oachcr
eationsthroughsuchlaws?

ToaCommonPr
ost
it
ute

Becomposed--
beateasewit
hme--Iam WaltWhi
tman,
li
ber
aland
l
ust
yasNature,
Notti
l
lthesunexcl
udesyoudoIexcludey
ou,
Notti
l
lthewater
sref
uset
ogli
stenforyouandthel
eavest
o
r
ustl
efory
ou,domywordsrefuset
oglist
enandrust
lef
ory
ou.

Mygirl
Iappointwi t
hy ouanappointment
,andIchargeyout
haty
ou
makepreparat
iont obeworthytomeetme,
AndIchar
gey out hatyoubepatientandper
fectt
il
lIcome.

Ti
l
lthenIsal
utey
ouwi
thasi
gni
fi
cantl
ookt
haty
oudonotf
orgetme.

IWasLooki
ngaLongWhi
l
e

Iwaslookingal ongwhi l
ef orIntentions,
Foraclewt ot hehistoryoft hepastf ormy self,andfort hese
chants--
andnowIhav efoundi t
,
Iti
snoti nthosepagedf ablesi nthel i
braries,(t
hem Inei ther
acceptnorr ej
ect,)
Iti
snomor einthel egendst hani nal lel
se,
Iti
sinthepr esent--
itisthisear t
ht o-day,
Iti
sinDemocr acy--
(thepur portandai m ofallthepast ,
)
Iti
sthel i
feofonemanoronewomant o-day--
theav eragemanoft o-
day,
Iti
sinlanguages, socialcust oms, li
teratures,arts,
Iti
sinthebr oadshowofar ti
ficialt
hings, ships,machi nery,
poli
ti
cs,creeds,moder nimpr ovement s,andt heinterchangeofnat
ions,
Allf
orthemoder n--
allfortheav er
agemanoft o-day.

Thought

Ofper sonsar r
ivedathighposi t
ions,ceremoni es,wealt
h,
schol ar
ships,andthel ike;
(Tomeal lthatthoseper sonshav ear r
ivedatsi nksawayf rom t hem,
exceptasi tresult
st otheirbodiesandsoul s,
Sot hatoftentomet heyappeargauntandnaked,
Andof t
entomeeachonemockst heot her
s,andmockshi msel forhersel
f,
Andofeachonet hecor eofl if
e,namel yhappiness, i
sfull
oft he
rottenexcrementofmaggot s,
Andof t
entomet hosemenandwomenpassunwi t
ti
nglythet rue
realit
iesoflif
e,andgot owar dfal
ser eali
ti
es,
Andof t
entomet heyar eal i
veafterwhatcust om hasser vedt hem,
butnot hingmor e,
Andof t
entomet heyar esad, hasty,
unwakedsonnambul eswal kingthedusk.
)

Mi
racl
es

Why ,whomakesmuchofami racle?

AstomeIknowofnot hi
ngelsebutmi racl
es,
WhetherIwal kthest reetsofManhat t
an,
Ordartmysi ghtov erther oof
sofhousest owar dthesky,
Orwadewi t
hnakedf eetalongthebeachj ustintheedgeofthewat
er,
Orstandundert reesint hewoods,
Ortalkbydaywi thanyoneIl ove,orsleepinthebedatnight
wit
hanyoneIl ove,
Orsitattableatdinnerwi ththerest,
Orlookatstrangersopposi t
emer idi
ngi nthecar,
Orwatchhoney -
beesbusyar oundthehiveofasummerf or
enoon,
Oranimalsf
eedingi nthef i
elds,
Orbir
ds,orthewonder f
ulnessofinsectsi
ntheair,
Orthewonderfulnessoft hesundown, orofstar
sshiningsoquiet
andbri
ght,
Ortheexqui
sitedelicatethincurveofthenewmooni nspri
ng;
Thesewiththerest,oneandal l
,ar
etomemi r
acles,
Thewholereferr
ing, y
eteachdi sti
nctandinit
splace.

Tomeev eryhouroft hel i

ghtanddar ki
sami r
acle,
Everycubi cinchofspacei sami racl
e,
Everysquar ey ardoft hesurfaceoftheeart
hisspreadwit
hthesame,
Everyfootoft hei nter
iorswar mswi t
hthesame.
Tomet heseai sacont inualmiracl
e,
Thefishest hatswi m- -
therocks--t
hemotionofthewaves-
-t
he
shipswi thmeni nthem,
Whatst rangermi raclesar et
here?

Spar
klesf
rom t
heWheel

Wheretheci
ty'
sceasel
esscr
owdmov esontheli
velongday,
Wi
thdrawnIj
oinagroupofchil
drenwat
chi
ng,Ipauseasidewit
hthem.

Bythecur btowardtheedgeoft hef laggi

ng,
Aknife-gri
nderworksathiswheel sharpeningagr eatkni
fe,
Bendingov erhecaref
ullyholdsittot hestone,byfootandknee,
Withmeasur 'dt
readhet urnsrapidly
, ashepr esseswithl
ightbut
f
irm hand,
Fort
hi ssuethenincopiousgoldenj ets,
Sparklesfrom t
hewheel .

Thesceneandal litsbel ongi

ngs, howt heyseizeandaf fectme,
Thesadshar p-chinn' doldmanwi thwor nclothesandbr oad
shoul der-bandofl eather,
My selfeffusingandf lui
d,aphant om curiouslyfl
oati
ng, nowher e
absor b'dandar r ested,
Thegr oup, (anunmi ndedpointseti nav astsurrounding,)
Theat tentive,quietchi l
dren,
thel oud,proud,resti
vebaseoft hestreet
s,
Thel owhoar sepur roft hewhirl
ingstone, theli
ght-
press'dblade,
Dif
f usi
ng, dropping, sideways-darti
ng,intinyshowersofgol d,
Spar kl
esf rom thewheel .

ToaPupi
l

I
sreform needed?isi
tthroughyou?
Thegreat
ert heref
orm needed,
thegreat
ert
hePer
sonal
i
tyy
ouneed
t
oaccompl i
shit
.

You!doy ounotseehowi twoul

dservetohaveeyes,bl
ood,
complexi
on,cleanandsweet?
Doy ounotseehowi twoul
dser
vetohavesuchabodyandsoul that
wheny ouenterthecrowdanatmospher
eofdesireandcommand
enter
swithyou, andever
yoneisi
mpress'
dwithyourPersonal
i
ty?

Othemagnet!t
hefleshov
erandov
er!
Go,dearf
ri
end,
ifneedbegiv
eupall
else,
andcommencet
o-dayt
o
 i
nureyoursel
ftopluck,
real
i
ty,sel
f-
esteem,
defi
nit
eness,
el
evat
edness,
Restnotti
l
ly our
ivetandpubl
ishyoursel
fofy
ourownPer sonal
i
ty.

Unf
oldedoutoft
heFol
ds

Unfoldedoutoft hef oldsoft hewomanmancomesunf olded,andis

alway stocomeunf olded,
Unfoldedonl youtoft hesuper bestwomanoft heear thist ocomet he
super bestmanoft heear th,
Unfoldedoutoft hef riendli
estwomani stocomet hefriendli
estman,
Unfoldedonl youtoft heper f
ectbodyofawomancanamanbe
form' dofper f
ectbody ,
Unfoldedonl youtoft hei ni
mi tablepoemsofwomancancomet he
poemsofman, (onlyt hencehav emypoemscome; )
Unfoldedoutoft hest rongandar r
ogantwomanIl ov e,onlythence
canappeart hest rongandar r
ogantmanIl ov e,
Unfoldedbybr awnyembr acesf rom thewel l
-muscl edwoman
l
ov e, onl
ythencecomet hebr awnyembr acesoft heman,
Unfoldedoutoft hef oldsoft hewoman' sbr ai
ncomeal l t
hef ol
ds
oftheman' sbr ai
n, dulyobedi ent,
Unfoldedoutoft hej usticeoft hewomanal lj
ust i
cei sunfolded,
Unfoldedoutoft hesy mpat hyoft hewomani sal lsy mpathy ;
Amani sagreatt hingupont heearthandt hroughet er
nity,but
ever yofthegr eatnessofmani sunfoldedoutofwoman;
Fi
rstt hemani sshapedi nt hewoman, hecant henbeshapedi nhimself
.

WhatAm IAf
terAl
l

Whatam Iafteral
lbutachil
d,pleas'
dwi
tht
hesoundofmyown
name?repeati
ngitoverandov er
;
Istandapar
ttohear--
itnev
erti
resme.

Toyouyournameal so;
Di
dy out
hinktherewasnothi
ngbutt
woort
hreepr
onunci
ati
onsi
n
thesoundofy ourname?

Kosmos

Whoi ncl udesdi versi

tyandi sNat ure,
Whoi st heampl i
tudeoft heear th,andt hecoar senessandsexual ityof
theear th,andt hegr eatchar it
yoft heear th,andt heequili
brium also,
Whohasnotl ook'dforthf r
om t hewi ndowst heey esfornothing,
orwhosebr ainheldaudi encewi thmessenger sf ornot
hing,
Whocont ai
nsbel ieversanddi sbeliev
er s,whoi st hemostmaj esti
clov er
,
Whohol dsdul yhi sorhert riunepr oportionofr eal
ism,
spiri
tual i
sm, andoft heaest heticorint el
lectual,
Whohav i
ngconsi der'
dt hebodyf i
ndsal lit
sor gansandpar t
sgood,
Who, outoft hetheor yoft heear thandofhi sorherbody
under standsbysubt leanal ogiesal lothert heories,
Thet heor yofaci ty,apoem, andoft hel argepol it
icsoftheseSt ates;
Whobel ievesnotonl yinourgl obewi t
hi tssunandmoon, butin
othergl obeswi ththeirsunsandmoons,
Who, constr
ucti
ngthehouseofhimselforher
self
,notforaday
butforallt
ime,seesr
aces,
eras,dat
es,generat
ions,
Thepast ,
thefutur
e,dwel
li
ngther
e,li
kespace,i
nseparablet
oget
her
.

Ot
her
sMayPr
aiseWhatTheyLi
ke

Othersmaypraisewhatt heyli
ke;
ButI,f
rom t
hebanksoft her unni
ngMissour
i,pr
aisenot
hingi
nar
t
oraughtel
se,
Ti
lli
thaswellinhaledtheatmospher
eoft hi
sriv
er,al
sothe
wester
nprairi
e-scent
,
Andexudesitallagain.

WhoLear
nsMyLessonCompl
ete?

Whol ear nsmyl essoncompl et

e?
Boss,jour neyman, apprent
ice,churchmanandat heist
,
Thest upidandt hewi set
hinker,parent
sandoffspri
ng,mer
chant
,
cl
erk, porterandcust omer,
Edit
or, author,art
ist,andschoolboy -
-dr
awnighandcommence;
I
tisnol esson--i
tletsdownt hebar stoagoodlesson,
Andthatt oanother,andev eryonet oanot
hersti
ll.

Thegreatlawstakeandeffusewithoutar
gument
,
Iam ofthesamest y
le,
forIam theirf
ri
end,
Il
ovethem quit
sandqui t
s,Idonothaltandmakesal
aams.

Il
ieabstr
actedandhearbeaut
if
ultalesofthi
ngsandt
her
easons
oft
hings,
Theyaresobeauti
fulInudgemyselftol
ist
en.

Icannotsaytoanyper
sonwhatIhear
--
Icannotsayi
ttomy
sel
f-
-
i
tisverywonder
ful
.

Iti
snosmal lmatter,t
hisroundanddelici
ousglobemov i
ngso
exactl
yini t
sorbitforeverandever,wit
houtonejoltor
theuntruthofasi ngl
esecond,
Idonott hinkitwasmadei nsixdays,
norintenthousandyear
s,
nortenbi l
li
onsofy ears,
Norplann'dandbui ltonethingaft
eranotherasanarchit
ectpl
ans
andbui l
dsahouse.

Idonotthinksevent
yy earsi
stheti
meofamanorwoman,
Northatsevent
ymi l
l
ionsofy ear
sistheti
meofamanorwoman,
Northatyearswil
leverstoptheexi
stenceofme,
oranyoneel
se.

Isitwonderf
ult
hatIshoul dbeimmor tal
?aseveryoneisimmort
al;
Iknowitiswonderful,butmyeyesighti sequal
l
ywonder f
ul,
and
howIwasconcei vedinmymot her'swombi sequall
ywonder
ful
,
Andpass'dfrom ababei nthecreepingt r
anceofacoupleof
summer sandwi nt
erstoarti
culateandwal k-
-al
lthi
sis
equal
lywonderful.

Andt hatmysoulembr acesyouthishour,

andweaffecteachot
her
wit
houteverseeingeachot her
,andneverper
hapstosee
eachother
,iseverybitaswonder f
ul.
AndthatIcanthi
nksuchthoughtsasthesei
sjustaswonderf
ul,
AndthatIcanremindyou,
andy outhi
nkthem andknowthem t
o
betr
ue,i
sjustaswonderful
.

Andthatthemoonspinsroundtheeart
handonwi t
htheeart
h,i
s
equal
l
ywonderful,
Andthattheybal
ancethemsel
veswiththesunandstar
sisequal
ly
wonderful
.

Test
s

Allsubmi ttothem wher et heysit,i

nner,
secure,unapproachableto
analysisint hesoul,
Nott r
aditions, nott
heout erauthorit
iesarethejudges,
Theyar ethej udgesofout eraut hori
ti
esandofal lt
radit
ions,
Theycor roborat eastheygoonl ywhat evercorr
oboratesthemselves,
andt ouchest hemselv
es;
Forallthat ,
theyhav eitforeverinthemselvestocorroboratefar
andnearwi thoutoneexcept ion.

TheTor
ch

OnmyNor thwestcoastinthemidstofthenightafi
shermen'
sgroup
st
andswat chi
ng,
Outonthelakethatexpandsbeforet
hem, other
sarespeari
ngsalmon,
Thecanoe,adim shadowyt hi
ng,movesacrosstheblackwater
,
Beari
ngatorchablazeattheprow.

OSt
arofFr
ance[
1870-
71]

OstarofFrance,
Thebri
ghtnessoft hyhopeandstr
engthandf ame,
Li
kesomepr oudshi pthatl
edthefl
eetsolong,
Beseemst o-
dayawr eckdri
venbythegale,amastl
esshul
k,
And'miditsteemingmadden'dhal
f-dr
own'dcrowds,
Norhelm norhelmsman.

Dim smitt
enst ar,
OrbnotofFr anceal one,palesymbol ofmysoul,it
sdear
esthopes,
Thestruggleandt hedar i
ng, r
agedi vi
neforl
iber
ty,
Ofaspirat
ionst owardt hefarideal,
enthusi
ast'
sdreamsofbrot
herhood,
Ofterr
ortot het y
rantandt hepr i
est.

St
arcrucifi
ed-
-byt
rai
tor
ssold,
St
arpantingo'
eralandofdeat
h,her
oicl
and,
St
range,passi
onate,
mocking,
fri
vol
ousl
and.

Miser
able!y
etforthyer
ror
s,v
ani
ti
es,
sins,Iwil
lnotnowrebuket
hee,
Thyunexampledwoesandpangshavequell
'
dt hem al
l
,
Andlef
ttheesacred.

I
nthatami
dthymanyf
aul
tst
houev
erai
medsthi
ghl
y,
I
nthatthouwoul dstnotreall
ysellt
hyselfhowevergr eatthepri
ce,
I
nthatthousur elywakedstweepingfrom thydrugg'dsleep,
I
nthataloneamongt hysist
ersthou,giant
ess,didstrendt heones
t
hatshamedt hee,
I
nthatthoucoul dstnot,
wouldstnot,weartheusual chains,
Thi
scross,thylividf
ace,thypier
cedhandsandf eet,
Thespearthrustinthyside.

Ostar!Oshi
pofFrance,beatbackandbaf
fl
edl
ong!
BearupOsmi t
tenorb!Oshipconti
nueon!

Sureastheshipofal
l,t
heEarthit
self,
Productofdeat
hlyf
ir
eandturbulentchaos,
Fort
hf r
om it
sspasmsoffuryandi t
spoisons,
I
ssuingatlasti
nperf
ectpowerandbeaut y,
Onwardbeneaththesunfol
lowingitscourse,
SotheeOshi pofFr
ance!

Fi
nish'dtheday s,t
hecl oudsdispel'
d
Thetravailo'er
,thelong-soughtextri
cat
ion,
Whenl o!reborn,higho'ertheEuropeanwor l
d,
(I
ngladnessanswer ingthence,asfaceafartoface,
ref
lect
ingour
s
Columbia,)
Againthyst arOFrance, fai
rlustr
ousstar,
I
nheav enlypeace, cl
earer,mor ebri
ghtthanever,
Shallbeam immor tal.

TheOx-
Tamer

Inaf ar-awaynor ther ncount yi nt hepl acidpast oral region,

Liv
esmyf armerf ri
end, thet hemeofmyr eci tati
v e, afamoust amerofoxen,
Theret heybr inghi mt het hree- y ear -
oldsandt hef our -
year -oldst o
breakt hem,
Hewi l
ltaket hewi l
destst eeri nt hewor ldandbr eakhi m andt amehi m,
Hewi l
lgof ear l
esswi thoutanywhi pwher ethey oungbul l
ock
chaf esupanddownt hey ard,
Thebul l
ock' sheadt ossesr est lesshi ghi nt heai rwi thr agingey es,
Yetseey ou!howsoonhi sr agesubsi des- -
howsoont hist amert ameshim;
Seey ou!ont hef armsher eaboutahundr edoxeny oungandol d,
andhei st hemanwhohast amedt hem,
Theyal l knowhi m, allareaf fect i
onat et ohi m;
Seey ou!somear esuchbeaut i
ful ani
mal s, sol oft ylooki ng;
Somear ebuf f
-color '
d, somemot tled,onehasawhi teliner unning
alonghi sback, somear ebr indl ed,
Somehav ewi def laringhor ns( agoodsi gn) --
seey ou!thebr i
ghthides,
See, t
het wowi thst ar sont hei rfor eheads- -see, ther oundbodi es
andbr oadbacks,
Howst raightandsquar et heyst andont heirl egs- -
whatf inesagaci ouseyes!
Howst raightt heywat cht hei rtamer -
-theywi shhi m neart hem- -how
theyt ur ntol ookaf terhi m!
Whaty ear ningexpr essi on!howuneasyt heyar ewhenhemov esawayf rom them;
NowImar vel whati tcanbeheappear st ot hem, (books, pol i
ti
cs,
poems, depar t--
al lelsedepar ts,)
Iconf essIenv yonl yhi sf asci nat ion--
mysi lent ,i
lli
ter atef r
iend,
Whom ahundr edoxenl ov et her ei nhisl i
feonf arms,
Inthenor ther ncount yf ar,int hepl acidpast oral region.
AnOldMan'sThoughtofSchool
[
FortheI
naugur
ati
onofaPubl i
cSchool
,Camden,
NewJer
sey
,1874]

Anol
dman'
sthoughtofschool
,
Anol
dmangather
ingyouthf
ulmemor
iesandbl
oomst
haty
out
hit
sel
fcannot
.

NowonlydoIknowy ou,
Ofai
rauror
alski
es-
-Omor ni
ngdewupont
hegr
ass!

AndtheseIsee,thesespar
kli
ngey es,
Thesestor
esofmy sti
cmeaning,t
heseyoungl
ives,
Bui
ldi
ng,equippi
ngl i
keafl
eetofships,i
mmort
al shi
ps,
Soontosailoutoverthemeasurel
essseas,
Onthesoul'
sv oyage.

Onl
yalotofboysandgirl
s?
Onl
ytheti
resomespell
i
ng,wri
ti
ng,
cipher
ingcl
asses?
Onl
yapublicschool
?

Ahmor e,i
nfini
telymore;
(AsGeor geFoxr ai
s'
dhiswarni
ngcry,
"Isitt
hispil
eofbrickand
mor t
ar,thesedeadf l
oors,wi
ndows,r
ails,
youcallt
hechur ch?
Whyt hisisnott hechurchatal
l
--t
hechurchisli
vi
ng,everli
vi
ng
souls."
)

AndyouAmer ica,
Castyoutherealreckoni
ngforyourpresent?
Theli
ghtsandshadowsofy ourfutur
e, goodorevil
?
Togir
lhood,boyhoodlook,t
heteacherandt heschool
.

Wander
ingatMor
n

Wander i
ngatmor n,
Emer gingf r
om thenightfrom gloomyt hought s,t
heeinmyt hought
s,
Yearningf ortheeharmoni ousUnion!thee,singingbirddiv
ine!
Theecoi l'
dinev i
lti
mesmycount ry
, wi
thcraftandblackdi smay ,
withev erymeanness, tr
easont hrustupont hee,
Thiscommonmar velIbeheld--
theparentthrushIwat ch'
df eedingi
tsy
oung,
Thesi ngingthrushwhoset onesofjoyandf aithecstati
c,
Fai
l nottocer ti
fyandcheermysoul .

Thereponder 'd,f
eltI,
I
fwor ms, snakes,loathsomegrubs, maytosweetspiri
tual
songsbet
urn'
d,
I
fv er
mi nsot ransposed,sousedandbl ess'
dmaybe,
ThenmayIt rustinyou, y
ourf
ortunes,days,
mycount ry;
Whoknowsbutt hesemaybet hel essonsfi
tforyou?
From thesey ourfuturesongmayr isewit
hjoyoustri
l
ls,
Desti
n'dtof i
llthewor l
d.

I
tal
ianMusici
nDakota
[
"TheSev
enteent
h--
thef
inestRegi
ment
alBandIev
erhear
d."
]

Throughthesofteveni
ngairenwindi
ngall,
Rocks,woods,for
t,cannon,paci
ngsent
ries,endl
esswi
l
ds,
I
ndul cetst
reams,i
nf l
utes'
andcornet
s'notes,
Electri
c,pensiv
e, t
urbulent
,artifi
ci
al,
(Yetstrangelyfi
tti
ngev enher e,meani ngsunknownbefore,
Subtlerthanever,mor eharmony ,asifbornhere,r
elat
edhere,
Nott othecity'
sfresco'drooms, nott otheaudienceoftheoper
ahouse,
Sounds, echoes,wander i
ngst rai
ns, asreal
lyhereathome,
Sonnambul a'sinnocentlove,tri
oswi t
hNorma'sanguish,
Andt hyecstati
cchor usPoliuto;)
Ray '
dinthelimpidy el
lowslant i
ngsundown,
Musi c,I
tal
ianmusi cinDakot a.

WhileNature,sov erei
gnofthi
sgnar l
'drealm,
Lurki
nginhiddenbar bar
icgri
mr ecesses,
Acknowledgingr apporthoweverfarremov 'd,
(Assomeol dr ootorsoilofeart
hi t
slast-bornfl
owerorf
rui
t,
)
List
enswell pl
eas' d.

Wi
thAl
lThyGi
ft
s

WithallthygiftsAmer i
ca,
Standingsecur e,rapidl
ytending,ov erl
ooki
ngthewor l
d,
Power ,wealth,extent,vouchsafedt othee--
wit
ht heseandlikeof
thesev ouchsaf edtothee,
Whati fonegi f
tthoul ackest?(theul t
imatehumanpr obl
em neversol
ving,
)
Thegi f
tofper fectwomenf itf
ort hee--
whatifthatgiftofgi
fts
thoulackest?
Thet oweringfemi nineofthee?t hebeaut y
,healt
h, complet
ion,f
itf
orthee?
Themot hersfi
tf orthee?

MyPi
ctur
e-Gal
l
ery

I
nal i
ttlehousekeepIpi cturessuspended,i
tisnotafix'
dhouse,
I
tisround, i
tisonlyafewi nchesfrom onesidetotheother
;
Yetbehold, i
thasroom foral l
theshowsoft heworld,
allmemori
es!
Herethet ableausofl
i
fe, andherethegroupingsofdeath;
Here,doy ouknowt hi
s?t hisisci
ceronehimself
,
Withfingerrais'
dhepointst otheprodi
galpi
ctures.

ThePr
air
ieSt
ates

Anewergardenofcr eation,nopr i
malsoli
tude,
Dense,j
oyous,moder n,populousmi l
li
ons,ci
tiesandfar
ms,
Wit
hi r
onint
erlaced,composi t
e, t
ied,
manyi none,
Byallt
hewor l
dcontributed-
-freedom'sandlaw'sandthri
ft
'ssociet
y,
Thecrownandt eemi ngparadise,sofar,
oftime'saccumulat
ions,
Tojusti
fyt
hepast .

BOOKXXV

Pr
oudMusi
coft
heSt
orm
 1
Proudmusi coft hest or m,
Blastthatcareerssof ree,whi stl
ingacr ossthepr air
ies,
Stronghum off orestt ree-tops--windoft hemount ai
ns,
Personifi
eddi m shapes- -youhi ddenor chestras,
Youser enadesofphant omswi thinst rument salert,
BlendingwithNat ure'sr hythmusal lthet onguesofnat i
ons;
Youchor dsleftasbyv astcomposer s--youchoruses,
Youf ormless,fr
ee,rel i
giousdances- -y oufrom theOr i
ent
,
Youunder toneofr i
v ers, r
oarofpour ingcat aracts,
Yousoundsf rom distantgunswi thgal lopi
ngcav alr
y,
Echoesofcampswi thal lt
hedi fferentbugl e-cal
ls,
Troopingtumul t
uous, fi
lli
ngt hemi dni ghtlate,bendingmepowerless,
Enteri
ngmyl onesomesl umber -chamber ,whyhav eyouseiz'
dme?

2
Comef orwardOmysoul ,andlett
her estret
ir
e,
Li
sten,l
osenot ,i
tist
owardtheetheyt end,
Part
ingthemi dni
ght,
ent
er i
ngmysl umber -
chamber
,
FortheetheysinganddanceOsoul .

Afesti
valsong,
Theduetoft hebridegr
oom andthebri
de,amar ri
age-mar
ch,
Wit
hl i
psofl ove,
andheartsoflover
sfi
ll
'
dtot hebrim wi
thl
ove,
Thered-f
lush'dcheeksandperfumes,t
hecortegeswar mi
ngful
lof
f
ri
endlyfacesy oungandold,
Toflut
es'clearnotesandsoundinghar
ps'cantabi
le.

Nowl oudappr oachi

ngdr
ums,
Vi
ctoria!seestthoui
npowder-
smokethebanner
stor
nbutf
lyi
ng?
t
her outofthebaffl
ed?
Hearestthoseshoutsofaconquer
ingar
my?

(Ahsoul,t
hesobsofwomen,thewoundedgroani
nginagony
,
Thehissandcrackl
eoffl
ames,thebl
acken'
drui
ns,t
heembersofci
ti
es,
Thedirgeanddesol
ati
onofmankind.
)

Nowairsant
iqueandmedi aevalfi
l
lme,
Iseeandhearol
dharperswi t
htheirhar
psatWel shf
est
ival
s,
Iheart
heminnesi
ngerssingingthei
rlaysoflov
e,
Iheart
heminstr
els,
gleemen, t
roubadours,
ofthemiddl
eages.

Nowt hegr eator gansounds,

Tremul ous, whi leunder neat h, (
ast hehi df oothol dsoft heearth,
Onwhi char isingr est ,andl eapi ngf or t
hdepend,
Allshapesofbeaut y,graceandst rength, allhuesweknow,
Greenbl adesofgr assandwar blingbi rds, childrent hatgambol and
play, thecloudsofheav enabov e,)
Thest rongbasest ands, andi tspul sati
onsi nt ermitsnot ,
Bathing, suppor t
ing, mer gi ngal lther est ,
mat ernityofal l
therest,
Andwi thitev eryi nstrumenti nmul tit
udes,
Thepl ay erspl aying, allthewor ld'smusi cians,
Thesol emnhy mnsandmassesr ousi ngador ation,
Allpassi onat ehear t
-chant s, sorrowf ulappeal s,
Themeasur el esssweetv ocal istsofages,
Andf ort heirsol ventset ti
ngear th'sowndi apason,
Ofwi ndsandwoodsandmi ght yoceanwav es,
Anewcomposi teor chest ra, binderofy earsandcl imes, ten-
foldr
enewer,
Asoft hef ar-backday st hepoet st ell
,thePar adiso,
Thest ray i
ngt hence, thesepar ati
onl ong, butnowt hewander ingdone,
Thej
our
neydone,t
hej
our
neymancomehome,
Andmanandartwi
thNat
uref
usedagai
n.

Tutt
i!f
orear
thandheaven;
(TheAlmi
ghtyl
eadernowforoncehassi
gnal
'
dwi
thhi
swand.
)

Themanlyst
ropheofthehusbandsoft
hewor
ld,
Andal
lthewivesr
espondi
ng.

Thet onguesofviol
ins,
(It
hinkOt onguesy etel
lthi
sheart,t
hatcannottel
lit
sel
f,
Thisbroodingyearningheart
,thatcannott
elli
tsel
f.
)

3
Ahf r
om al it
tl
echi ld,
Thouknowestsoul howt omeal lsoundsbecamemusi c,
Mymot her'
sv oiceinl ull
abyorhy mn,
(Thev oice, Otenderv oices,memor y'
slov i
ngv oi
ces,
Lastmi racleofal l,Odear estmother '
s,sister
's,voi
ces;
)
Ther ain, t
hegr owingcor n,thebreezeamongt helong-
leav'dcor
n,
Themeasur '
dsea- sur fbeat i
ngont hesand,
Thet witteri
ngbi rd,thehawk' ssharpscr eam,
Thewi ld-fowl'
snot esatni ghtasf l
y i
nglowmi grati
ngnor t
horsouth,
Thepsal mi nthecount rychur chormi dt hecluster
ingtr
ees, t
he
openai rcamp- meet i
ng,
Thef i
ddl erinthet av ern,theglee,thelong-strungsail
or-song,
Thelowi ngcattle,bleat i
ngsheep, thecrowi ngcockatdawn.

All
songsofcur rentl
andscomesoundi ngroundme,
TheGermanai rsoffri
endshi
p,wineandlov e,
I
ri
shballads,mer r
yji
gsanddances, Engl
i
shwar bl
es,
ChansonsofFr ance,
Scotchtunes,ando'erther
est,
I
tal
ia'
speerlesscompositi
ons.

Acrosst
hestagewit
hpall
oronherface,y
etlur
idpassi
on,
Stal
ksNormabrandi
shi
ngthedaggerinherhand.

Iseepoorcr
azedLuci
a'
seyes'
unnatur
algleam,
Herhai
rdownherbackfal
l
slooseanddishevel
'
d.

IseewhereErnaniwalki
ngthebridalgarden,
Amidthescentofnight-
roses,
radiant,
holdinghi
sbri
debyt
hehand,
Hearsthei
nfernal
call
, t
hedeath-
pledgeoft hehor
n.

Tocrossingswordsandgr ayhairsbaredtoheaven,
Theclearelect
ri
cbaseandbar i
toneoftheworld,
Thetromboneduo, Li
bertadforever!
From Spanishchest
nuttrees'denseshade,
Byoldandheav yconventwallsawai l
ingsong,
Songoflostlove,t
hetorchofy outhandlif
equench'
dindespai
r,
Songoft hedyi
ngswan, Fernando'shearti
sbreaki
ng.

Awaki
ngfr
om herwoesatlastr
etri
ev'
dAminasi
ngs,
Copi
ousasst
arsandgladasmor ni
ngli
ghtt
hetor
rent
sofherj
oy.

(Theteemingladycomes,
Thelustr
iousorb,Venuscont
ral
to,t
hebloomi
ngmot
her
,
Sist
erofloft
iestgods,Al
boni
'
sselfIhear
.)

4
Iheart
hoseodes,sy
mphonies,
operas,
Iheari
ntheWil
li
am Tel
lthemusicofanar
ous'
dandangr
ypeopl
e,
IhearMeyer
beer'
sHuguenots,
thePr
ophet
,orRober
t,
Gounod'
sFaust,
orMozart'
sDonJuan.

Iheart
hedance-
musicofallnat
ions,
Thewaltz
,somedeli
ciousmeasure,l
apsi
ng,bat
hingmeinbl
i
ss,
Theboler
ototi
nkl
ingguit
arsandclat
teri
ngcast
anets.

Iseereligi
ousdancesol dandnew,
Ihearthesoundoft heHebr ewlyre,
Iseethecr usadersmar chingbearingthecr ossonhi gh,t
othe
martialcl
angofcy mbal s,
Ihearder vi
shesmonot onouslychant i
ng, i
ntersper s'
dwithfrant
ic
shouts,astheyspi nar oundturningalway st owar dsMecca,
Iseether aptreli
giousdancesoft hePer si
ansandt heArabs,
Again,atEleusis,homeofCer es,Iseet hemoder nGreeksdancing,
Ihearthem clappingt heirhandsast heybendt heirbodi
es,
Ihearthemet ricalshuffli
ngofthei rf
eet.

Iseeagai nthewi l
doldCor y
bant
iandance,t
heperf
ormerswoundi
ng
eachot her,
Iseet heRomany outhtotheshr
il
lsoundoffl
ageol
etst
hrowi
ngand
catchingtheirweapons,
Astheyf allontheirkneesandri
seagain.

Ihearfr
om theMussul manmosquet hemuezzincall
ing,
Iseetheworshipperswit
hin,norform norser
mon, ar
gumentnorwor
d,
Butsil
ent,
strange,dev
out,rai
s'd,
glowingheads,ecst
aticfaces.

Iheart
heEgy ptianharpofmanyst ri
ngs,
Thepri
mi t
ivechant softheNil
eboat men,
Thesacredimper i
al hy
mnsofChi na,
Tothedeli
catesoundsoft heking,(t
hestri
ckenwoodandst
one,
)
OrtoHinduf l
utesandt hefret
ti
ngt wangofthevi
na,
Abandofbay ader es.

5
NowAsia, Afri
caleaveme,Europeseizi
nginfl
atesme,
ToorganshugeandbandsIhearasf r
om vastconcour
sesofvoi
ces,
Lut
her'
sst r
onghy mnEinefesteBur gi
stunserGott,
Rossi
ni'
sSt abatMaterdol
orosa,
Orfl
oati
ngi nsomehi ghcathedral
dim wit
hgorgeouscolor
'dwi
ndows,
ThepassionateAgnusDei orGlori
ainExcelsi
s.

Composers!mightymaestr
os!
Andyou,sweetsinger
sofoldl
ands,
sopr
ani
,tenor
i,bassi
!
Toyouanewbar dcaroli
ngint
heWest,
Obei
santsendshislove.

(Suchledtot heeOsoul
,
Allsenses,showsandobject
s,l
eadtothee,
Butnowi tseemst omesoundleadso'
erallt
her
est
.)

Iheartheannualsingi
ngoft hechil
dreninSt.Paul
'
scathedral
,
Or,underthehighroofofsomecol ossalhal
l
, t
hesymphonies,
orat
oriosofBeethoven,Handel,
orHay dn,
TheCr eati
oninbil
l
owsofgodhoodl avesme.

Givemet ohol
dal lsounds, (Imadlystruggl
i
ngcry,
)
Fi
llmewi t
hallthev oicesoft heuniv
erse,
Endowmewi t
ht heirthrobbings,Natur
e'sal
so,
Thetempests,wat ers,winds,operasandchants,
marchesanddances,
Utt
er,pouri
n,forIwoul dt akethem all
!
 6
ThenIwokesof tl
y,
Andpausi ng, quest i
oni ngawhi lethemusi cofmydr eam,
Andquest ioningal lthoser eminiscences,thetempesti ni
tsfur
y,
Andallthesongsofsopr anosandt enors,
Andthoser aptor ient al dancesofr eli
giousfervor,
Andthesweetv ariedi nst rument s,andt hediapasonoforgans,
Andallthear tlesspl aint sofl oveandgr i
efanddeat h,
Isai
dtomysi lentcur ioussoul outoft hebedoft heslumber
-chamber
,
Come,forIhav ef oundt hecl ewIsoughtsol ong,
Letusgof orthr efresh' dami dt
heday ,
Cheerf
ullyt al
lyingl if
e, wal kingthewor ld,t
her eal
,
Nouri
sh'dhencef orthbyourcel esti
aldream.

AndIsai d, mor eov er,

Haplywhatt houhasthear dOsoul wasnott hesoundofwi nds,
Nordr eam ofr agingst orm, norsea- hawk'sfl
appingwingsnorharshscream,
Norvocal i
sm ofsun- brightItal
y,
NorGer manor ganmaj estic,norvastconcour seofv oi
ces,norl
ayers
ofhar moni es,
Norstr ophesofhusbandsandwi ves, norsoundofmar chi
ngsoldier
s,
Norflutes, norhar ps, northebugl e-callsofcamps,
Buttoanewr hythmusf itt
edf orthee,
Poemsbr idgingt hewayf r
om Li f
et oDeat h,vaguel
ywaf t
edinnight
ai
r,uncaught ,unwr itt
en,
Whichl etusgof orthint hebol ddayandwr it
e.

BOOKXXVI

Passaget
oIndi
a

1
Si
ngi
ngmyday s,
Si
ngi
ngthegr eatachievement softhepresent,
Si
ngi
ngthestr onglightwor ksofengi
neers,
Ourmodernwonder s,(t
heant i
queponderousSev enout
vied,
)
I
ntheOldWor ldtheeastt heSuezcanal,
TheNewbyi t
smi ghtyrail
roadspann'
d,
Theseasinl
aidwi theloquentgentl
ewires;
Yetf
ir
sttosound, andev ersound,thecrywiththeeOsoul,
ThePast!t
hePast !thePast !

ThePast-
-thedar kunfathom'dr etr
ospect!
Theteeminggulf--thesl
eepersandt heshadows!
Thepast-
-theinfi
nitegreatnessoft hepast!
Forwhatisthepr esentafterallbutagrowthoutofthepast?
(Asaproject
il
ef orm'd,i
mpel l
'd,passingacert
ainl
ine,
sti
llkeepson,
Sothepresent,utterl
yform'd,impell'
dbythepast.
)

2
PassageOsoul
toIndi
a!
Ecl
air
ciset
hemythsAsi
ati
c,t
hepr
imi
ti
vef
abl
es.

Notyoualoneproudtrut
hsoft hewor l
d,
Noryoualoneyefactsofmoder nscience,
Butmythsandfablesofeld,Asia'
s,Afr
ica'
sfables,
Thefar
-dart
ingbeamsoft hespiri
t,t
heunloos'ddreams,
Thedeepdi vi
ngbi blesandlegends,
Thedaringplotsoft hepoets, t
heelderr el
igi
ons;
Oy outemplesf ai
rerthanli
li
espour '
dov erbytherisingsun!
Oy oufablesspurningtheknown, eludingtheholdoft heknown,
mount i
ngtoheav en!
Youloftyanddazzl i
ngtower s,pinnacled,redasroses, bur
nish'
d
wit
hgol d!
Towersoff ablesi
mmor tal
fashion'df rom mortal
dr eams!
YoutooIwel comeandf ull
yt hesameast herest!
Youtoowi thjoyIsing.

PassagetoIndia!
Lo,soul
,seestthounotGod'spur posef
rom thef
ir
st?
Theearthtobespann'd,connectedbynet wor
k,
Theraces,neighbor
s,t
omar ryandbegi veninmarr
iage,
Theoceanst obecross'
d,thedistantbr
oughtnear,
Thelandstobewel dedtogether
.

Aworshi
pnewIsi ng,
Youcapt
ains,v
oy agers, explorer
s,your
s,
Youengi
neers,youar chitects,machini
sts,
your
s,
You,
notfortr
adeort ranspor t
ati
ononly,
Buti
nGod'sname, andf orthysakeOsoul .

3
PassagetoIndia!
Losoulfortheeoft ableaustwain,
Iseeinonet heSuezcanal i
nit
iated,
open'd,
Iseetheprocessionofst eamshi ps,
theEmpr essEngeni
e'
sleadi
ngthev
an,
Imarkfrom ondeckt hestrangelandscape,t
hepuresky,thel
evel
sandinthedi st
ance,
Ipassswiftl
ythepi ct
uresquegr oups,t
hewor kmengather'
d,
Thegiganti
cdr edgingmachi nes.

Inoneagai n,
di ff
er ent ,(yett hine, all thine,Osoul ,thesame, )
Iseeov ermyowncont inentt hePaci fi
cr ail
roadsur mount ingev erybarr
ier
,
Iseecont inual tr
ainsofcar swi ndingal ongt hePl attecarrying
freightandpassenger s,
Iheart hel ocomot ivesr ushi ngandr oar i
ng,andt heshr il
lsteam- whist
le,
Iheart heechoesr ev erber atet hr ought hegr andestscener yinthewor l
d,
Icrosst heLar ami epl ai
ns, Inot et her ocksi ngr otesqueshapes,
thebut tes,
Iseet hepl ent i
ful l
ar kspurandwi ldoni ons,thebar ren,colorless,
sage- deser ts,
Iseei ngl i
mpsesaf arort ower ingi mmedi atelyabov emet hegr eat
mount ains,Iseet heWi ndr iverandt heWahsat chmount ains,
Iseet heMonumentmount ainandt heEagl e'sNest ,Ipasst he
Pr omont or
y ,Iascendt heNev adas,
Iscant henobl eEl kmount ainandwi ndar oundi tsbase,
Iseet heHumbol dtr ange, Ithreadt hev al
leyandcr ossther iver,
Iseet hecl earwat er sofl akeTahoe, Iseef orestsofmaj est i
cpi nes,
Orcr ossi ngt hegr eatdeser t,theal kal i
nepl ains, Ibehold
enchant i
ngmi ragesofwat ersandmeadows,
Mar kingt hrought heseandaf teral l,indupl icatesl enderli
nes,
Bri
dgi ngt het hreeorf ourt housandmi lesofl andt ravel
,
Tyingt heEast ernt ot heWest er nsea,
Ther oadbet weenEur opeandAsi a.

(AhGenoesethydream!thydream!
Cent
uri
esaf t
ert
houar tl
aidi
nt hygrav
e,
Theshorethoufoundestver
if
iesthydream.
)
 4
PassagetoIndi
a!
Str
ugglesofmanyacaptai
n,tal
esofmanyasailordead,
Overmymoodst eali
ngandspreadi
ngtheycome,
Li
kecloudsandcloudl
etsi
ntheunreach'
dsky.

Alongal lhist
ory,downt hesl opes,
Asar ivuletrunning,sinkingnow, andnowagai ntot
hesurf
aceri
sing,
Aceasel esst hought,av ariedt rai
n--
lo,
soul,tot
hee,
thysi
ght,
theyr i
se,
Theplans, thev oyagesagai n,theexpediti
ons;
AgainVascodeGamasai l
sf orth,
Againtheknowl edgegai n'd, t
hemar iner'
scompass,
Landsf oundandnat ionsbor n,thoubornAmer i
ca,
Forpur posev ast,man' slongpr obat
ionfi
ll
'd,
Thour ondur eoft hewor ldatl astaccomplish'
d.

5
Ov astRondur e,swimmi nginspace,
Cov er'
dall overwithvisibl
epowerandbeaut y,
Alt
er natelightanddayandt heteemingspiri
tualdarkness,
Unspeakabl ehighprocessionsofsunandmoonandcount l
essstarsabov
e,
Below, themani foldgrassandwat ers,
animals, mountai
ns,trees,
Withi nscrutablepurpose,somehi ddenpropheticint
ention,
Nowf ir
stitseemsmyt houghtbeginstospant hee.

Downf rom t
hegar densofAsiadescendingradi
ati
ng,
Adam andEv eappear ,
thenthei
rmy r
iadprogenyaft
erthem,
Wander i
ng,year
ning,curi
ous,wit
hrestl
essexplor
ati
ons,
Withquesti
onings,baffl
ed,f
ormless,
feveri
sh,wit
hnever-happyhear
ts,
Withthatsadincessantrefr
ain,
Whereforeunsati
sfi
edsoul?and
WhitherOmocki nglif
e?

Ahwhoshallsoothet hesefeveri
shchildren?
WhoJusti
fytheserest l
essexplorat
ions?
Whospeakthesecr etofimpassiveearth?
Whobindittous?whati sthisseparateNat uresounnatur
al?
Whatist
hisearthtoouraf f
ections?(unlovingeart
h,wi
thouta
t
hrobt
oanswerour s,
Col
deart
h, t
heplaceofgr aves.)

Yetsoulbesuret
hefi
rsti
ntentr
emai ns,
andshal
lbecar
ri
edout
,
Perhapsevennowtheti
mehasar r
ived.

Aftertheseasar eall
cross'
d,(astheyseem al
readycross'
d,)
Afterthegreatcaptai
nsandengi neer
shav eaccompli
sh'dthei
rwor
k,
Afterthenobleinventor
s,aft
erthescient
ist
s,thechemist,
the
geologi
st,ethnol
ogist,
Fi
nallyshallcomet hepoetwor t
hythatname,
Thet r
uesonofGodshal lcomesi ngi
nghissongs.

Thennoty ourdeedsonl yOv oy

agers,Oscienti
stsandinventors,
shallbej usti
fi
ed,
Allthesehear tsasoff r
ettedchildr
enshallbesooth'
d,
Allaffecti
onshal lbefull
yrespondedt o,t
hesecretshallbetold,
Allthesesepar ati
onsandgapsshal lbetakenupandhook' dand
l
ink'dtoget her,
Thewhol eear t
h,thi
scold, i
mpassive,voi
celesseart
h,shall
be
compl etelyJustif
ied,
Tri
nitasdivineshal l
begl ori
ouslyaccomplish'
dandcompact edby
thet r
uesonofGod, t
hepoet ,
(Heshal li
ndeedpasst hestrait
sandconquert hemount ai
ns,
Heshall
doubl
ethecapeofGoodHopet osomepurpose,
)
Natur
eandManshallbedisj
oin'danddif
fusednomore,
Thetr
uesonofGodshallabsolutel
yfusethem.

6
Yearatwhosewi de-fl
ungdoorIsi ng!
Yearofthepurposeaccompl ish'
d!
Yearofthemar r
iageofcont inents,cli
matesandoceans!
(Nomer edogeofVeni cenowweddi ngtheAdr i
atic,
)
IseeOy earinyouthev astterraqueousgl obegivenandgivingall
,
EuropetoAsia,Afri
cajoin'd,
andt heyt otheNewWor ld,
Thelands,geographi
es, dancingbef or
ey ou,hol
dingaf est
ivalgar
land,
Asbr i
desandbr i
degroomshandi nhand.

PassagetoIndi
a!
Cooli
ngair
sf r
om Caucasusfar
,soothi
ngcradl
eofman,
Theriv
erEuphrat
esflowing,
thepastli
tupagai
n.

Losoul ,
theret r
ospectbr oughtf or ward,
Theol d, mostpopul ous, weal thiestofear th'
sl ands,
Thest reamsoft heI ndusandt heGangesandt heirmanyaf f
luent
s,
(Imyshor esofAmer icawal ki
ngt o-daybehol d,resumi ngal l
,
)
Thetal eofAlexanderonhi swar li
kemar chessuddenl ydy i
ng,
Ononesi deChi naandont heot hersi dePer si
aandAr abia,
Tothesout hthegr eatseasandt hebayofBengal ,
Thef l
owi ngliteratures,tremendousepi cs,reli
gions, castes,
Oldoccul tBrahmai nter
mi nablyf arback, thetenderandj uniorBuddha,
Central andsout her nempi resandal ltheirbelongings, possessors,
Thewar sofTamer l
ane,ther eignofAur ungzebe,
Thetr aders,r
ul ers,explor ers,Mosl ems, Venet i
ans, Byzantium,the
Arabs, Portuguese,
Thef i
rstt r
avelersf amousy et
, Mar coPol o,Batoutat heMoor ,
Doubt st obesol v'd,themapi ncogni t
a, blankst obef i
ll
'
d,
Thef ootofmanunst ay'd, thehandsnev eratr est,
Thysel fOsoul t
hatwi l
lnotbr ookachal lenge.

Themediaevalnavigat
orsri
sebefor
eme,
Theworldof1492,wi t
hit
sawaken'denterpr
ise,
Somethi
ngswel l
inginhumanitynowli
kethesapoft
heear
thi
nspr
ing,
Thesunsetspl
endorofchivalr
ydecli
ning.

Andwhoar tthousadshade?
Giganti
c,visi
onary,
thysel
favisi
onar
y,
Withmaj esti
climbsandpiousbeamingey
es,
Spreadi
ngar oundwi t
heveryl
ookofthi
neagol
denwor
ld,
Enhuingitwithgorgeoushues.

Asthechi efhistr
ion,
Downt othef ootlightswal ksi nsomegr eatscena,
Dominatingt herestIseet heAdmi ralhi
mself
,
(Hi
story'
st ypeofcour age,act ion,fait
h,)
Beholdhim sai lf
rom Pal osl eadi nghisli
ttl
efl
eet,
Hisvoyagebehol d,hisretur n,hisgr eatf
ame,
Hismisfortunes, calumniat ors, beholdhim apri
soner
,chai
n'
d,
Beholdhisdej ection,poverty ,death.

(Curiousi nt
imeIst and, noti
ngtheeffor
tsofheroes,
Isthedef ermentlong?bi ttert
heslander,pov
ert
y,death?
Liest heseedunreck'df orcenturi
esintheground?lo,
toGod'
sdue
occasi on,
Uprisinginthenight,itsprouts,bl
ooms,
Andf ill
stheeart
hwi t
huseandbeaut y.)
 7
PassageindeedOsoultopr imal
thought
,
Notlandsandseasalone, t
hyownclearf
reshness,
They oungmatur
it
yofbr oodandbloom,
Torealmsofbuddingbibles.

Osoul, r
epressl
ess, Iwit
ht heeandt houwit
hme,
Thycircumnav i
gationoft heworldbegin,
Ofman, thev oy
ageofhi smi nd'sret
urn,
Toreason'searlypar adi
se,
Back,backt owisdom' sbirt
h,toinnocenti
ntui
ti
ons,
Againwi t
hfaircreation.

8
Owecanwai tnolonger
,
Wet ootakeshipOsoul,
Joyouswet oolaunchoutontrackl
essseas,
Fearl
essforunknownshoresonwav esofecst
asyt
osail,
Amidt hewafti
ngwinds,(
thoupressingmet ot
hee,
Itheetome,
Osoul
,
)
Caroli
ngfree,
singi
ngoursongofGod,
Chantingourchantofpl
easantexplorat
ion.

Wit
hlaughandmanyaki ss,
(
Letothersdeprecat
e,l
etothersweepf
orsi
n,r
emor
se,
humi
l
iat
ion,
)
Osoulthoupleasestme,Ithee.

Ahmoret
hananypri
estOsoul
wetoobel
i
eveinGod,
Butwi
tht
hemyster
yofGodwedar
enotdall
y.

Osoul t
houpl easestme, It hee,
Sail
ingt
heseseasoront hehi l
ls,orwakingintheni
ght,
Thoughts,si
lentthoughts, ofTi meandSpaceandDeat h,l
ikewat
ersf
lowi
ng,
Bearmei ndeedast hrought her egi
onsinfi
nit
e,
Whoseai rIbreathe,whoser ippleshear,l
avemeal l
over,
BathemeOGodi nthee,mount ingtothee,
Iandmysoul torangeinr angeoft hee.

OThout ranscendent,
Namel ess, t
hef i
breandt hebr eath,
Li
ghtoft hel i
ght,sheddingf ort huniverses, thoucent r
eofthem,
Thoumi ght i
ercentreoft het rue, t
hegood, thel ovi
ng,
Thoumor al,spir
it
ualfountain- -aff
ection'ssour ce--
thoureservoir
,
(Opensiv esoul ofme--Ot hi
rstunsat isfi
ed--wai t
estnotthere?
Waitestnothapl yforussomewher etheret heComr adeperfect?
)
Thoupul se--thoumot i
veoft hest ars,suns, systems,
That,cir
cling, moveinorder, saf e,harmoni ous,
Athwarttheshapel essv astnessesofspace,
Howshoul dIt hi
nk,howbr eat heasi nglebreat h,howspeak, if
,out
ofmy self,
Icouldnotl aunch,tothose, super ioruniv er
ses?

Swif
tlyIshri
velatt hethoughtofGod,
AtNatureanditswonder s, Ti
meandSpaceandDeat h,
ButthatI,t
urni
ng, call
tot heeOsoul ,t
houactual
Me,
Andlo,thougent l
ymast er esttheorbs,
Thoumat estTime, smilestcont entatDeath,
Andf i
l
lest,
swellestfullthev astnessesofSpace.

Great
erthanstarsorsuns,
BoundingOsoul t
houjourney
estfort
h;
Whatlovethanthineandourscouldwiderampl
i
fy?
Whataspir
ations,wi
shes, outvi
ethineandoursOsoul?
Whatdreamsoft heideal?whatpl ansofpuri
ty,
perf
ect
ion,
str
engt
h?
Whatcheerfulwil
l
ingnessf orothers'
saketogiveupal
l
?
Forot
hers'saketosufferall?

ReckoningaheadOsoul ,whenthou,thetimeachiev'
d,
Theseasallcross'
d,weather'
dthecapes, t
hev oyagedone,
Surr
ounded,copest,f
rontestGod,yi
eldest,t
heaim att
ain'
d,
Asfil
l'
dwithfri
endshi
p,lovecomplete,theElderBrot
herfound,
TheYoungermel tsi
nfondnessinhisar ms.

9
Passagetomor et hanIndi
a!
Arethywingsplumedi ndeedforsuchf arf
li
ghts?
Osoul,voyagestthouindeedonv oyagesli
kethose?
Dispor
testthouonwat erssuchasthose?
SoundestbelowtheSanscr i
tandtheVedas?
Thenhav ethybentunleash'
d.

Passagetoyou,yourshores,
yeagedf i
erceenigmas!
Passagetoyou,tomastershi
pofy ou,yest
rangli
ngprobl
ems!
You,st
rew'
dwi t
ht hewrecksofskelet
ons,that
,li
vi
ng,
neverr
each'
dyou.

Passagetomor ethanI ndi

a!
Osecretoftheear t
handsky !
OfyouOwat ersoft hesea!Owi ndi
ngcreeksandri
ver
s!
OfyouOwoodsandf iel
ds!ofy oustrongmountai
nsofmyl
and!
OfyouOpr air
ies!ofyougrayr ocks!
Omor ni
ngred!Ocl ouds!Or ainandsnows!
Odayandni ght,passagetoy ou!

Osunandmoonandal
lyoust
ars!Si
ri
usandJupi
ter
!
Passaget
oyou!

Passage,
immediat
epassage!thebl
oodbur
nsi
nmyv
eins!
AwayOsoul!hoi
stinst
ant
lytheanchor
!

Cutt
hehawsers--
haulout-
-shakeouteverysai
l!
Havewenotstoodhereli
ket r
eesinthegroundlongenough?
Havewenotgrovel
'dherelongenough,eati
nganddrinkingl
ikemerebr
utes?
Havewenotdarken'
danddazedour selveswit
hbooksl ongenough?

Sai
lfor
th-
-st
eerf
orthedeepwat er
sonly,
Reckl
essOsoul,
explor
ing,Iwiththee,
andt houwit
hme,
Forweareboundwheremar inerhasnotyetdaredtogo,
Andwewi l
lri
skt
heship,ourselvesandall
.

Omybr avesoul!
Ofar
therfar
thersail
!
Odari
ngjoy,butsafe!ar
et heynotal
ltheseasofGod?
Ofar
ther,
fart
her,far
thersail
!

BOOKXXVI
I

Pr
ayerofCol
umbus

Abat
ter
'd,
wreck'
dol
dman,
Thrownonthissavageshore, f
ar,farf
rom home,
Pentbytheseaanddar krebell
iousbrows,twel
vedrear
ymont
hs,
Sore,st
if
fwit
hmanyt oi
l
s,sicken'dandnightodeat
h,
It
akemywayal ongtheisl
and'sedge,
Venti
ngaheav yhear
t.

Iam toofullofwoe!
HaplyImaynotl i
veanot herday;
IcannotrestOGod, Icannoteatordri
nkorsleep,
Til
lIputf
or thmy self
, myprayer
,oncemor et
oThee,
Breat
he,bathemy selfoncemor einThee,
communewit
hThee,
Reportmy selfoncemor et oThee.

Thouknowestmyy earsenti
re,myl if
e,
Mylongandcrowdedl i
feofactivewor k,notadorati
onmer el
y;
Thouknowesttheprayersandv i
gilsofmyy out
h,
Thouknowestmymanhood' ssol emnandv isi
onarymeditati
ons,
Thouknowesthowbef oreIcommencedIdev otedallt
ocomet oThee,
ThouknowestIhaveinager ati
fi
edal lt
hosev owsandst r
ictl
ykeptt
hem,
ThouknowestIhavenotoncel ostnorf ait
hnorecstasyinThee,
I
nshackles,
pri
son'
d, i
ndisgrace,repini
ngnot ,
Accept
ingal
lfr
om Thee, asdulycomef rom Thee.

All
myempr i
seshav ebeenf il
l
'dwi
thThee,
Myspeculati
ons,plans,begunandcarri
edonint hought
sofThee,
Sai
li
ngthedeeporj ourneyingthel
andforThee;
I
ntent
ions,purpor
ts,aspir
ationsmine,
leav
ingresult
stoThee.

OIam suretheyr eal

lycamef r
om Thee,
Theurge,t
hear dor,t
heunconquerablewil
l,
Thepotent
,felt
,inter
iorcommand, st
rongerthanwords,
Amessagef rom theHeav enswhi
speringtomeev eninsl
eep,
Thesespedmeon.

Bymeandthesethewor
ksof araccompli
sh'
d,
Bymeeart
h'sel
dercl
oy'
dandst i
fl
edlandsuncl
oy'
d,unl
oos'd,
Bymethehemispher
esroundedandtied,
theunknowntotheknown.

TheendIknownot ,
iti
sallinThee,
Orsmal lorgreatIknownot -
-hapl
ywhatbr oadfi
elds,
whatlands,
Haplythebrutishmeasurelesshumanunder growthIknow,
Transplant
edt her
emayr isetostature,knowledgeworthyThee,
Haplytheswor dsIknowmayt hereindeedbet urn'
dtoreapi
ng-tool
s,
Haplythelif
elesscrossIknow, Europe'
sdeadcr oss,maybudand
blossom there.

Oneef fortmore,myal t
art hi
sbl eaksand;
ThatThouOGodmyl if
ehastl ighted,
Withrayofl i
ght,steady ,i
neffable,vouchsafedofThee,
Li
ghtr areuntel
lable,li
ghtingthev er
ylight
,
Beyondal lsi
gns, descripti
ons,languages;
ForthatOGod, bei tmyl atestwor d,hereonmyknees,
Old,poor,andpar alyzed,IthankThee.

Myter minusnear,
Thecloudsalreadyclosi
nginuponme,
Thev oyagebalk'
d,t
hecoursedisput
ed,
lost
,
Iyi
eldmyshi pstoThee.

Myhands,myli
mbsgr ownervel
ess,
Mybrai
nfeel
srack'
d,bewil
der'
d,
Lett
heoldti
mberspart,
Iwil
lnotpar
t,
Iwil
lcli
ngfasttoThee,OGod,
thought
hewav
esbuf
fetme,
Thee,TheeatleastIknow.

Isi
ttheprophet'
sthoughtIspeak,
oram Ir avi
ng?
WhatdoIknowofl ife?whatofmy sel
f?
Iknownotev enmyownwor kpastorpresent,
Dim ever
-shi
fti
ngguessesofitspr
eadbef oreme,
Ofnewerbetterworl
ds,thei
rmightypart
uriti
on,
Mocking,per
plexi
ngme.

Andtheset hi
ngsIseesuddenl y,
whatmeant hey
?
Asifsomemi r
acle,somehanddi vi
neunseal'
dmyey es,
Shadowyv astshapessmi lethroughtheairandsky,
Andont hedistantwav essai
l countl
essships,
Andanthemsi nnewt onguesIhearsalut
ingme.

BOOKXXVI
II

TheSl
eeper
s

1
Iwanderallnighti
nmyv i
sion,
Steppingwithli
ghtfeet,
swi f
tl
yandnoi sel
esslysteppingandst
opping,
Bendingwithopeney esov ertheshuteyesofsl eepers,
Wander i
ngandconf used,losttomy sel
f,i
l
l-assorted,
contr
adi
ctor
y,
Pausing,gazi
ng,bending,andst oppi
ng.

Howsol
emntheylookthere,
str
etch'
dandsti
ll
,
Howqui
ett
heybreathe,t
heli
ttl
echil
dreni
nthei
rcr
adl
es.

Thewr etchedfeaturesofennuy es, thewhi tefeaturesofcorpses,

the
l
ivi
df acesofdrunkards,thesi ck-grayf acesofonani st
s,
Thegash' dbodiesonbat tl
e-f
ields,thei nsaneint heir
str
ong- door
'drooms,thesacr edi diots, t
henew- bornemerging
fr
om gat es,
andt hedyingemer gingf rom gates,
Thenightper v
adest hem andi nfoldst hem.

Themarriedcoupl
esleepcal mlyinthei
rbed, hewit
hhispal
m on
t
hehipoft hewif
e,andshewi thherpalm ont hehi
pofthehusband,
Thesist
erssleepl
ov i
nglysidebysideintheirbed,
Themensl eeplov
inglysidebysideintheir
s,
Andthemot hersl
eepswi thherli
tt
lechil
dcar ef
ull
ywrapt
.

Thebli
ndsleep,andthedeafanddumbsl eep,
Thepri
sonersleepswelli
nt hepr
ison,
therunawaysonsl
eeps,
Themurdererthati
st obehungnextday,howdoeshesleep?
Andthemur der'
dperson,howdoeshesleep?

Thefemal
ethatlov
esunrequitedsleeps,
Andthemalethatl
ovesunrequitedsleeps,
Theheadofthemoney-makert hatpl
ottedalldaysleeps,
Andtheenr
agedandt r
eacherousdispositi
ons,all
,allsl
eep.

Istandinthedar kwi
thdroopingeyesbytheworst-
suff
eri
ngand
t
hemostr estl
ess,
Ipassmyhandssoot hi
nglytoandfroafewinchesfrom t
hem,
Ther est
lesssinkint
hei
rbeds, t
heyfi
tful
l
ysleep.
NowIpi ercethedarkness,newbei
ngsappear,
Theear t
hr ecedesf
rom mei nt
othenight
,
Isawt hatitwasbeautif
ul,
andIseethatwhati
snott
heear
thi
s
beautif
ul.

Igof r
om bedsi
detobedside,Isl
eepcl
osewit
htheot
hersl
eeper
s
eachintur
n,
Idream i
nmydr eam al
lthedreamsoftheot
herdr
eamers,
AndIbecomet heotherdreamers.

Iam adance-
-pl
ayupt
her
e!t
hef
iti
swhi
rl
ingmef
ast
!

Iam t
heev er-l
aughi
ng--
iti
snewmoonandt wil
i
ght,
Iseethehidingofdouceurs,
Iseeni
mbleghostswhi
chev
erwaylook,
Cacheandcacheagai ndeepinthegr
oundandsea,andwher
eiti
s
nei
thergroundnorsea.

Welldotheydot hei
rjobsthosejourneymendivi
ne,
Onlyfr
om mecant heyhidenothi
ng, andwouldnotiftheycould,
Ir
eckonIam theirbossandt heymakemeapetbesi des,
Andsurroundmeandl eadmeandr unaheadwhenIwal k,
Tolif
tthei
rcunningcov er
stosignif
ymewi t
hstretch'
dar ms,and
r
esumet heway ;
Onwardwemov e,agaygangofbl ackguards!withmirth-
shouting
musicandwild-fl
appingpennantsofjoy!

Iam t
heactor
,theactress,t
hev ot
er,t
hepoli
ti
cian,
Theemigr
antandt heexil
e,thecri
minalt
hatstoodinthebox,
Hewhohasbeenf amousandhewhoshal l
bef amousaf t
erto-
day,
Thestammerer,t
hewel l
-for
m'dperson,t
hewast edorfeebl
eperson.

Iam shewhoadorn'
dhersel
fandfol
dedherhai
rexpect
ant
ly,
Mytruantl
overhascome,anditi
sdark.

Doubl
eyour
sel
fandrecei
vemedar
kness,
Recei
vemeandmylovertoo,
hewi
l
lnotletmegowi
thouthi
m.

Ir
oll
mysel
fupony
ouasuponabed,
Iresi
gnmy
sel
ftot
hedusk.

Hewhom Ical
lanswer
smeandt akest
hepl
aceofmyl
over
,
Her
iseswit
hmesi l
ent
lyf
rom t
hebed.

Darkness,
youar
egentl
ert
hanmylover
,hi
sfl
eshwassweat
yandpant
ing,
If
eel t
hehotmoi
stur
eyett
hathel
eftme.

Myhandsarespr
eadfor
th,Ipasst
hem i
nal
ldi
rect
ions,
Iwoul
dsounduptheshadowyshoret
owhichy
ouar ejour
ney
ing.

Becar ef
uldar
kness!al
readywhatwasi ttouch'
dme?
Ithoughtmyloverhadgone,elsedarknessandhear
eone,
Iheartheheart
-beat
,If
ollow,Ifadeaway.

2
Idescendmywest
erncour
se,mysi
newsar
efl
accid,
Perf
umeandyouthcour
sethr
oughmeandIam t
heirwake.

Iti
smyf aceyell
owandwr i
nkledinst
eadoftheol
dwoman'
s,
Isitl
owinast r
aw-bot
tom chairandcar
eful
l
ydarnmygr
andson'
s
stocki
ngs.

Iti
sIt
oo,t
hesleepl
esswidowl
ookingoutonthewint
ermidni
ght
,
Iseet
hespar
klesofstar
shi
neontheicyandpal
li
dearth.
AshroudIseeandIam t heshroud,Iwr
apabodyandli
eint
hecof
fi
n,
I
tisdarkhereunderground,i
tisnotevi
lorpai
nher
e,i
tis
bl
ankhere,f
orreasons.

(
Itseemstomethatev
erythi
ngi
nthel
ightandairoughttobehappy
,
Whoeveri
snoti
nhiscoff
inandt
hedar
kgr av
elethim knowhehasenough.
)

3
Iseeabeaut i
fulgiganti
cswimmerswi mmi ngnakedthroughtheeddi
es
ofthesea,
Hisbrownhairliescloseandev entohishead,hestri
kesoutwit
h
courageousarms, heurgeshimselfwithhi
slegs,
Iseehiswhitebody ,Iseehisundauntedeyes,
Ihatetheswift-
runningeddiesthatwoulddashhim head-f
oremoston
therocks.

Whatarey
oudoi ngyouruf
fi
anl
yred-
tr
ickl
edwaves?
Wi
llyouki
l
l t
hecourageousgi
ant?wi
llyouki
l
lhi
mi nthepr
ime
ofhismiddleage?

Steadyandl onghest ruggles,

Hei sbaf f
led,bang'd,bruis'
d,hehol
dsoutwhi
lehi
sstrengt
h
holdsout ,
Thesl appingeddi esarespot t
edwit
hhisbl
ood,t
heybearhim away
,
theyr ol
lhim, swinghim, tur
nhim,
Hisbeaut ifulbodyisbor neintheci
rcl
i
ngeddi
es,i
tis
cont i
nuallybrui
s'donr ocks,
Swiftl
yandoughtofsi ghtisbornet
hebrav
ecorpse.

4
It
urnbutdonotext
ri
cat
emy sel
f,
Conf
used,apast
-r
eadi
ng,anot
her,
butwi
thdar
knessy
et.

Thebeachiscutbyther
azor
yice-
wind,thewreck-
gunssound,
Thetempestl
ull
s,t
hemooncomesf lounder
ingthr
oughthedri
ft
s.

Il
ookwheretheshiphel
plessl
yheadsendon,Iheart
heburstas
shestr
ikes,Iheart
hehowlsofdismay,
theygrowfai
nterandf
aint
er.

Icannotai
dwit
hmywr i
ngi
ngfi
ngers,
Icanbutrusht
othesur
fandl
etitdrenchmeandf
reezeuponme.

Isearchwi
ththecr
owd,notoneofthecompanyiswash'
dtousal
i
v e,
Inthemorni
ngIhel
ppickupthedeadandlaythem i
nrowsi
nabarn.

5
Nowoft heolderwar-days,thedef eatatBr ookl
yn,
Washi ngtonstandsinsidethelines,hest andsont hei
ntrench'
d
hill
sami dacr owdofof fi
cers.
Hi
sf aceiscoldanddamp, hecannotr epresstheweepingdrops,
Hel i
ftstheglassperpetuall
ytohi sey es,thecolori
sblanch'd
from hischeeks,
Heseest heslaught
eroft hesout hernbr avesconfi
dedtohim by
theirparent
s.

Thesameatl astandatlastwhenpeacei sdeclared,

Hestandsinther oom oft
heoldtaver
n,thewel l
-belov'
dsol
dier
s
al
lpassthrough,
Theoffi
cersspeechlessandslowdrawneari ntheirtur
ns,
Thechiefencir
clesthei
rneckswit
hhisarm andki ssesthem onthecheek,
Hekissesli
ghtlythewetcheeksoneafteranother,heshakeshands
 andbi
dsgood-
byt
othear
my.

6
Nowwhatmymot hert
oldmeonedayaswesatatdi
nnert
ogether
,
Ofwhenshewasanearlygr
owngi
rll
i
vinghomewit
hherparent
son
t
heol
dhomestead.

Aredsquawcameonebr eakfast-
ti
met ot heoldhomestead,
Onherbackshecar r
iedabundleofr ushesf orr
ush-bot
tomi ngchair
s,
Herhair,st
rai
ght,shi
ny,coar
se, bl
ack,profuse,hal
f-
envelop'd
herface,
Herstepwasf reeandelasti
c,andherv oicesoundedexqui sit
elyas
shespoke.

Mymot herlook'dindeli
ghtandamazementatt hestranger ,
Shel ook'datthefreshnessofhertal
l-
bornefaceandf ulland
pliantli
mbs,
Themor eshel ook'
duponhershel ovedher,
Nev erbeforehadsheseensuchwonder fulbeautyandpur i
ty,
Shemadehersi tonabenchbyt hejamboft hef i
repl
ace, shecook'
d
foodf orher,
Shehadnowor ktogiveher,butshegaveherr emembr anceandfondness.

Theredsquawst ai
dallthefor
enoon, andtowardthemiddl
eoft
he
aft
ernoonshewentaway ,
Omymot herwaslothtohavehergoaway ,
Allt
heweekshet houghtofher,shewat ch'
dforhermanyamonth,
Sheremember '
dhermanyawi nterandmanyasummer ,
Buttheredsquawnev ercamenorwashear dofther
eagain.

7
Ashowoft hesummersoftness-
-acontactofsomet
hingunseen-
-an
amouroftheli
ghtandair
,
Iam j
ealousandoverwhel
m'dwit
hf r
iendl
iness,
Andwill
gogal l
i
vantwit
htheli
ghtandairmy sel
f.

Oloveandsummer ,youareint
hedreamsandinme,
Autumnandwinterareinthedr
eams,thefar
mergoeswit
hhi
sthr
if
t,
Thedrovesandcropsincr
ease,
thebarnsarewel
l
-fi
l
l'
d.

El
ement smer geint henight, shipsmaket acksinthedr eams,
Thesai l
orsai ls,t
heexi l
eretur nshome,
Thef ugi
tiver eturnsunhar m' d, t
heimmi gr antisbackbey ondmonths
andy ears,
ThepoorI rishmanl ivesinthesi mplehouseofhi schi l
dhoodwi th
thewel l
knownnei ghborsandf aces,
Theywar ml ywel comehi m, hei sbar ef
ootagai n,
hef orgetsheiswell
off,
TheDut chmanv oyageshome, andtheScot chmanandWel shmanvoyage
home, andt henat iveoftheMedi terraneanv oyageshome,
Toev erypor tofEngl and,France, Spain, ent erwell
-fi
l
l'
dshi ps,
TheSwi ssf oot sittowar dhishi ll
s,thePr ussiangoeshi sway ,
the
Hungar i
anhi sway ,andthePol ehisway ,
TheSweder eturns,andt heDaneandNor wegianr et
urn.

Thehomewar dboundandt heoutwardbound,

Thebeauti
fullostswi mmer ,t
heennuy e,
theonani st,
thef emalethat
l
ovesunrequited,themoney -maker,
Theactorandact ress,thosethr
oughwi t
ht heirpart
sandt hose
wai
tingtocommence,
Theaffect
ionateboy ,thehusbandandwi fe,thevoter,thenominee
t
hatischosenandt henomi neethathasf ai
l'
d,
Thegreatalr
eadyknownandt hegreatanyt i
meaf terto-day,
Thestammer er,thesick,theper f
ect-
form'
d, thehomel y
,
Thecriminalt
hatst oodint hebox, t
hejudget hatsatandsentenced
hi
m, t
hef l
uentlawy er
s, thejury
,theaudience,
Thelaugherandweeper ,thedancer ,
themi dnightwidow,theredsquaw,
Theconsumpt i
v e,t
heer ysipali
te,t
heidi
ot,het hatiswrong'd,
Theantipodes,andev eryonebet weent hi
sandt hem i
nthedar k,
Isweartheyareav eragednow- -
oneisnobet terthantheother,
Thenightandsl eephav eliken'
dthem andr estoredthem.

Isweartheyareal
lbeauti
ful
,
Everyonethatsl
eepsisbeauti
ful
,ever
ythingi
nthedi
mli
ghti
s
beauti
ful
,
Thewi l
destandbl
oodiesti
sover,andall
ispeace.

Peacei
salwaysbeauti
ful
,
Themythofheavenindi
catespeaceandni
ght
.

Themy t
hofheav enindicatesthesoul,
Thesoul isalway sbeaut i
ful,i
tappearsmoreoritappearsless,i
t
comesori tlagsbehind,
I
tcomesf rom itsembower 'dgardenandlookspleasant
lyonitsel
f
andencl osest heworld,
Perfectandcl eanthegeni talspr
ev i
ousl
yjet
ti
ng,andperf
ectand
cl
eant hewombcoher ing,
Theheadwel l-
grownpr opor ti
on'
dandpl umb,andthebowel sand
j
ointspropor ti
on'dandpl umb.

Thesoul i
sal waysbeaut iful,
Theuniversei sdulyinor der,ev er
yt hingisinitspl ace,
Whathasar rivedisini t
spl aceandwhatwai tsshal lbeinit
spl ace,
Thetwistedskul lwaits,t
hewat er
yorr ott
enbl oodwai ts,
Thechildoft hegluttonorv enerealeewai tslong, andt hechil
dof
t
hedr unkardwai tslong, andt hedr unkardhi msel fwaitslong,
Thesleeperst hatli
vedanddi edwai t,thefaradv ancedar etogoon
i
ntheirturns,andt hefarbehi ndar et ocomeoni ntheirt
urns,
Thediverseshal lbenol essdi v
erse, buttheyshal lflowanduni te-
-
t
heyuni t
enow.

8
Thesl eeper sar ev er ybeaut ifulast heyl ieunclot hed,
Theyf lowhandi nhandov erthewhol eear t
hf r
om eastt owestas
theyl i
euncl ot hed,
TheAsi ati
candAf ricanar ehandi nhand, theEur opeanandAmer ican
arehandi nhand,
Learn'dandunl ear n'dar ehandi nhand, andmal eandf emal ear ehand
i
nhand,
Thebar earm oft hegi r
l crossest hebar ebr eastofherl ov er,t
hey
presscl osewi thoutl ust,hislipspr essherneck,
Thef atherhol dshi sgr ownorungr ownsoni nhisar mswi th
measur elessl ov e,andt hesonhol dst hef atheri nhisarmswi th
measur elessl ov e,
Thewhi tehairoft hemot hershi nesont hewhi tewr i
stoft hedaught er
,
Thebr eat hoft heboygoeswi t
ht hebr eat hoft heman, f
riendi s
i
nar m' dbyf ri
end,
Theschol arkissest het eacherandt het eacherki ssestheschol ar,
thewr ong'dmader i
ght ,
Thecal l ofthesl av ei sonewi tht hemast er'scall,andthemast er
salutest hesl av e,
Thef elonst epsf orthf rom thepr ison, thei nsanebecomessane, the
suffer i
ngofsi ckper sonsi sr eli
ev 'd,
Thesweat i
ngsandf ever sstop, thet hr oatthatwasunsoundi ssound,
thelungsoft heconsumpt ivear er esumed, t
hepoordi st r
ess'd
 headisf r
ee,
Thej oi
ntsoftherheumaticmoveassmoot hlyasever,
andsmoot her
thanever,
Sti
fli
ngsandpassagesopen, t
heparal
y zedbecomesuppl e,
Theswel l
'dandconv ul
s'
dandcongestedawaket othemselvesi
ncondit
ion,
Theypasst heinv
igorati
onoftheni
ghtandt hechemistr
yofthe
night
,andawake.

Itoopassf
rom t
heni
ght,
Istayawhi
leawayOnight
,butIr
etur
ntoy
ouagai
nandl
ovey
ou.

WhyshouldIbeaf rai
dt otr
ustmy sel
ftoyou?
Iam notafrai
d,Ihavebeenwel l
broughtf
orwardbyyou,
Il
ov ether
ichrunningday,butIdonotdesertheri
nwhom Ilaysolong,
IknownothowIcameofy ouandIknownotwher eIgowithyou,but
IknowIcamewel landshal
lgowel l
.

Iwi
l
lstoponlyati
mewitht
heni
ght,
andri
sebeti
mes,
Iwi
l
ldulypassthedayOmymother
,anddul
yret
urnt
oyou.

Tr
ansposi
ti
ons

Letther ef
ormersdescendf r
om thestandswher etheyareforever
bawling--
letanidiotori
nsaneper sonappearoneachoft hestands;
Letjudgesandcr i
minalsbetransposed--l
etthepri
son-keepersbe
putinprison--
letthosethatwerepr i
sonerstakethekeys;
Letthem thatdistrustbi
rt
handdeat hleadtherest
.

BOOKXXI
X

ToThi
nkofTi
me

1
Tot
hinkoft
ime--
ofal
lthatr
etr
ospect
ion,
Tot
hinkoft
o-day
,andtheagesconti
nuedhencef
orwar
d.

Hav
eyouguess'dyouy our
selfwouldnotconti
nue?
Hav
eyoudreadedtheseearth-beet
les?
Hav
eyoufear'
dthefuturewouldbenot hi
ngtoyou?

I
sto-daynothi
ng?isthebegi
nni
ngl
esspastnothi
ng?
I
fthefutur
eisnothi
ngtheyarej
ustassur
elynothi
ng.

Tot
hinkthatt
hesunroseintheeast-
-t
hatmenandwomenwer e
fl
exibl
e,r
eal,al
i
ve-
-t
hatever
ythi
ngwasal iv
e,
Tot
hinkthatyouandIdi
dnotsee,feel
,thi
nk,norbearourpar
t,
Tot
hinkthatwearenowhereandbearourpar t
.

2
Notadaypasses,
notami
nut
eorsecondwi
thoutanaccouchement
,
Notadaypasses,
notami
nut
eorsecondwi
thoutacorpse.

Thedul
lnightsgooverandthedulldaysal
so,
Thesor
enessoflyingsomuchi nbedgoesover,
Thephy
sicianaft
erlongput
tingoffgiv
esthesi
lentandt
err
ibl
e
 l
ookf orananswer ,
Thechi ldrencomehur ri
edandweepi ng,andt hebrother
sandsi ster
s
aresentf or,
Medicinesst andunusedont heshelf
, (t
hecamphor -
smellhaslong
pervadedt herooms,)
Thef ai
thful handoft heli
v i
ngdoesnotdeser tthehandoft hedying,
Thetwi tchingl i
pspresslightl
yont heforeheadoft hedying,
Thebr eathceasesandt hepul seofthehear tceases,
Thecor psest r
etchesont hebedandt heli
vinglookuponi t,
I
tispal pableast hel
ivi
ngar epalpable.

Theli
vinglookuponthecorpsewit
ht hei
reyesi
ght
,
Butwithouteyesi
ghtl
inger
sadiff
erentli
vi
ngandlookscur
iousl
y
onthecorpse.

3
Tothi
nkthethoughtofdeat
hmergedi nt
hethoughtofmateri
als,
Tothi
nkofallt
hesewondersofcit
yandcountry,andother
staking
greati
nter
estinthem,andwetakingnoint
erestint
hem.

Tot
hinkhoweagerwearei
nbuil
dingourhouses,
Tot
hinkother
sshal
lbej
ustaseager,
andwequi t
eindi
ff
erent
.

(Iseeonebui
ldingthehousethatser
veshi
m afewyears,
or
sevent
yoreightyyear
satmost ,
Iseeonebuil
dingthehousethatserv
eshimlongert
hanthat
.)

Sl
ow-movingandbl ackl
i
nescreepovert
hewholeear
th-
-t
heynever
cease--
theyaretheburi
all
i
nes,
HethatwasPresidentwasburi
ed,andhethati
snowPresi
dentshal
l
surel
ybebur i
ed.

4
Areminiscenceoft
hevul
garfat
e,
Afrequentsampleoft
heli
feanddeat
hofwor
kmen,
Eachafterhiski
nd.

Colddashofwav esatt heferr

y-wharf,
poshandi cei
ntheri
ver,
half
-fr
ozenmudi nthest r
eets,
Agr aydiscour
agedskyov erhead,theshor
tlastdayl
i
ghtofDecember
,
Ahear seandstages,thefuneralofanoldBroadwaystage-
dri
ver,
thecortegemostlydriv
ers.

Steadythet rottothecemet ery,dulyratt

lest
hedeat h-
bel
l,
Thegat eispass'd, t
henew- duggr aveishalt
edat ,
theli
vi
ng
ali
ght,thehear seuncloses,
Thecof fi
ni spass'dout,lower'
dandset tl
ed,
thewhi pi
slai
don
thecoffin,theearthisswiftl
yshov el'
din,
Themoundabov ei sfl
attedwiththespades- -
silence,
Ami nute--noonemov esorspeaks- -i
tisdone,
Hei sdecent l
yputaway --i
sthereanyt hingmor e?

Hewasagoodf el
low,fr
ee-mouth'd,quick-t
emper'd,
notbad-l
ooki
ng,
Readywi thlif
eordeat hforafri
end,fondofwomen, gambled,at
e
hearty
, dr
ankhear ty
,
Hadknownwhati twast obeflush,grewl ow-spi
ri
tedtowar
dthe
last
,sicken'd,washelp'
dbyacont ri
bution,
Died,agedf orty
-oneyears-
-andthatwashi sfuner
al.

Thumbextended,fi
ngerupl
i
fted,apr
on,
cape,gl
oves,
str
ap,
wet
-weathercl
othes,
whipcareful
l
ychosen,
Boss,spott
er,start
er,
hostler
,somebodyloafi
ngony ou,you
l
oafingonsomebody ,
headway, manbefor
eandmanbehi nd,
Goodday '
swor k,badday'swork,petst
ock,meanstock,fir
stout,
l
astout,tur
ning-i
natnight,
Tothi
nkt hatthesearesomuchandsoni ghtootherdri
vers,andhe
t
heretakesnoi nter
estinthem.

5
Themar kets,t
hegov ernment,
thewor ki
ng-man'swages,tothi
nkwhat
accounttheyarethroughournightsandday s,
Tot hi
nkthatotherworking-
menwi ll
makej ustasgreataccountof
them,yetwemakel i
ttl
eornoaccount .

Thevulgarandther ef
ined,whatyoucallsi
nandwhatyoucal
l
goodness,t
ot hinkhowwi deadif
ference,
Tothinkthedi
fferencewi ll
st i
l
lcont
inuetoother
s,y
etweli
e
beyondthedifference.

Tothinkhowmuchpl easurethereis,
Doy ouenjoyyourselfintheci t
y?orengagedi nbusi
ness?or
pl
anninganomi nati
onandel ect
ion?orwithyourwif
eandf amil
y?
Orwi t
hyourmot herandsi sters?ori nwomanlyhousework?orthe
beauti
fulmaternalcares?
Thesealsoflowonwar dtoot hers,
y ouandIflowonward,
Butinduet i
mey ouandIshal ltakelessint
eresti
nthem.

Yourfar
m, prof
it
s,cr
ops--
tothi
nkhowengr oss'
dy ouare,
Tothi
nktherewi l
lst
il
lbefar
ms, pr
ofi
ts,
crops,yetfory
ouof
whatavail
?

6
Whatwil
lbewil
lbewel
l,forwhati
siswell
,
Totakei
nter
esti
swell
,andnottotakei
nter
estshal
lbewel
l
.

Thedomest i
cj oy
s,thedall
yhouseworkorbusiness,t
hebuildingof
houses,ar
enotphant asms,theyhav
ewei ght
,form,locat
ion,
Farms,profi
ts,cr
ops,markets,
wages,government,ar
enoneoft hem
phantasms,
Thediff
erencebetweensi nandgoodnessisnodelusion,
Theearthisnotanecho, manandhi sl
if
eandal lt
hethingsofhis
l
if
ear ewell-
consi
der'
d.

Youar enotthrowntothewinds,y
ougat hercer
tai
nlyandsaf
ely
ar
oundy ourself
,
Yourself
!yoursel
f!
.yoursel
f,f
oreverandever!

7
I
tisnottodiffuseyouthatyouwer ebornofyourmotherand
f
ather
,iti
st oident
if
yy ou,
I
tisnotthatyoushouldbeundeci ded,butt
hatyoushouldbedecided,
Somethi
ngl ongprepari
ngandf ormlessisar
ri
vedandform'dinyou,
Youarehencef or
thsecure,whatevercomesorgoes.

Thethr
eadsthatwerespunaregat
her
'd,
thewetcr
ossest
hewar
p,
t
hepatt
ernissyst
ematic.

Thepreparat
ionshaveev eryonebeenjusti
fi
ed,
Theorchestr
ahavesufficient
lyt
unedtheiri
nstr
ument
s,t
hebat
on
hasgiv
ent hesi
gnal.

Theguestt
hatwascoming,hewait
edlong,
heisnowhoused,
Heisoneofthosewhoarebeaut
if
ulandhappy
,heisoneofthose
 t
hatt
olookuponandbewi
thi
senough.

Thelawofthepastcannotbeel uded,
Thelawofthepresentandfuturecannotbeeluded,
Thelawoftheli
vingcannotbeel uded,
iti
seternal
,
Thelawofpromot i
onandtransformati
oncannotbeel uded,
Thelawofheroesandgood- doerscannotbeeluded,
Thelawofdrunkards,
inf
ormer s,meanpersons,notoneiotather
eof
canbeel
uded.

8
Sl
owmov i
ngandblackli
nesgoceasel esslyovert
heear t
h,
Nort
hernergoescarri
edandSouthernergoescar r
ied,andtheyonthe
At
lant
icsideandtheyonthePacifi
c,
Andtheybetween,andal
lthroughtheMi ssissi
ppicountr
y,andal
l
ov
ertheearth.

Thegreatmastersandkosmosar ewell
astheygo,theheroesand
good-
doer
sar ewell,
Theknownleadersandi nv
entor
sandtheri
chowner sandpiousand
di
sti
ngui
sh'
dmaybewel l
,
Butther
eismor eaccountthant
hat,
therei
sstr
ictaccountofal
l.

Thei
nterminabl
ehordesofthei
gnorantandwickedarenotnot
hing,
Thebarbar
iansofAfri
caandAsiaarenotnothi
ng,
Theperpet
ualsuccessi
onsofshal
lowpeoplearenotnothi
ngastheygo.

Ofandinalltheset hings,
Ihavedream'dthatwear enott
obechangedsomuch, northelawof
uschanged,
Ihavedream'dthather oesandgood- doersshal
lbeunderthepresent
andpastlaw,
Andthatmur derers,drunkards,
li
ars,shal
lbeundert
hepr esentand
pastl
aw,
ForIhavedream' dthatt helawtheyareundernowisenough.

AndIhavedream'dthatthepurposeandessenceoftheknownli
fe,
t
hetr
ansient,
I
stoform anddecideident
it
yfortheunknownlif
e,t
hepermanent.

I
fallcamebuttoashesofdung,
I
fmaggot sandrat
sendedus,thenAl
arum!f
orwear
ebet
ray
'd,
Thenindeedsuspi
cionofdeat
h.

Doy
oususpectdeat
h?i
fIwer
etosuspectdeathIshoul
ddienow,
Doy
outhi
nkIcouldwal
kpl
easant
lyandwell
-sui
tedtowar
dannihi
l
ati
on?

Pl
easantl
yandwel l
-suit
edIwal k,
Whit
herIwalkIcannotdefine,butIknowi ti
sgood,
Thewholeuniver
sei ndi
cat
est hatiti
sgood,
Thepastandthepresentindicatethati
tisgood.

Howbeaut i
ful andperf
ectar etheanimal s!
Howperfectt heearth,
andt hemi nutestthinguponit!
Whatiscall
edgoodi sper
f ect,
andwhati scalledbadisjustasperfect
,
Thevegetablesandmi neralsareallperfect,andtheimponderable
f
lui
dsperfect ;
Sl
owlyandsur el
ytheyhavepass' dont ot hi
s,andslowlyandsurel
y
t
heyyetpasson.

9
IswearIt
hinknowt
hatev
eryt
hingwi
thoutexcept
ionhasanet
ernal
soul
!
Thetreeshav
e,r
oot
edi
nthegr
ound!t
heweedsoft
heseahav
e!t
he
ani
mals!

IswearIthinkthereisnothi
ngbuti mmor t
ali
ty!
Thattheexquisit
eschemei sf orit
,andthenebulousfl
oati
sfor
i
t,andthecoher i
ngisforit!
Andallpreparati
onisforit-
-andidenti
tyi
sforit
--andl
i
feand
materi
alsarealtoget
herforit!

BOOKXXX.WHI
SPERSOFHEAVENLYDEATH

Dar
estThouNowOSoul

Dar
estthounowOsoul,
Wal
koutwi thmetowardtheunknownr egi
on,
Whereneit
hergr
oundisforthefeetnoranypat
htof
oll
ow?

Nomapt her
e,norguide,
Norv
oicesounding,
nortouchofhumanhand,
Norf
acewi t
hbloomingflesh,
norl
i
ps,norey
es,
arei
nthatl
and.

IknowitnotOsoul,
Nordostthou,al
li
sablankbefor
eus,
Allwai
tsundream'dofi
nthatr
egion,
thati
naccessi
blel
and.

Ti
ll
whenthetiesloosen,
Al
lbutt
hetieseternal
,TimeandSpace,
Nordar
kness,gr
av i
tat
ion,sense,
noranyboundsboundi
ngus.

Thenweburstforth,
wefl
oat,
I
nTimeandSpaceOsoul ,pr
eparedforthem,
Equal
,equi
ptatlast,
(Oj
oy!Ofrui
tofall
!)them t
oful
fi
lOsoul
.

Whi
sper
sofHeav
enl
yDeat
h

Whispersofheavenl ydeathmurmur '

dIhear ,
Labialgossi
pofni ght,
sibil
antchoral
s,
Footstepsgentl
yascendi ng,mysti
calbreezeswaft
edsoftandl
ow,
Ripplesofunseenr i
vers,ti
desofacurrentflowi
ng,f
orev
erfl
owi
ng,
(Orisitthepl
ashingoft ears?t
hemeasur elesswat
ersofhumantear
s?)

Isee,j
ustseeskyward,gr
eatcloud-masses,
Mournful
lysl
owlytheyrol
l,si
l
entlyswell
i
ngandmi xi
ng,
Withatti
mesahal f
-dimm'dsadden'dfar-
offst
ar,
Appeari
nganddisappeari
ng.

(Somepart
uri
ti
onrather
,somesolemnimmor
tal
bir
th;
Onthefr
onti
erstoeyesimpenet
rabl
e,
Somesoulispassi
ngover.
)

Chant
ingt
heSquar
eDei
fi
c
 1
Chant i
ngt hesquar edei fi
c,outoft heOneadv ancing,outoft hesides,
Outoft heol dandnew, outoft hesquar eent i
relydivi
ne,
Solid,four-sided, (allt
hesi desneeded, )f r
om t hissideJehov aham I ,
OldBr ahm I ,andISat ur ni
usam;
NotTi meaf f
ect sme- -Iam Ti me, old,moder nasany ,
Unper suadabl e,relent
less, executingr i
ght eousj udgment s,
Ast heEar t h,theFat her ,t
hebr ownol dKr onos, withlaws,
Agedbey ondcomput at i
on,yetnev ernew, ev erwiththosemi ght
yl awsrol
l
ing,
RelentlessIf orgivenoman- -
whoev ersinsdi es--Iwil
lhav et hatman' sl
if
e;
Ther eforel etnoneexpectmer cy--havet heseasons, gravitation,
the
appoi ntedday s, mer cy?nomor ehav eI,
Butast heseasonsandgr avit
at i
on, andasal ltheappoi ntedday s
thatf orgivenot ,
Idispensef r
om t hissidej udgment sinexor ablewi t
houtt hel eastremorse.

2
Consol atormostmi l
d, thepr omi s'
doneadv ancing,
Withgent lehandext ended, themi ghti
erGodam I ,
Foretoldbypr ophet sandpoet sintheirmostr aptpr opheciesandpoems,
From t hisside, lo!theLor dChr istgazes--l
o!Her mesI --
lo!mi neis
Her cules' face,
Allsorrow, l
abor ,suff eri
ng, I
,tallyi
ngit,absorbinmy self,
Manyt imeshav eIbeenr ejected, t
aunted, putinprison, and
crucified,andmanyt i
messhal lbeagai n,
Allthewor ldhav eIgi venupf ormydearbr others'andsi sters'
sake, fort hesoul '
ssake,
Wandi ngmywayt hrought hehomesofmen, r
ichorpoor ,withtheki
ss
ofaf fection,
ForIam af fect i
on, Iam t hecheer -
bri
ngingGod, withhopeand
all-
encl osingchar i
t y,
Withindul gentwor dsast ochi l
dren,withf r
eshandsanewor ds,mineonl
y,
Youngandst rongIpassknowi ngwel lIam dest i
n'dmy selftoan
earlydeat h;
Butmychar ityhasnodeat h--mywi sdom di esnot,neitherear l
ynorlat
e,
Andmysweetl ov ebequeat h'dher eandel sewherenev erdi es.

3
Aloof,dissati
sf i
ed, pl
otti
ngr ev ol
t,
Comr adeofcr iminals,brot
herofsl aves,
Crafty,despised, adrudge, i
gnor ant,
Withsudr afaceandwor nbr ow, black, butinthedept hsofmyhear t,
proudasany ,
Lif
tednowandal way sagainstwhoev erscorningassumest orul
eme,
Mor ose,full
ofgui l
e,full
ofr emi ni
scences, brooding,withmanywi l
es,
(Thoughi twast houghtIwasbaf fl
ed, anddi spel
'd,andmywi l
es
done, butthatwi l
lneverbe, )
Defiant,I,
Sat an,stil
lli
ve,sti
ll utt
erwor ds,innewl andsduly
appear i
ng, (andol donesal so,
)
Permanenther efrom mysi de, warlike, equalwit
hany ,realasany,
Nort i
menorchangeshal lev erchangemeormywor ds.

4
Sant aSpir
it
a, breather,
li
fe,
Bey ondtheli
ght ,li
ghterthanlight,
Bey ondtheflamesofhel l,j
oyous,leapi
ngeasil
yabov ehell,
Bey ondParadi se,perf
umedsol el
ywi t
hmi neownper f
ume,
I
ncludingallli
f eonear t
h, t
ouching, i
ncl
udingGod,incl
uding
Sav i
ourandSat an,
Ethereal,
pervadi ngall
,(forwithoutmewhatwer eall
?whatwer eGod?
)
Essenceoff or ms, l
if
eoft herealidenti
ti
es,per
manent ,posi
tiv
e,
(namelytheunseen, )
Li
feofthegreatr
oundworld,t
hesunandstars,
andofman,
I,t
he
gener
alsoul
,
Herethesquaref
ini
shi
ng,thesol
i
d,Ithemostsoli
d,
Br
eathemybr eat
halsothr
oughthesesongs.

OfHi
m ILov
eDayandNi
ght

Ofhim Ilov edayandni ghtIdr eam'dIhear dhewasdead,

AndIdr eam' dIwentwher et heyhadbur i
edhi m Ilove, buthewas
notint hatpl ace,
AndIdr eam' dIwander '
dsear chingamongbur ial
-pl
acest ofi
ndhim,
AndIf oundt hatev eryplacewasabur i
al-place;
Thehousesf ul loflif
ewer eequal l
yf ullofdeat h,(t
hishousei snow,)
Thest r
eet s,theshi pping,thepl acesofamusement ,t
heChi cago,
Boston, Philadelphia,theMannahat ta,wer easf ulloft hedeadas
ofthel i
v i
ng,
Andf ul
ler,Ov astl
yf ull
eroft hedeadt hanoft helivi
ng;
AndwhatIdr eam' dIwi l
lhencef ortht ellt
oev erypersonandage,
AndIst andhencef ort
hboundt owhatIdr eam' d,
AndnowIam wi ll
ingt odisregar dbur i
al-placesanddi spensewiththem,
Andi fthememor ialsofthedeadwer eputupi ndiff
erent l
yevery
where,
eveni nther oom wher eIeatorsl eep, Ishoul dbesat isfi
ed,
Andi fthecor pseofanyoneIl ove,ori fmyowncor pse, beduly
render'dtopowderandpour '
di nthesea, Ishallbesat i
sfi
ed,
Orifitbedi stributedt othewi ndsIshal lbesat isf
ied.

Yet
,Yet
,YeDowncastHour
s

Yet
,y et
,yedowncasthour
s, Iknowy ealso,
Weightsoflead,howyecl
ogandcl ingatmyankl es,
Ear
tht oachamberofmour ningtur
ns--Iheartheo'
erweeni
ng,
mocki
ng
v
oice,
Matterisconqueror
--
matt
er,tri
umphantonl y,
conti
nuesonward.

Despai
ri
ngcri
esfl
oatceasel
esslyt
owar dme,
Thecal
lofmynearestl
over,put
ti
ngf ort
h,al
arm'
d,uncert
ain,
TheseaIam qui
ckl
ytosail
,comet el
l me,
CometellmewhereIam speedi
ng,tellmemydestinat
ion.

Iunderstandy ourangui sh,butIcannothel

pyou,
Iapproach,hear, behold,thesadmout h,t
helookoutoft
heeyes,
yourmut einqui r
y,
Whi t
herIgof rom thebedIr ecl
ineon,cometellme,
-
-
Oldage,alarm'd, uncertai
n--ayoungwoman'sv oi
ce,
appeal
i
ngto
mef orcomf ort;
Ay oungman' sv oice,ShallInotescape?

AsI
faPhant
om Car
ess'
dMe

Asifaphantom caress'
dme,
It
houghtIwasnotal onewal
ki
ngher
ebyt
heshore;
ButtheoneIthoughtwaswit
hmeasnowIwalkbytheshor
e,t
he
oneIl
ovedthatcaress'
dme,
AsIleanandlookt
hroughthegli
mmeri
ngli
ght
,thatonehas
ut
terl
ydi
sappear
'd.
Andthoseappeart
hatarehatef
ultomeandmockme.

Assur
ances

Ineednoassur ances, Iam amanwhoi spreoccupi edofhi sownsoul ;

Idonotdoubtt hatf rom undert hef eetandbesi det hehandsand
faceIam cogni zantof ,arenowl ooki ngf acesIam notcogni zant
of,cal m andact ual faces,
Idonotdoubtbutt hemaj est yandbeaut yoft hewor ldar el atenti
n
anyi otaoft hewor ld,
IdonotdoubtIam l imi tl
ess, andt hatt heuni versesar el imi tl
ess,
i
nv ai nIt rytot hinkhowl i
mi t
less,
Idonotdoubtt hatt heor bsandt hesy stemsofor bspl ayt hei r
swiftspor tsthrought heai ronpur pose, andt hatIshal l oneday
beel igiblet odoasmuchast hey ,andmor ethant hey ,
Idonotdoubtt hatt empor aryaf f airskeeponandonmi ll
ionsofy ear
s,
Idonotdoubti nter i
or shav et heiri nteriors,andext erior shav e
theirext eriors,andt hatt heey esi ghthasanot herey esight ,
and
thehear inganot herhear ing, andt hev oiceanot herv oice,
Idonotdoubtt hatt hepassi onat ely-weptdeat hsofy oungmenar e
prov i
dedf or,andt hatt hedeat hsofy oungwomenandt he
deat hsofl i
ttl
echi ldrenar epr ov idedf or,
(Di
dy out hinkLi fewassowel lpr ov idedf or,andDeat h, thepur por
t
ofal lLife,isnotwel lprov idedf or ?)
Idonotdoubtt hatwr ecksatsea, nomat terwhatt hehor rorsof
them, nomat terwhosewi fe,chi l
d, husband, father ,lov er,has
gonedown, arepr ov idedf or ,
tot hemi nutestpoi nts,
Idonotdoubtt hatwhat evercanpossi bl yhappenany wher eatany
ti
me, ispr ovidedf ori nt hei nher encesoft hings,
Idonott hinkLi fepr ov idesf oral l andf orTi meandSpace, butI
beli
ev eHeav enlyDeat hpr ov i
desf oral l
.

Qui
cksandYear
s

Quicksandy ear
st hatwhi r
lmeIknownotwhi ther,
Yourschemes, politics,fail
,l
inesgi veway,subst ancesmockandel udeme,
OnlythethemeIsi ng, t
hegr eatandst rong-possess'dsoul,eludesnot,
One's-
selfmustnev ergiv eway --
thatisthefinalsubstance-
-that
outofallissure,
Outofpol i
ti
cs,tr
iumphs, battles,l
ife,whatatlastfinal
lyremai ns?
Whenshowsbr eakupwhatbutOne' s-Sel
fissur e?

ThatMusi
cAl
way
sRoundMe

Thatmusi calwaysr oundme, unceasi

ng, unbegi
nning,y
etlong
untaughtIdidnothear ,
Butnowt hechor usIhearandam el ated,
Atenor ,
strong,ascendingwithpowerandheal th,wit
hgladnotesof
daybreakIhear,
Asopr anoatintervalssai
li
ngbuoy ant
lyov ert
hetopsofimmensewav es,
Atransparentbaseshudder inglusci
ouslyunderandt hr
oughtheuni
verse,
Thet r
iumphantt utt
i,t
hef uneralwail
ingswit
hsweetf lutesand
vi
olins,all
theseIfil
lmy selfwith,
Ihearnott hevolumesofsoundmer ely,
Iam mov edbyt heexquisi
te
meani ngs,
Il
istentot hedif
ferentvoiceswindinginandout ,st
ri
ving,
contendingwithf i
eryvehemencet oexcel
eachot herinemotion;
Idonott hinktheperformer sknowt hemselves-
-butnowIt hi
nk
begint oknowt hem.

WhatShi
pPuzzl
edatSea

Whatshi ppuzzledatsea, consforthetr

uer eckoni
ng?
Orcomi ngin,toavoi
dt hebar sandfoll
owt hechannelaperf
ect
pi
lotneeds?
Here,sail
or!here,
ship!takeaboar dthemostper f
ectpi
lot
,
Whom, inal i
tt
leboat,puttingoffandrowing,Ihail
i
ngyouoffer
.

ANoi
sel
essPat
ientSpi
der

Anoiselesspati
entspider,
Imark'
dwher eonal i
ttl
epr omontoryitst
oodisolat
ed,
Mark'
dhowt oexplor
et hevacantvastsurr
ounding,
Itl
aunch'dfor
thfil
ament ,
fil
ament,fi
lamentoutofitsel
f,
Everunreel
ingthem,evertirel
essl
yspeedingthem.

Andy ouOmysoul wher ey oustand,

Surrounded,det
ached, i
nmeasur elessoceansofspace,
Ceaselesslymusing,
vent uring,t
hrowing,seeki
ngthespher
esto
connectthem,
Ti
llthebridgeyouwillneedbef orm'd,t
il
ltheduct
il
eanchorhol
d,
Ti
llthegossamert hr
eady ouf l
i
ngcat chsomewhere,Omysoul.

OLi
vi
ngAl
way
s,Al
way
sDy
ing

Oli
vingalways,al
waysdy ing!
Otheburial
sofmepastandpr esent,
Omewhi leIstri
deahead, material
,vi
sibl
e, i
mperi
ousasever;
Ome, whatIwasf oryears,nowdead, (Il
amentnot ,
Iam content
;)
Otodisengagemy sel
ff r
om thosecor psesofme, whichIt
urnand
lookatwher eIcastthem,
Topasson, (
Ol i
vi
ng!alway sli
ving!
)andl eavet
hecorpsesbehind.

ToOneShor
tl
ytoDi
e

From al
ltherestIsi
ngleoutyou,hav
ingamessagef oryou,
Youaretodie--l
etotherst
ell
youwhatt heyplease,Icannotprev
aricat
e,
Iam exactandmer cil
ess,
butIloveyou--
ther
ei snoescapef oryou.

Soft
lyIl
aymyr i
ghthandupony
ou,you'
ustf
eeli
t,
Idonotargue,
Ibendmyheadcloseandhal
fenv
elopi
t,
Isitquiet
lyby ,
Iremainfai
thful,
Iam mor et hannurse,morethanpar entornei
ghbor,
Iabsolvey oufrom all
excepty our
selfspi
ri
tualbodil
y,t
hati
s
eternal
,y ouyour
selfwil
lsurelyescape,
Thecor psey ouwil
l l
eavewil
l bebutexcrementit
ious.

Thesunbur ststhroughinunlooked-f
ordirecti
ons,
Strongt houghtsfi
llyouandconf i
dence,yousmi l
e,
Youf orgetyouar esick,asIfor
getyouaresi ck,
Youdonotseet hemedi ci
nes,youdonotmi ndtheweepingfr
iends,
Iam wi thyou,
Iexcludeot hersfr
om y ou,t
hereisnothi
ngt obecommi serat
ed,
Idonotcommi serate,
Icongratul
ateyou.

Ni
ghtont
hePr
air
ies

Nightontheprai
ries,
Thesupperisover, t
hefir
eonthegroundbur nsl
ow,
Theweariedemigr antssl
eep,
wraptinthei
rblankets;
Iwalkbymy sel
f-
-Istandandlookatthestars,whichIthi
nknow
neverr
eali
zedbef ore.

NowIabsorbimmort
ali
tyandpeace,
Iadmi
redeathandt
estproposi
ti
ons.

Howplent
eous!howspi
ri
tual
!howresume!
Thesameoldmanandsoul--
thesameoldaspi
rat
ions,
andt
hesamecont
ent
.

Iwasthi
nki
ngt
hedaymostspl endi
dt il
lIsawwhatt
henot-
dayexhi
bit
ed,
Iwasthi
nki
ngt
hisglobeenoughtil
ltherespr
angoutsonoi
sel
ess
ar
oundmemy r
iadsofothergl
obes.

Nowwhi lethegr eatthoughtsofspaceandet erni

tyfi
llmeIwill
measur emy selfbythem,
Andnowt ouch'dwitht hel
iv
esofot herglobesar r
ivedasfaral
ong
asthoseoft heear t
h,
Orwaiti
ngt oar r
ive,orpass'
donf arthert
hant hoseoft heear
th,
Ihenceforthnomor eignor
et hem t
hanIignor emyownl i
fe,
Ortheli
v esoftheear tharr
ivedasfarasmi ne,orwaiti
ngtoarri
ve.

OIseenowthatli
fecannotexhi
bital
ltome,asthedaycannot
,
Iseet
hatIam t
owaitforwhatwillbeexhi
bit
edbydeath.

Thought

AsIsi twi thot hersatagr eatf east ,

suddenlywhi l
ethemusi cisplayi
ng,
Tomymi nd, (whenceitcomesIknownot ,
)spectralinmi stofa
wreckatsea,
Ofcer tainshi ps,howtheysai l from portwithf l
yi
ngst reamer sand
waftedki sses,andthati sthel astofthem,
Ofthesol emnandmur kymy st eryaboutthef at
eoft hePr esident,
Ofthef l
oweroft hemar inesci enceoff ift
ygener ati
onsf ounder'
d
offtheNor theastcoastandgoi ngdown- -
ofthest eamshi pArcti
c
goingdown,
Ofthev eil
'dtableau-womengat her'
dtogetherondeck, pale,her
oic,
waitingt hemomentt hatdr awssocl ose--
Ot hemoment !
Ahugesob- -af
ewbubbl es-
-t
hewhi t
efoam spi
rt
ingup-
-andthent
he
womengone,
Si
nkingtherewhilethepassi
onlesswetfl
owson- -
andInow
ponderi
ng,Arethosewomeni ndeedgone?
Ar
esoul sdrown'danddestroy'
dso?
I
sonlymat tert
ri
umphant ?

TheLastI
nvocat
ion

Atthelast
,tender
ly,
From t
hewal l
softhepowerf
ulfor
tress'
dhouse,
From t
heclaspofthekni
tt
edlocks,from t
hekeepoft
hewel
l
-cl
oseddoor
s,
Letmebewaf t
ed.

Letmeglidenoi
sel
esslyf
ort
h;
Withthekeyofsof
tnessunl
ockt
hel
ocks-
-wi
thawhi
sper
,
SetopethedoorsOsoul.

Tender
ly-
-benoti mpat
ient
,
(St
rongisy ourhol
dOmor tal
flesh,
Str
ongisy ourholdOlove.
)

AsIWat
cht
hePl
oughmanPl
oughi
ng

AsIwatch'
dtheploughmanploughing,
Orthesowersowi
ngi nthef
iel
ds,orthehar
vesterhar
vest
ing,
Isawther
etoo,Olif
eanddeath,youranal
ogies;
(Li
fe,
li
fei
stheti
ll
age,andDeathistheharv
estaccordi
ng.
)

Pensi
veandFal
ter
ing

Pensiveandfalt
eri
ng,
Thewor dstheDeadIwr it
e,
Forli
vi
ngar etheDead,
(Hapl
yt heonl
ylivi
ng,onlyreal
,
AndItheappar i
ti
on,Ithespectr
e.)

BOOKXXXI

ThouMot
herwi
thThyEqual
Brood

1
ThouMotherwiththyequalbrood,
Thouvari
edchainofdif
ferentStat
es,yetonei
dent
it
yonl
y,
Aspecial
songbef or
eIgoI '
dsingo'eral
lther
est
,
Fort
hee,thef
uture.

I
'
dsowaseedf
ort
heeofendl
essNat
ional
i
ty,
I
'
dfashi
ont
hyensemblei
ncl
udingbodyandsoul
,
I
'
dshowawayaheadthyr
ealUnion,
andhowitmaybeaccompl
i
sh'
d.

Thepat
hstothehouseIseektomake,
Butl
eavet
othosetocomet hehousei
tsel
f.

Bel
iefIsi
ng,andprepar
ation;
AsLifeandNaturearenotgreatwit
href
erencet
othepr
esentonl
y,
Butgreat
ersti
ll
from whatisyettocome,
Outofthatf
ormulafortheeIsing.

2
Asast r
ongbirdonpini
onsfr
ee,
Joyous,t
heamplestspacesheavenwar
dcl
eavi
ng,
Suchbet het
houghtI'
dthi
nkoftheeAmeri
ca,
Suchbet her
ecit
ati
veI'
dbri
ngforthee.

Theconceitsoft hepoet sofot herlandsI'dbr i

ngtheenot ,
Northecompl i
ment st hathav eser vedtheirturnsolong,
Norrhyme, northecl assi cs,norperfumeoff orei
gncour torindoor
l
ibr
ary;
ButanodorI '
dbr ingasf rom forestsofpinei nMai ne,orbreathof
anIl
li
noispr ai
ri
e,
Withopenai rsofVi rginiaorGeor giaorTennessee, orfrom Texas
upl
ands, orFlorida'sglades,
OrtheSaguenay '
sbl ackst ream, orthewidebl uespr eadofHur on,
WithpresentmentofYel l
owst one'sscenes, orYosemi te,
Andmur mur i
ngunder , pervadingall
, I
'
dbr i
ngt herustli
ngsea- sound,
Thatendlesslysoundsf r
om t hetwoGr eatSeasoft hewor l
d.

Andf orthysubt l
ersensesubt lerr
efrainsdreadMother,
Preludesofi ntell
ectt all
yi
ngt heseandt hee,mi
nd-f
ormulasf
it
ted
forthee,real andsaneandl argeast heseandthee,
Thou!mount inghi gher,divi
ngdeepert hanweknew, t
hou
transcendent al Union!
Byt heefactt obej usti
fi
ed,blendedwi ththought
,
Thoughtofmanj ustif
ied,bl
endedwi thGod,
Throught hyidea, l
o, t
heimmor talr
eality!
Throught hyr eali
ty ,l
o,theimmor t
alidea!

3
Brai
noft heNewWor l
d,whatat askisthi
ne,
Tof ormulatetheModer n--outofthepeerlessgr
andeurofthemoder n,
Outoft hyself
,comprisi
ngsci ence,torecastpoems,chur
ches,art
,
(Recast,may -
bediscardt hem, endthem--maybethei
rworkisdone,
whoknows? )
Byv isi
on,hand,conception,ont hebackgroundofthemightypast
,thedead,
Tolimnwi thabsolutefaiththemi ghtyl
ivi
ngpresent.

Andy etthoul i
vingpresentbr ai
n,heirofthedead, t
heOl dWor l
dbrai
n,
Thout hatlayfoldedl i
keanunbor nbabewi t
hinitsfoldssolong,
Thoucar eful
lypr eparedbyi tsolong--
haplythoubutunf ol
destit,
onl
ymat urestit,
I
ttoev entuateint hee--
theessenceoft heby -gonetimecontain'
dint
hee,
I
tspoems, churches, ar
ts,unwitti
ngtot hemselves,desti
nedwi t
h
ref
erencet othee;
Thoubutt heappl es,
long,long,l
onga- growing,
ThefruitofalltheOl dripeningto-dayinthee.

4
Sai
l
, sai
lthybest,shi
pofDemocracy,
Ofvalueisthyfr
eight
,'t
isnott
hePresentonl
y,
ThePasti sal sost oredi nt hee,
Thouhol destnott hev ent ureoft hysel
fal one,notoftheWestern
cont inental one,
Earth'
sr esumeent irefloat sont hykeel Oshi p,i
ssteadiedbythyspar
s,
Witht heeTi mev oy agesi nt r
ust, t
heant ecedentnat i
onssinkor
swim wi tht hee,
Withal l theiranci entstruggl es,mar tyr
s,her oes,epi
cs,wars,t
hou
bear '
stt heot hercont inent s,
Theirs, theirsasmuchast hi
ne,thedest ination-
porttr
iumphant;
Steert henwi thgoodst ronghandandwar yeyeOhel msman,thou
carriestgr eatcompani ons,
Vener abl epr iestl
yAsi asai l
st hi
sdaywi tht hee,
Andr oy al feudal Eur opesai l
swi ththee.

5
Beaut i
ful wor l
dofnewsuper berbi rtht hatr i
sest omyey es,
Likeal imi tlessgol dencl oudf i
ll
ingt hewest ernrsky ,
Embl em ofgener al mat ernitylif
tedabov eall,
Sacredshapeoft hebear erofdaught ersandsons,
Outoft hyt eemi ngwombt hygi antbabesi nceasel esspr ocessi onissuing,
Accedi ngf rom suchgest ati
on, takingandgi vi
ngcont i
nual strengt h
andl ife,
Wor l
doft her eal -
-wor l
doft het waini none,
Wor l
doft hesoul ,bor nbyt hewor l
doft her ealalone, l
edt o
identity,body ,byi tal one,
Yetinbegi nni ngonl y ,i
ncalculabl emassesofcomposi tepr eci ousmat erial
s,
Byhi story'scy clesf or warded, byev er ynat i
on, l
anguage, hi thersent ,
Ready ,col lectedher e,af r
eer ,vast,electricwor ld,tobe
const ruct edher e,
(Thet rueNewWor l
d, t
hewor l
dofor bi cscience, mor als,literat ures
tocome, )
Thouwonderwor ldy etundef i
ned, unf orm' d,neitherdoIdef inet hee,
HowcanIpi ercet hei mpenet rablebl ankoft hef ut
ure?
Ifeel t
hyomi nousgr eatnessev ilaswel lasgood,
Iwat cht heeadv anci ng, absor bingthepr esent ,
transcendi ngt hepast ,
Iseet hyl ightl ighting, andt hyshadowshadowi ng, asi ftheent ir
eglobe,
ButIdonotunder t
aket odef inet hee, hardlyt ocompr ehendt hee,
Ibutt heename, t
heepr ophesy ,asnow,
Imer elyt heeej acul ate!

Theei nt hyf ut ure,

Theei nt hyonl yper manentl ife,career ,thyownunl oosen'dmi nd,
thysoar i
ngspi r
it,
Theeasanot herequal lyneededsun, r
adi ant ,ablaze, swift
-mov i
ng,
fruct if
y i
ngal l,
Theer iseni npot entcheer f
ulnessandj oy, inendl essgr eathil
arit
y ,
Scat t
er ingf orgoodt hecl oudt hathungsol ong, thatwei gh'
dso
longupont hemi ndofman,
Thedoubt ,suspi cion, dread, ofgr adual ,cer tai
ndecadenceofman;
Theei nt hylar ger ,sanerbr oodoff emal e, mal e--theeint hy
athl etes,mor al,spir i
tual ,Sout h,Nor th, West ,East ,
(Tot hyi mmor tal breast s,Mot herofAl l,thyev erydaught er,son,
endear 'dal ike, f
or ev erequal ,
)
Theei nt hyownmusi cians, si ngers, ar
t i
st s,unbor nyet,butcertain,
Theei nt hymor al weal t
handci v
il
izat i
on, (unt i
l whi chthyproudest
mat erialciv ili
zationmustr emai ni nv ain,)
Theei nt hyal l-suppl ying, all-enclosi ngwor ship--
theei nnosi ngle
bible, sav i
our ,mer el y,
Thysav i
our scount l
ess, latentwi t
hint hy sel f,t
hybi bl
esincessant
wi t
hi nt hysel f,equal t
oany ,divi
neasany ,
(Thysoar i
ngcour set heef ormul ating, noti nt hyt wogr eatwar s,nor
int hycent ur y'sv i
sibl egr owt h,
Butfarmor ei
nt hesel eav esandchant s,thychant s,greatMot her !
)
Theeinaneducat i
ongr ownoft hee, i
nteacher s,
studies,student s,
bornoft hee,
Theeint hydemocr ati
cf et
esen- masse,thyhi ghor i
ginalfest
ivals,
operas,lecturers, preacher s,
Theeint hyultimat e, (
thepr epar
at i
onsonlynowcompl eted,t
he
edif
iceonsur efoundat i
onst i
ed,)
Theeint hypinnacl es, intell
ect,thought,
thyt opmostr ati
onal
j
oys, t
hyl oveandgodl i
keaspi rat
ion,
I
nt hyresplendentcomi ngliter
ati,t
hyfull
-l
ung'dor ators,t
hy
sacerdotalbar ds, kosmi csavans,
These!thesei nt hee, (cer t
aintocome, )to-dayIprophesy .

6
Landtoler
ati
ngall
,accept
ingall
,notf
orthegoodalone,
all
good
f
orthee,
Landinthereal
msofGodt obeareal
m untothysel
f,
Undertherul
eofGodt obear ul
euntothysel
f.

(Lo,
wherear
isethr
eepeer
lessst
ars,
Tobethynat
alstar
smycountry,
Ensembl
e,Ev
olut
ion,
Freedom,
Seti
ntheskyofLaw.)

Landofunprecedent
edf ait
h,God'sfai
th,
Thysoi
l,t
hyv er
ysubsoil
, al
lupheav'
d,
Thegenerali
nnereart
hsol ongsosedul ousl
ydrapedov
er,
nowhence
f
orwhatitisboldl
ylai
dbar e,
Open'
dbyt heetoheaven'sli
ghtforbenefi
torbale.

Notf orsuccessal one,

Nott of air-
sai luni ntermi ttedal ways,
Thest or m shal l dasht hyf ace, t
hemur kofwarandwor sethanwar
shall cov ertheeal l over ,
(Wer tcapabl eofwar ,itst ugandt ri
als?becapabl eofpeace, i
tst r
ials,
Forthet ugandmor talstrainofnat ionscomeatl astinpr osperous
peace, notwar ;
)
I
nmanyasmi li
ngmaskdeat hshallapproachbegui li
ngt hee,thoui n
diseaseshal tswel ter,
Thel ivi
dcancerspr eadi tshideouscl aws, cli
ngingupont hy
breast s,seeki ngt ost riket heedeepwi thin,
Consumpt ionoft hewor st,mor alconsumpt ion,shallr
ouget hyf ace
withhect ic,
Butt houshal tf acet hyf or tunes,thydiseases, andsurmountt hem al l,
What ev ertheyar eto- dayandwhat everthrought i
met heymaybe,
Theyeachandal lshal ll
iftandpassawayandceasef rom thee,
Whilet hou, Time' sspi ralsr ounding,outoft hyself
,thyselfsti
ll
ext r
icat i
ng, fusing,
Equabl e, natural ,my st i
cal Uni onthou,(t
hemor talwit
himmor talblent,
)
Shaltsoart owar dt hef ulfilmentoft hefuture,thespiri
toft he
bodyandt hemi nd,
Thesoul ,itsdest i
nies.

Thesoul ,i
tsdest i
nies, t
her ealreal,
(Purportofalltheseappar i
tionsoft hereal;)
I
nt heeAmer i
ca, t
hesoul ,it
sdest i
nies,
Thougl obeofgl obes!t houwondernebul ous!
Bymanyat hr
oeofheatandcol dconv uls'
d, (byt
heset hy
selfsol
i
dif
ying,
)
Thoument al,
mor al orb--
thouNew, indeednew, Spi
rit
ualWor l
d!
ThePr esenthol dstheenot --forsuchv astgr owthasthine,
Forsuchunpar all
el'
df l
ightast hine,suchbr oodast hine,
TheFUTUREonl yhol dstheeandcanhol dt hee.
APaumanokPi
ctur
e

Twoboat swi t
hnet sl yi
ngof fthesea-beach, quit
est i
l
l,
Tenf i
shermenwai t
ing--
theydi scoverat hi
ckschool ofmossbonkers
--
theydropt hejoin'dseine-endsint hewat er,
Theboat ssepar at
eandr owof f,eachoni tsroundingcoursetothe
beach,enclosingt hemossbonker s,
Theneti sdrawni nbyawi ndlassbyt hosewhost opashore,
Someoft hefi
sher menl oungei ntheirboats, ot
hersstand
ankle-
deepi nthewat er,pois'donst ronglegs,
Theboat spartlydrawnup, t
hewat erslappi
ngagai nstthem,
Str
ew' donthesandi nheapsandwi ndrows, welloutfr
om thewater
,
thegreen-back'dspot t
edmossbonker s.

BOOKXXXI
I.FROM NOONTOSTARRYNI
GHT

ThouOr
bAl
oftFul
l
-Dazzl
i
ng

Thouorbaloftful
l-
dazzling!thouhotOctobernoon!
Fl
oodingwithsheenyl i
ghtthegr aybeachsand,
Thesibi
lantnearseawi thvistasfarandfoam,
Andtawnyst r
eaksandshadesandspr eadi
ngblue;
Osunofnoonr ef
ulgent!myspeci alwordtothee.

Hearmei l
lust
rious!
Thyloverme,foralway sIhav
el ovedt
hee,
Evenasbaskingbabe, thenhappyboyalonebysomewoodedge,t
hy
touchi
ng-di
stantbeamsenough,
Ormanmat ur
ed, oryoungorold,asnowtotheeIl
aunchmyi
nvocat
ion.

(Thoucanstnotwi tht hydumbnessmedecei ve,

Iknowbef orethefitt
ingmanal lNatureyiel
ds,
Thoughanswer ingnoti nwor ds,theskies,tr
ees,hearhi
svoice-
-and
thouOsun,
Asf ort
hythroes,thyper t
urbations,suddenbr eaksandshaf
tsof
fl
amegi ganti
c,
Iunderst
andt hem, Iknowt hosef lames,thosepertur
bati
onswell.
)

Thouthatwi thf r
uct i
fyingheatandl i
ght,
O'
ermy riadfarms, o'erlandsandwat ersNorthandSout h,
O'
erMi ssissi
ppi '
sendl esscour se,o'
erTexas'grassyplains,
Kanada'swoods,
O'
erallthegl obet hatt urnsit
sfacetot heeshi
ningi nspace,
Thouthati mpar ti
allyenf ol
destall
,notonlycontinents,
seas,
Thouthatt ogr apesandweedsandl i
tt
lewildfl
ower sgivestsol
i
ber
all
y,
Shed,shedt hyselfonmi neandme, withbutafleetingrayoutof
thymilli
onmi l
li
ons,
Str
ikethrought hesechant s.

Noronl
ylauncht hysubtl
edazzl
eandthystr
engt
hfort
hese,
Pr
eparethelateraft
ernoonofmemy sel
f-
-pr
epar
emylengtheni
ngshadows,
Pr
eparemyst arryni
ghts.
Faces

1
Saunteringt hepav ementorr idingt hecount ryby -
road,faces!
Facesoff riendshi p,preci sion, caut i
on, suav i
ty,ideali
ty,
Thespiritual-prescientf ace, theal way swel comecommonbenev ol
entf
ace,
Thefaceoft hesingi ngofmusi c,thegr andf acesofnat ur
al l
awyers
andjudgesbr oadatt heback- t
op,
Thefacesofhunt er sandf isher sbul gedatt hebr ows,theshav ed
bl
anch' df acesofor thodoxci ti
zens,
Thepur e,ext ravagant ,year ning, quest i
oni ngar t
ist'sf
ace,
Theuglyf aceofsomebeaut iful soul,thehandsomedet estedor
despisedf ace,
Thesacr edf acesofi nfant s,thei ll
umi nat edf aceoft hemot herof
manychi l
dr en,
Thefaceofanamour ,
thef aceofv eneration,
Thefaceasofadr eam, t
hef aceofani mmobi lerock,
Thefacewi thdrawnofi tsgoodandbad, acast r
at edface,
Awi l
dhawk, hiswi ngscl ipp'dbyt hecl ipper,
Astall
iont haty ieldedatl astt ot het hongsandkni feofthegelder.

Saunter
ingthepavementt
hus,orcr
ossingtheceasel
essf
err
y,f
aces
andfacesandfaces,
Iseethem andcomplai
nnot,andam contentwi
thall
.

2
DoyousupposeIcoul
dbecont
entwi
thal
li
fIt
houghtt
hem t
hei
r
ownfinal
e?

Thi
snowistoolamentabl
eaf aceforaman,
Someabj
ectlouseaski
ngleavetobe,cr
ingingf
orit
,
Somemil
k-nosedmaggotblessingwhatlet
sitwri
gtoi
tshol
e.

Thi
sf acei
sadog'ssnoutsnif
fi
ngforgar
bage,
Snakesnesti
nthatmouth,Iheart
hesibi
l
antthr
eat
.

Thi
sfacei
sahazemorechil
lthant
hearct
icsea,
I
tssl
eepyandwobbl
i
ngiceber
gscrunchastheygo.

Thi
sisafaceofbi
tt
erherbs,t
hisanemetic,
theyneednolabel
,
Andmoreofthedr
ug-shel
f,l
audanum,caoutchouc,
orhog'
s-l
ard.

Thisfacei
sanepi lepsy,i
tswor dl
esstonguegivesouttheuneart
hlycr
y,
I
tsv ei
nsdownt heneckdi stend,i
tseyesrol
lti
l
l t
heyshow
nothi
ngbuttheirwhi t
es,
I
tsteethgri
t,t
hepal msoft hehandsar ecutbytheturn'
d-i
nnail
s,
Themanf all
sstrugglingandf oamingtotheground,whil
ehe
specul
ateswell.

Thi
sfaceisbi
tt
enbyver
minandwor
ms,
Andthi
sissomemurder
er'
skni
fewi
thahal
f-
pul
l
'dscabbar
d.

Thi
sfaceowestothesextonhisdi
smal
estf
ee,
Anunceasi
ngdeat
h-bel
ltoll
sther
e.

3
Featur
esofmyequalswoul
dyout
ri
ckmewi
thy
ourcr
eas'
dand
cadaver
ousmarch?
Well,y
oucannott
ri
ckme.

Iseey
ourr
oundednev
er-
erasedf
low,
Isee'
neat
hther
imsofy
ourhaggar
dandmeandi
sgui
ses.

Spl
ayandtwi
stasyouli
ke,pokewit
hthet
angl
i
ngf
oresoff
ishesorr
ats,
You'
l
lbeunmuzzl
ed,youcert
ainl
ywil
l.

Isawthefaceofthemostsmear '
dandsl obber
ingidiott
heyhadat
theasy
lum,
AndIknewf ormyconsol ati
onwhatt heyknewnot ,
Iknewoftheagentst hatempt i
edandbr okemybr other,
Thesamewai ttocleartherubbishfrom thefal
lentenement,
AndIshalll
ookagaini nascor eortwoofages,
AndIshallmeetthereal l
andlordperfectandunharm'd,ever
yinch
asgoodasmy self.

4
TheLordadv
ances,
andyetadvances,
Alwayst
heshadowinf
ront
,alwaysthereach'
dhandbr
ingi
ngupt
he
l
aggar
ds.

Outofthi
sf aceemergebanner
sandhorses--
Osuperb!Iseewhati
scomi
ng,
Iseethehighpioneer
-caps,
seest
avesofrunner
scleari
ngtheway,
Ihearvi
ctori
ousdrums.

Thi
sfaceisalif
e-boat,
Thi
sisthefacecommandi ngandbearded,i
tasksnooddsofther
est
,
Thi
sfaceisfl
avor'
df r
uitr
eadyforeat
ing,
Thi
sfaceofaheal t
hyhonestboyistheprogr
ammeofallgood.

Thesefacesbeartest
imonysl
umber
ingorawake,
Theyshowt hei
rdescentf
rom t
heMast
erhimsel
f.

Offt
hewor dIhav
espokenIexceptnotone-
-red,
white,bl
ack,are
al
ldei
fi
c,
I
neachhousei st
heovum,i
tcomesf ort
hafterathousandyears.

Spot
sorcracksatthewindowsdonotdist
urbme,
Tal
landsuff
ici
entstandbehindandmakesignst
ome,
Ir
eadthepromiseandpatientl
ywait
.

Thisi
safull
-grownl il
y'sf
ace,
Shespeakstot helimber-hi
pp'dmannearthegar
denpickets,
Comehereshebl ushi
nglycri
es,Comenightomel i
mber-hi
pp'dman,
Standatmysidet il
lIleanashighasIcanuponyou,
Fi
llmewithalbescenthoney ,benddowntome,
Rubtomewi thy ourchafingbeard,
rubtomybreastandshoulder
s.

5
Theoldfaceofthemotherofmanychi
l
dren,
Whist
!Iam ful
lycont
ent.

Lull
'dandlat
eisthesmokeoftheFir
st-
daymor ni
ng,
Ithangslowoverther
owsoftreesbythefences,
Ithangsthi
nbythesassaf
rasandwild-
cherr
yandcat-
bri
erundert
hem.

Isawther
ichladi
esinful
ldr
essatthesoi
ree,
Ihear
dwhatthesinger
sweresingi
ngsolong,
Heardwhosprangincri
msonyouthfr
om thewhi
tef
rot
handt
hewat
er-
blue.

Beholdawoman!
Shelooksoutfrom herquakercap,
herf
acei
scl
ear
erandmor
e
beaut
if
ulthanthesky.
Shesi
tsi
nanarmchai
rundertheshadedpor
choft
hef
armhouse,
Thesunj
ustshi
nesonherol
dwhitehead.

Heramplegownisofcream-huedl
inen,
Hergr
andsonsrai
sedthefl
ax,andhergrand-
daught
ersspuni
twi
th
t
hedist
affandt
hewheel.

Themelodi
ouschar
acteroft
heearth,
Thef
ini
shbeyondwhichphil
osophycannotgoanddoesnotwi
sht
ogo,
Thej
usti
fi
edmotherofmen.

TheMy
sti
cTr
umpet
er

1
Har
k,somewi l
dtr
umpeter
,somestr
angemusici
an,
Hover
ingunseeni
nai
r,v
ibrat
escapr
ici
oust
unesto-
night
.

Iheartheetrumpeter
,li
steningalertIcat
chthynot
es,
Nowpour ing,whi
rl
ingli
keat empestroundme,
Nowl ow,subdued,nowint hedistancelost
.

2
Comenear erbodilessone, haplyintheeresounds
Somedeadcomposer ,haplythypensivelif
e
Wasf i
l
l'
dwi thaspirati
onshi gh,unfor
m'dideals,
Waves,oceansmusi cal
, chaoti
call
ysurgi
ng,
Thatnowecst at
icghost , cl
osetomebendi ng,t
hycornetechoi
ng,
peal
i
ng,
Giv
esouttonoone' sear sbutmi ne,butf
reelygivest
omi ne,
ThatImayt heetranslate.

3
Blowt r
umpeterfreeandcl ear,If ol
l
owt hee,
Whi l
eatthyl
iquidpr elude,glad, serene,
Thef r
etti
ngworld,thest reets,thenoi syhoursofdaywi t
hdraw,
Ahol ycal
m descendsl i
kedewuponme,
Iwalkincoolrefr
eshi ngni ghtthewal ksofParadise,
Iscentthegrass,themoi stairandt heroses;
Thysongexpandsmynumb' dimbondedspi r
it
,thoufr
eest,
launchestme,
Floati
ngandbaski nguponheav en'sl ake.

4
Bl
owagai
ntr
umpeter
!andformysensuouseyes,
Br
ingt
heol
dpageant
s,showthef
eudalworl
d.

Whatchar mt hymusi cwor ks!thoumakestpassbef oreme,

Ladiesandcav alierslongdead, baronsar ei
nt heircast l
ehal
ls,
thetroubadour sar esinging,
Arm'dkni ghtsgof ort
ht oredresswr ongs,somei nquestoftheholyGraal
;
Iseethet ournament ,Iseethecont estantsincasedi nheavyarmor
seatedonst atelychampi nghor ses,
Iheartheshout s,thesoundsofbl owsandsmi t
ingst eel
;
IseetheCr usader s't
umul t
uousar mi es-
-har
k, howt hecy mbalscl
ang,
Lo,wher ethemonkswal kinadvance, beari
ngt hecr ossonhigh.

5
Blowagaintr
umpeter
!andf ort
hyt heme,
Takenowt heencl
osi
ngthemeofal l
,thesol
ventandt
heset
ti
ng,
Love,t
hatispul
seofall
,thesustenanceandthepang,
Theheartofmanandwomanal lforlove,
Noot
hert
hemebutl
ove-
-kni
tt
ing,
encl
osi
ng,
all
-di
ff
usi
ngl
ove.

Ohowt heimmor t
alphant omscr owdar oundme!
Iseethev astalembicev erwor ki
ng, Iseeandknowt hefl
amesthat
heatthewor ld,
Thegl ow,theblush,thebeat i
nghear tsoflov er
s,
Soblissfulhappysome, andsomesosi l
ent,dark,andni
ghtodeath;
Love,thatisalltheear t
ht olov er
s--l
ove,thatmockst imeandspace,
Love,thatisdayandni ght--
love,thatissunandmoonandst ar
s,
Love,thatiscri
mson, sumpt uous, si
ckwi thperfume,
Noot herwor dsbutwor dsofl ove,noot herthoughtbutl
ove.

6
Bl
owagai
ntr
umpet
er-
-conj
urewar
'sal
arums.

Swifttot hyspel l ashudderi

nghum l ikedi
stantthunderrol
ls,
Lo,wher et hear m' dmenhast en-
-lo,midthecloudsofdustt hegl i
nt
ofbay onet s,
Iseet hegr ime- f
acedcannoneer s, Imarktherosyflashamidt he
smoke, Iheart hecr acki
ngoftheguns;
Norwaral one- -t
hyf earf
ulmusic-
song, wil
dplayer,bri
ngsev ery
sightoff ear ,
Thedeedsofr uthlessbri
gands,rapine,murder-
-Ihearthecriesforhel
p!
Iseeshi psf ounder i
ngatsea,Ibehol dondeckandbel owdeckt he
terr
ibl
et abl eaus.

7
Ot rumpeter, met hi
nksIam my sel
ft heinstrumentthoupl ayest,
Thoumel t
'stmyhear t,mybr ain--t
houmov est ,
drawest,changest
them atwi ll;
Andnowt hysul lennot essenddar knesst hroughme,
Thout akestawayal l
cheeringl i
ght,allhope,
Iseet heensl aved,theov er
thr own, t
hehur t,theopprestoft he
whol eearth,
Ifeelthemeasur el
essshameandhumi l
iati
onofmyr ace,itbecomes
allmine,
Minet oother evengesofhumani t
y,thewr ongsofages, baffl
edfeuds
andhat r
eds,
Utterdefeatuponmewei ghs--alll
ost -
-t
hef oev i
ctor
ious,
(Yet'midther ui
nsPr idecolossal standsunshakent othel ast
,
Endurance, resolutiontothel ast.)

8
Nowt r
umpeterforthyclose,
Vouchsaf
eahigherst r
ainthananyyet
,
Si
ngtomysoul ,renewitslangui
shi
ngfai
thandhope,
Rouseupmysl owbelief,gi
vemesomev isi
onofthef
utur
e,
Giv
emef oroncei t
sprophecyandjoy.

Ogl ad,exul
ting, culminati
ngsong!
Av igormoret hanear t
h'sisinthynotes,
Mar chesofv ictory--
mandi senthral
'd-
-theconquer oratlast,
Hy mnst otheuni ver
salGodf rom universalman--allj
oy!
Ar ebornraceappear s--
aper f
ectwor l
d, al
ljoy!
Womenandmeni nwisdom innocenceandheal th--
all
joy!
Riotouslaughi ngbacchanal sfil
l'
dwi t
hj oy!
War ,sorr
ow, suf feri
nggone- -
therankear thpurged--
nothingbutj
oyl
eft
!
Theoceanf il
l'
dwi t
hjoy--
theat mospher eallj
oy!
Joy !j
oy!infreedom, worship,l
ove!joyintheecst asyoflife!
Enought omer elybe!enought obreathe!
Joy !j
oy!alloverj oy!
ToaLocomot
ivei
nWi
nter

Theef ormyr ecitati

v e,
Theeint hedr ivi
ngst orm ev enasnow, thesnow, thewinter-daydecl i
ning,
Theeint hypanopl y,thymeasur 'ddual throbbingandt hybeatconv ulsive,
Thyblackcy li
ndricbody ,gol denbr assandsi l
ver ysteel,
Thyponder oussi de-bar s,par all
elandconnect ingr ods,gyrat i
ng,
shuttli
ngatt hysi des,
Thymet rical,nowswel li
ngpantandr oar,nowt aper i
ngi nthedi stance,
Thygreatpr otr
udi nghead- li
ghtf i
x'dinf ront,
Thylong, pale,floatingv apor -
pennant s,tingedwi t
hdel i
catepur ple,
Thedenseandmur kycl oudsout -belchingf r
om t hysmoke- stack,
Thykni ttedf rame, t
hyspr ingsandv alves, t
hetr emul oustwi nkl
eof
thywheel s,
Thytrainofcar sbehi nd, obedi ent,mer ri
lyfoll
owi ng,
Throughgal eorcal m, nowswi ft,nowsl ack, y
etst eadilycareering;
Typeoft hemoder n--embl em ofmot i
onandpower --
pulseoft hecont inent,
Foroncecomeser v
et heMuseandmer gei nver se,evenasher eIseet hee,
Withst orm andbuf fetinggust sofwi ndandf all
ingsnow,
Bydayt hywar ningr ingingbel lt
osoundi t
snot es,
Bynightt hysi l
entsi gnal lampst oswi ng.

Fierce-t
hroatedbeaut y!
Roll t
hroughmychantwi thallt
hylawlessmusi c,t
hyswingi
nglamps
atnight,
Thymadl y-whistl
edlaughter,echoi
ng,rumbl i
ngl i
keanearthquake,
rousingal l
,
Lawoft hyselfcomplete,thi
neownt r
ackf i
rml yholdi
ng,
(Nosweet nessdebonai roftearful
harporgl ibpianothi
ne,)
Thyt ri
ll
sofshr ieksbyr ocksandhill
sreturn'd,
Launch'do' ertheprair
ieswi de,acr
ossthel akes,
Tot hef r
eeski esunpentandgl adandst rong.

OMagnet
-Sout
h

Omagnet -
sout h!Ogl i
steningper fumedSout h!mySout h!
Oqui ckmet tle,ri
chbl ood, i
mpul seandl ov e!goodandev il!Oal l
deart ome!
Odeart omemybi rth-t
hings--all mov ingt hingsandt het reeswher e
Iwasbor n--t
hegr ains,plants, ri
v ers,
Deart omemyownsl owsl uggi shr iverswher etheyflow, distant,
overf l
atsofsl i
v erysandsort hr oughswamps,
Deart omet heRoanoke, t
heSav annah, theAl tamahaw, t
hePedee, t
he
Tombi gbee, theSant ee, t
heCoosaandt heSabi ne,
Opensi ve,farawaywander i
ng, Iret urnwi thmysoul tohauntt hei
r
banksagai n,
Againi nFlor idaIfloatont r
anspar entl akes, Ifloatont he
Okeechobee, Icr osst hehummock- l
andort hroughpl easantopeni ngs
ordensef orests,
Iseet hepar rotsint hewoods, Iseet hepapaw- t
reeandt he
blossomi ngt i
ti
;
Again, sail
ingi nmycoast erondeck, Icoastof fGeorgia,Icoast
upt heCar oli
nas,
Iseewher et hel i
ve- oaki sgrowi ng, Iseewher et heyell
ow- pine,
thescent edbay -
tree, thelemonandor ange, thecypress, the
 gracef ul pal met to,
Ipassr udesea- headl andsandent erPaml icosoundt hroughani nlet
,
anddar tmyv i
si oni nl and;
Ot hecot t
onpl ant !thegr owingf ieldsofr ice, sugar ,hemp!
Thecact usguar dedwi tht horns, thel aurel-treewi t
hl argewhi t
efl
ower s,
Ther angeaf ar, t
her ichnessandbar r
enness, theol dwoodschar ged
withmi stlet oeandt railingmoss,
Thepi neyodorandt hegl oom, t
heawf ul natur alstil
lness, (
herein
thesedenseswampst hefreeboot ercar r
ieshi sgun, andthe
fugitivehashi sconceal '
dhut ;
)
Ot hest rangef asci nat ionoft hesehal f-knownhal f-i
mpassabl e
swamps, i
nf est edbyr eptil
es,r esoundi ngwi ththebel lowoft he
all
igat or,thesadnoi sesoft heni ght -
owl andt hewi ld- cat,
and
thewhi rroft her attlesnake,
Themocki ng- bi r
d, theAmer i
canmi mic, singingal l
thef orenoon,
singingt hr ought hemoon- li
tni ght ,
Thehummi ng- bird, t
hewi ldturkey , t
her accoon, theopossum;
AKent uckycor n-field, thet al
l,gracef ul,long- leav'dcor n,
slender ,flappi ng, brightgr een, wi t
ht assel s, withbeaut i
ful
earseachwel l-sheat h'di nitshusk;
Omyhear t
!Ot enderandf ier
cepangs, Icanst andt hem not ,Iwil
ldepart;
Ot obeaVi rgi nianwher eIgr ewup!Ot obeaCar oli
ni an!
Olongi ngsi r
r epr essi ble!OIwi llgobackt ool dTennesseeand
nev erwandermor e.

Mannahat
ta

Iwasaskingforsomethi
ngspeci
fi
candper
fectf
ormyci
ty,
Whereuponlo!upspr
angtheabor
igi
nal
name.

NowIseewhatt her eisi naname, awor d, l

iquid, sane, unr uly,
musi cal,sel f
-suf fi
cient ,
Iseet hatt hewor dofmyci tyi st hatwor df rom ofol d,
BecauseIseet hatwor dnest edi nnest sofwat er-bay s,super b,
Rich,hemm' dthickal laroundwi thsai l
shi psandst eamshi ps,an
isl
andsi xt eenmi lesl ong, solid-founded,
Number l
esscr owdedst reets, highgr owt hsofi ron, slender ,str
ong,
li
ght,spl endidlyupr i
si ngt owar dcl earski es,
Tidesswi ftandampl e, wel l
-lov edbyme, t
owar dsundown,
Thef l
owi ngsea- cur rents, thel ittl
ei slands, l
ar geradj oining
isl
ands, thehei ght s,thev il
las,
Thecount lessmast s,thewhi teshor e-st eamer s,thel ighter s,the
ferry-
boat s,t
hebl acksea- steamer swel l-model '
d,
Thedown- t ownst reets, thej obber s' housesofbusi ness, thehouses
ofbusi nessoft heshi p-mer chant sandmoney -
br oker s, ther iv
er-st
reet
s,
Immi grantsar r
iving, fi
fteenort went yt housandi naweek,
Thecar tshaul i
nggoods, themanl yr aceofdr i
versofhor ses, the
brown- facedsai l
ors,
Thesummerai r
, t
hebr ightsunshi ning, andt hesai li
ngcl oudsal of
t,
Thewi ntersnows, thesl eigh- bells, thebr okeni cei nt her i
v er,
passingal ongupordownwi tht hef lood- tideorebb- t
ide,
Themechani csoft heci ty,themast er s,wel l-form' d,
beaut i
ful-faced, l
ooki ngy oust raighti nt heey es,
Trott
oi r
st hr ong'd, vehicles, Br oadway ,thewomen, theshopsandshows,
Ami ll
ionpeopl e--manner sf reeandsuper b--openv oices- -hospi t
ali
ty-
-
themostcour ageousandf riendl yy oungmen,
Cityofhur riedandspar klingwat ers!ci tyofspi resandmast s!
Citynestedi nbay s!myci t
y!
Al
lIsTr
uth

Ome, manofsl ackf ai

thsolong,
St
andingal oof,deny ingporti
onssolong,
Onlyawaret o-dayofcompactal l
-di
ffusedtr
uth,
Di
scov er
ingt o-dayt hereisnoli
eorform ofli
e,andcanbenone,
butgrowsasi nevi
tablyuponit
sel
fast hetr
uthdoesuponit
sel
f,
Orasanyl awoft heearthoranynaturalpr
oducti
onoftheear
thdoes.

(Thisiscuriousandmaynotbereali
zedimmediatel
y,butitmustbe
reali
zed,
Ifeelinmy selft
hatIr
epr
esentf
alsehoodsequal
lywiththerest
,
Andt hattheuniver
sedoes.
)

Wherehasfai
l'
daperfectr
etur
nindi
ff
erentofl
iesorthetr
uth?
I
situpontheground,
orinwaterorf
ir
e?orinthespir
itofman?
ori
nthemeatandblood?

Medi t
atingamongl i
arsandr etreatingsternlyintomy sel
f,Isee
thattherearereallynol i
arsorl i
esaf t
erall,
Andt hatnothingfail
si tsperfectreturn,andt hatwhatarecal l
ed
l
iesar eperfectr
etur ns,
Andt hateacht hi
ngexact lyrepresentsi t
selfandwhathaspr ecededi
t,
Andt hatthetruthincludesall,andi scompactj ustasmuchas
spacei scompact ,
Andt hatthereisnof laworv acuum i ntheamountoft hetrut
h--
but
thatalli
struthwi t
houtexcept ion;
Andhencef orthIwi l
lgocel ebrateanyt hingIseeoram,
Andsi ngandl aughanddenynot hing.

ARi
ddl
eSong

Thatwhi cheludest hi
sv erseandanyv er
se,
Unheardbyshar pestear,unf orm'dinclearestey eorcunni ngestmind,
Norlorenorf ame, norhappi nessnorweal th,
Andy etthepul seofever yhear tandl i
fethroughoutt hewor l
dincessant
ly,
Whichy ouandIandal lpur suingev erevermi ss,
Openbutst i
l
l asecret,
ther eal ofthereal,anillusi
on,
Costl
ess, vouchsafedtoeach, yetnevermant heowner ,
Whichpoet sv ainl
yseekt oputi nrhyme, hi
storiansinpr ose,
Whichscul ptorneverchisel '
dy et,norpaint
erpai nted,
Whichv ocali
stnev ersung, noror atornoractorev erutter'
d,
I
nvokingher eandnowIchal lengef ormysong.

I
ndif
fer
ently,
'mi
dpublic,
privatehaunts,
insol
i
tude,
Behi
ndthemount ai
nandt hewood,
Companionofthecit
y'
sbusiestst r
eets,
thr
oughtheassembl
age,
I
tandit
sr adi
ati
onsconstantlygl
ide.

I
nlooksoffairunconsciousbabes,
Orstr
angel
yint hecoffi
n'ddead,
Orshowofbreaki ngdawnorst ar
sbynight
,
Assomedissolv i
ngdeli
catefi
lm ofdr
eams,
Hi
dingyetl
ingering.

Twol
i
ttl
ebr
eat
hsofwor
dscompr
isi
ngi
t,
Twowor
ds,
yetal
lfr
om f
ir
stt
olastcompr
isedi
nit
.

Howar
dent
lyf
ori
t!
Howmanyshi
pshavesai
l
'dandsunkf
ori
t!

Howmanyt ravelersst ar
tedf r
om t heirhomesandneerr eturn'
d!
Howmuchofgeni usbol dlystakedandl ostf
orit!
Whatcount lessst oresofbeaut y,l
ov e,ventur'
dforit!
Howal lsuper bestdeedssi nceTi mebeganar etraceablet
oi t-
-and
shallbet ot heend!
Howal lheroicmar t
yrdomst oit!
How, justif
iedbyi t
,thehor rors,evil
s, battl
esoftheear t
h!
Howt hebr ightf ascinat i
nglambentf lamesofi t,i
neveryageand
l
and, hav edr awnmen' sey es,
Ri
chasasunsetont heNor waycoast ,
thesky,theisl
ands, andthecl
i
ffs,
Ormi dnight'ssi l
entgl owingnor thernl i
ghtsunreachable.

Hapl
yGod' sr
iddlei
t,sovagueandyetsocert
ain,
Thesoul
f ori
t,andallt
hevisi
bleuni
ver
sefori
t,
Andheavenatlastfori
t.

Excel
sior

Whohasgonef ar thest?forIwoul dgof art

her ,
Andwhohasbeenj ust?forIwoul dbet hemostj ustper sonoftheearth,
Andwhomostcaut i
ous?f orIwoul dbemor ecaut ious,
Andwhohasbeenhappi est ?OIt hi
nkitisI-
-Ithinknoonewas
everhappierthanI ,
Andwhohasl avish'dall?forIl avishconstant l
yt hebestIhav e,
Andwhopr oudest ?forIthinkIhav ereasont obet heproudestson
al
ive-
-f
orIam t hesonoft hebrawnyandt all
-toptcity,
Andwhohasbeenbol dandt r
ue?f orIwouldbet hebol destand
tr
uestbeingoft heuniver se,
Andwhobenev olent ?forIwoul dshowmor ebenev olencethanal lt
herest
,
Andwhohasr ecei v'
dthel ov eoft hemostf riends?f orIknowwhat
i
tistoreceivet hepassi onat eloveofmanyf r
iends,
Andwhopossessesaper fectandenamour 'dbody ?forIdonotbel iev
e
anyonepossessesamor eperfectorenamour '
dbodyt hanmi ne,
Andwhot hinkst heampl estt houghts?forIwoul dsur r
oundt hosethoughts,
Andwhohasmadehy mnsf itfortheear t
h?f orIam madwi t
h
devouri
ngecst asyt omakej oyoushy mnsf ort hewhol eearth.

AhPov
ert
ies,
Winci
ngs,
andSul
kyRet
reat
s

Ahpov erti
es,wincings, andsul kyr etr
eat s,
Ahy oufoesthatinconf licthav eov er
comeme,
(Forwhatismyl i
feoranyman' sl i
febutaconf li
ctwithfoes,
the
old,t
heincessantwar ?)
Youdegr adati
ons,y out ussl ewi thpassi onsandappet it
es,
Yousmar t
sfrom dissat isfi
edf riendshi ps, (ahwoundst hesharpestofal
l
!)
Yout oi
lofpainfulandchokedar ticulations, youmeannesses,
Youshal l
owt ongue- t
alksatt ables, (myt onguet heshallowestofany;
)
Youbr okenresolutions, your ackinganger s,yousmot her'
dennuis!
Aht hi
nknoty ouf i
nallytr i
umph, myr eal selfhasy ett
ocomef orth,
I
tshal ly
etmar chfor t
ho' ermast ering,tillalll
iesbeneathme,
I
tshal ly
etstandupt hesol dieroful ti
mat ev i
ctor
y.
Thought
s

Ofpubl i
copi nion,
Ofacal m andcool fi
atsoonerorl ater,(howi mpassi v
e!howcer tai
n
andf inal!
)
OfthePr esidentwi thpal efaceaski ngsecr etlyt ohi mself
,What
wil
lthepeopl esayatl ast?
Ofthef rivolousJudge- -ofthecorr uptCongr essman, Governor,
May or -
-ofsuchast hesest andinghel plessandexposed,
Ofthemumbl ingandscr eami ngpr i
est ,
(soon, soondeser t
ed,)
Ofthel esseni ngy earbyy earofvener abl eness, andoft hedictaof
off
icer s,stat utes,pul pit
s,school s,
Ofther isingf or evertallerandst r
ongerandbr oaderoft he
i
ntuitionsofmenandwomen, andofSel f
-est eem andPer sonali
ty;
Ofthet rueNewWor ld--oftheDemocr aciesr espl endenten-masse,
Oftheconf ormi tyofpol iti
cs,armies, nav i
es, tot hem,
Oftheshi ni
ngsunbyt hem- -
ofthei nherentl i
ght , greatert
hant herest,
Oftheenv elopmentofal lbythem, andt heef fusi onofal lf
rom them.

Medi
ums

Theyshal larisei nt heSt at es,

Theyshal lrepor tNat ure,laws, phy siology,andhappi ness,
Theyshal lil
lustrat eDemocr acyandt hekosmos,
Theyshal lbeal iment ive,amat ive, perceptive,
Theyshal lbecompl etewomenandmen, theirposebr awnyandsuppl e,
theirdr i
nkwat er ,theirbl oodcl eanandcl ear ,
Theyshal lfullyenj oymat er iali
sm andt hesightofpr oduct s,they
shal lenjoyt hesi ghtoft hebeef ,lumber ,bread- st
uffs,of
Chi cagot hegr eatci ty.
Theyshal ltrainthemsel vest ogoi npubl i
ct obecomeor atorsand
or atr
esses,
Strongandsweetshal lthei rtonguesbe, poemsandmat erial
sof
poemsshal lcomef rom t heirlives, theyshal lbemaker sandf i
nders,
Oft hem andoft hei rwor ksshal lemer gedivineconv ey er
s, t
oconv eygospel
s,
Char acters,ev ent s,retrospect i
ons, shallbeconv ey'
di ngospel s,
trees, animal s,wat ers,shal lbeconv ey'
d,
Deat h,thef uture, thei nvisiblef aith,shal l
allbeconv ey'd.

Weav
ein,
MyHar
dyLi
fe

Weav ein,weav ein,myhardylif

e,
Weav ey etasoldierstr
ongandf ul
lforgreatcampai gnstocome,
Weav einr edblood,weavesinewsinlikeropes, t
hesenses,sightweavei
n,
Weav elastingsure,weavedayandni ghtthewet ,thewarp,i
ncessant
weav e,ti
renot,
(Weknownotwhatt heuseOl if
e,norknowt heaim, t
heend,nor
real
lyaughtweknow,
Butknowt hewor k,t
heneedgoesonandshal lgoon, t
he
death-envelop'
dmar chofpeaceaswel laswargoeson, )
Forgreatcampai gnsofpeacet hesamet hewirythreadstoweav e,
Weknownotwhyorwhat ,yetweave,foreverweav e.
Spai
n,1873-
74

Outoft hemur kofheav i

estclouds,
Outoft hefeudal wr ecksandheap' d-
upskel et
onsofki ngs,
Outoft hatoldent ireEuropeandebr i
s,theshatter'
dmummer i
es,
Rui
n'dcat hedrals,crumbl eofpalaces,tombsofpr iests,
Lo,Freedom'sf eat uresfr
eshundi mm'dl ookforth-
-thesameimmort
al
f
acel ooksfor th;
(Agli
mpseasoft hyMot her'
sfaceCol umbia,
Aflashsignifi
cantasofaswor d,
Beami ngtowar dst hee.)

Northinkwef orgettheematernal
;
Lag'
d'stthousol ong?shal
lthecloudscloseagai
nupont hee?
Ah,butthouhastt hysel
fnowappear '
dtous--
weknowt hee,
Thouhastgi venusasur eproof,t
hegli
mpseoft hysel
f,
Thouwai testthereasever
ywheret hyt
ime.

ByBr
oadPot
omac'
sShor
e

BybroadPot omac' sshore,againoldtongue,

(St
il
lutteri
ng, stil
l ej
aculati
ng,canstneverceaset hisbabble?
)
Againoldhear tsogay ,againt oyou,yoursense, t
hef ul
lfl
ush
spri
ngr eturning,
Againthef reshnessandt heodor s,againVirgi
nia'
ssummersky ,
pel
lucidbl ueandsi l
ver,
Againthef orenoonpur pleofthehill
s,
Againthedeat hlessgrass, sonoisel
esssof tandgr een,
Againthebl ood- redrosesbl ooming.

Perf
umet hisbookofmi neObl ood-r
edroses!
Lavesubtlywit
hy ourwat erseveryl
inePotomac!
Giv
emeofy ouOspr ing, befor
eIclose,
toputbetweeni
tspages!
Oforenoonpurpleoft hehi l
l
s,befor
eIclose,ofy
ou!
Odeathlessgrass,ofy ou!

Fr
om FarDakot
a'sCany
ons[
June25,
1876]

From farDakot
a'scanyons,
Landsoft hewi
ldravi
ne,theduskySi
oux,t
helonesomestret
ch,t
he
si
lence,
Haplyto-dayamournfulwall
,hapl
yatrumpet
-noteforher
oes.

Thebattl
e-bul
l
etin,
TheIndi
anambuscade, thecraf
t,thefatalenvir
onment ,
Thecavalr
ycompani esfi
ghti
ngt othelastinsternestheroi
sm,
I
nthemi dstofthei
rli
tt
lecir
cle,
wi t
htheirslaughter'
dhorses
f
orbreastworks,
Thefall
ofCusterandallhisoff
icersandmen.

Cont
inuesyett
heol
d,ol
dlegendofourr
ace,
Thel
ofti
estofl
if
euphel
dbydeath,
Theancientbannerper
fect
lymaint
ain'
d,
Olessonopportune,OhowIwelcomet hee!

Assitt
ingindar kdays,
Lone,sulky,t
hrought heti
me'sthi
ckmur klookinginvai
nfor
li
ght,f
orhope,
From unsuspectedpar tsafi
erceandmoment aryproof
,
(Thesunt hereatthecentrethoughconceal'
d,
Elect
ri
clifeforeveratthecentr
e,)
Breaksforthal i
ghtni
ngf l
ash.

Thouoft hetawnyf l
owinghai rinbattl
e,
Ierewhi l
esaw, wither ecthead, pressi
ngeverinfront,bear
inga
bri
ghtswor dint hyhand,
Nowendi ngwel li
ndeat hthespl endi
dfeverofthydeeds,
(Ibri
ngnodi rgefori torthee,Ibringagladtri
umphal sonnet,
)
Desper ateandgl orious,ayeindef eatmostdesper at
e,mostglori
ous,
Afterthymanybat tl
esinwhi chnev eryi
eldi
ngupagunoracol or
,
Leavingbehi ndtheeamemor ysweett osoldi
ers,
Thouy ieldestupt hyself.

Ol
dWar
-Dr
eams

I
nmi dnightsleepofmanyaf aceofanguish,
Ofthelookatf ir
stofthemortal
l
ywounded, (
ofthati
ndescr
ibabl
elook,
)
Ofthedeadont hei
rbackswitharmsextendedwide,
Idream, Idream,Idream.

OfscenesofNat ure,f
ieldsandmount ai
ns,
Ofskiessobeaut eousaf t
erastor
m, andatni
ghtt
hemoonso
unearthl
ybri
ght,
Shini
ngsweet l
y,shini
ngdown, wherewedigthetr
enchesand
gathertheheaps,
Idream, Idr
eam, Idream.

Longhav et
heypass'd,facesandtr
enchesandfiel
ds,
WherethroughthecarnageImov edwit
hacallouscomposur
e,oraway
f
rom thefal
len,
OnwardIspedatt heti
me- -
butnowofthei
rfor
msatni ght
,
Idr
eam, Idream,Idream.

Thi
ck-
Spr
inkl
edBunt
ing

Thick-spr
inkledbunt ing!fl
agofstars!
Longy etyourr oad,fatefulf
lag-
-l
ongy etyourroad,andlinedwith
bloodydeat h,
Forthepr i
zeIseeati ssueatlastisthewor l
d,
Alli
tsshipsandshor esIseeint
erwov enwithyourt hr
eadsgreedybanner
;
Dream' dagaint heflagsofkings,highestbornet of
launtunri
val'
d?
Ohast enflagofman- -
Owi t
hsureandst eadyst ep,
passinghighest
fl
agsofki ngs,
Wal ksupremet otheheav ensmight ysymbol--
runupabov ethem all
,
Fl
agofst ars!thick-sprinkl
edbunting!
WhatBestISeeinThee
[
ToU.S.G.retur
n'df
rom hi
sWor
ld'
sTour
]

WhatbestIseei nt hee,
I
snott hatwher et houmov '
stdownhi st or y'
sgr eathighway s,
Everundi mm'dbyt i
meshoot swar l
ikev ictor y'
sdazzle,
Orthatthousat 'stwher eWashi ngtonsat ,ruli
ngt helandinpeace,
Orthout hemanwhom f eudalEuropef et ed, venerabl
eAsiaswar m'dupon,
Whowal k'
dwi thkingswi thevenpacet her oundwor l
d'spromenade;
Butthatinf or
eignl ands, i
nallt
hywal kswi thki ngs,
Thosepr air
iesov ereignsoftheWest ,Kansas, Missouri
,I
ll
inois,
Ohio'
s, I
ndiana'smi ll
i
ons, comrades, f
ar mer s,soldier
s,al
ltothefront
,
I
nvisi
blywi ththeewal ki
ngwi t
hkingswi thev enpacet heround
world'
spr omenade,
Wereal lsojustifi
ed.

Spi
ri
tThatFor
m'dThi
sScene
[
Writ
teni
nPlatt
eCanyon,
Col
orado]

Spir
itt
hatfor m'dthisscene,
Thesetumbl edr ock-pil
esgr im andr ed,
Theserecklessheav en-ambi ti
ouspeaks,
Thesegorges, turbulent-clearst r
eams, thi
snakedf reshness,
Theseforml esswi ldarray s,forreasonsoft heirown,
Iknowthee, savagespi rit--wehav ecommunedt ogether,
Minetoosuchwi l
dar r
ay s, forreasonsoft hei
rown;
Wastchargedagai nstmychant stheyhadf or
got t
enar t
?
Tofusewi t
hi nthemsel vesi tsrul
espr eci
seanddel icat
esse?
Thelyri
st'
smeasur 'dbeat , t
hewr ought-
outtempl e'
sgrace--
col
umn
andpoli
sh' darchf orgot ?
Butthouthatr evelesther e--spiri
tthatform'dthisscene,
Theyhaver emember '
dthee.

AsIWal
kTheseBr
oadMaj
est
icDay
s

AsIwal kthesebroadmaj est

icdaysofpeace,
(Forthewar ,
thestruggleofbloodfinish'd,wher ei
n,Ot erri
fi
cIdeal,
Againstvastoddser ewhil
ehav i
nggl oriouslywon,
Nowt houst r
ideston,yetperhapsint i
met owarddenserwar s,
Perhapst oengageintimei nsti
llmor edr eadfulcontests,dangers,
Longercampai gnsandcr ises,l
aborsbey ondal lothers,
)
AroundmeIheart hateclatofthewor ld,polit
ics,produce,
Theannouncement sofrecognizedthings, science,
Theappr ovedgrowthofci ti
esandthespr eadofi nventions.

Iseetheships,(theywil
ll
astafewy ear
s,)
Thevastfactori
eswi t
hthei
rfor
emenandwor kmen,
Andhearthei ndorsementofal
l
, anddonotobj
ectt
oit
.

ButIt
ooannouncesol i
dt hings,
Sci
ence,shi
ps,poli
ti
cs, cit
ies,factor
ies,
arenotnot hi
ng,
Li
keagr andprocessiont omusi cofdistantbugl
espouring,
t
ri
umphant l
ymov ing,andgr anderheav i
nginsight,
Theystandforreal
it
ies--al
lisasi tshoul
dbe.
Thenmyr ealit
ies;
Whatel seissor ealasmi ne?
Li
bertadandt hedivi
neav erage,
freedom toev
eryslav
eont heface
oftheear th,
Theraptpr omi sesandlumi neofseers,t
hespir
it
ualworl
d,these
centuri
es-lasti
ngsongs,
Andourv isions,thevi
sionsofpoet s,t
hemostsolidannouncements
ofany .

ACl
earMi
dni
ght

ThisisthyhourOSoul ,t
hyfreefli
ghtint
ot hewor dless,
Awayf rom books,awayfrom art
,thedayer ased,thelessondone,
Theef ul
lyf
orthemer gi
ng,si
lent,
gazing,ponderingt hethemesthou
lov
estbest,
Night,sl
eep,deathandthestars.

BOOKXXXI
II
.SONGSOFPARTI
NG

Ast
heTi
meDr
awsNi
gh

Ast
heti
medrawsni
ghgloomi
ngacloud,
Adr
eadbey
ondofIknownotwhatdar
kensme.

Ishall
gof or
th,
Ishall
trav
ersetheSt
atesawhi
le,
butIcannottel
lwhi
therorhowlong,
Perhapssoonsomedayornightwhi
leIam singi
ngmyv oi
cewill
suddenl
ycease.

Obook,Ochants!mustallt
henamountt obutthi
s?
Mustwebarel
yar r
iveatthi
sbegi
nningofus?--
andyeti
tis
enough,
Osoul ;
Osoul
,wehaveposi ti
vel
yappear
'd-
-thati
senough.

Year
soft
heModer
n

Yearsoft hemoder n!y earsoftheunperform'd!

Yourhor i
zonr i
ses,Iseei tpart
ingawayf ormor eaugustdr amas,
IseenotAmer icaonly ,
notonlyLibert
y'
snat i
onbutot hernations
prepari
ng,
Iseetremendousent rancesandexi t
s,newcombi nati
ons,thesolidari
ty
ofraces,
Iseethatf orceadvanci ngwithir
resi
sti
blepoweront hewor l
d'sstage,
(Havetheol dforces,theol dwars,pl
ayedtheirparts?aretheact s
suit
ablet othem cl
osed? )
IseeFreedom, compl etel
yarm'dandv i
ctori
ousandv eryhaughty,
withLawononesi deandPeaceont heot her,
Astupendoust ri
oallissuingfort
hagainsttheideaofcast e;
Whathi st
or i
cdenouement sarethesewesor apidlyapproach?
Iseemenmar chingandcount ermarchingbyswi ftmill
i
ons,
Iseethef ronti
ersandboundar i
esoftheoldar i
stocraci
esbr oken,
Iseethelandmar ksofEur opeankingsremov ed,
Iseet hisdayt hePeopl ebegi nni ngthei rlandmar ks,(allot hersgiveway ;
)
Nev erwer esuchshar pquest ionsask' dast hisday ,
Nev erwasav erageman, hissoul , mor eener geti
c,mor elikeaGod,
Lo,howheur gesandur ges, leav ingt hemassesnor est!
Hisdar ingf ooti sonl andandseaev er ywher e,hecol onizest he
Paci fic, t
hear chi pelagoes,
Witht hest eamshi p, t
heel ectrictelegr aph, thenewspaper ,t
he
whol esal eengi nesofwar ,
Witht heseandt hewor ld-spr eadi ngf actorieshei nter l
i
nksal l
geogr aphy ,all lands;
Whatwhi spersar et heseOl ands, r
unni ngaheadofy ou, passingunder
theseas?
Areal l nat i
onscommuni ng?i st heregoi ngt obebutonehear ttotheglobe?
Ishumani tyfor mi ngen- masse?f orlo, t
yrant strembl e,cr ownsgr owdim,
Theear t
h, restive, conf ront sanewer a,per hapsagener al divi
newar ,
Nooneknowswhatwi l
l happennext , suchpor t
entsf il
l t
heday sandnights;
Year spr ophet i
cal !thespaceaheadasIwal k,asIv ainlyt ryto
piercei t,i
sf ull ofphant oms,
Unbor ndeeds, thi ngssoont obe, projectt heirshapesar oundme,
Thisi ncr edibler ushandheat ,thisst rangeecst ati
cf everofdr eams
Oy ear s!
Yourdr eamsOy ear s,howt heypenet ratet hroughme!( Iknownot
whet herIsl eeporwake; )
Theper form'dAmer icaandEur opegr owdi m, reti
ringi nshadowbehi ndme,
Theunper f
orm' d, mor egi gant i
ct hanev er,adv ance, adv anceuponme.

AshesofSol
dier
s

Ashesofsoldi
ersSouthorNort
h,
AsImuser etr
ospecti
vemurmuri
ngachantinthought
,
Thewarresumes, agai
ntomysenseyourshapes,
Andagaintheadvanceofthear
mies.

Noisel
essasmi st
sandv apors,
Fr
om theirgravesinthet renchesascendi
ng,
Fr
om cemet eri
esal l
throughVi rgi
niaandTennessee,
Fr
om ev er
ypoi ntofthecompassoutoft hecountl
essgr
aves,
I
nwaf t
edcl ouds,inmy r
iadsl ar
ge,orsquadsoftwosort
hreesor
si
ngleonest heycome,
Andsil
entlygatherroundme.

Nowsoundnonot eOt r
umpet ers,
Notattheheadofmycav al
rypar adingonspir
it
edhorses,
Withsabresdrawnandgl i
stening,andcarbi
nesbytheirt
highs,(ah
mybrav ehorsemen!
Myhandsomet an-
facedhorsemen!whatl if
e,whatj
oyandpr ide,
Withal
ltheperilswereyour
s.)

Noryoudrummers,nei
theratrevei
l
leatdawn,
Northel
ongrol
lalar
mingt hecamp, noreventhemuf
fl
edbeatforbur
ial
,
Nothi
ngfr
om youthist
imeOdr ummer sbeari
ngmywarli
kedr
ums.

Butasidefr
om theseandthemartsofwealthandthecrowdedpromenade,
Admitti
ngaroundmecomr adescloseunseenbytherestandvoi
celess,
Theslainel
ateandali
veagain,
thedustanddebri
salive,
Ichantthi
schantofmysil
entsoul i
nthenameofal l
deadsoldi
ers.

Facessopalewit
hwondrousey
es,
ver
ydear
,gat
hercl
osery
et,
Drawclose,
butspeaknot
.
Phantomsofcountl
esslost,
I
nvisi
blet
otheresthencefor
thbecomemycompani
ons,
Fol
lowmeev er
--
desertmenotwhi l
eIl
iv
e.

Sweetarethebl
oomingcheeksoft
heli
vi
ng-
-sweetarethemusi
cal
voi
cessoundi
ng,
Butsweet,
ahsweet,ar
ethedeadwitht
hei
rsil
enteyes.

Dearestcomrades,allisoverandlonggone,
Butl
ov eisnotover--
andwhatl ove,Ocomrades!
Perf
umef rom batt
le-f
ieldsri
si
ng,upfrom t
hefoetorar
isi
ng.

Perfumether
eforemychant
,Olove,i
mmortallove,
Giv
emet obathethememor
iesofall
deadsoldiers,
Shroudthem,embalmthem,cov
erthem al
lov
erwi t
htenderpr
ide.

Perf
umeall-
-makeallwhol
esome,
Maketheseashestonouri
shandbl
ossom,
Olove,
solveal
l,
fruct
if
yall
witht
helastchemi
str
y.

Giv
emeexhaust l
ess,makemeaf ount
ain,
ThatIexhal
elovef
rom mewhereverIgoli
keamoistper
enni
aldew,
Fortheashesofal
ldeadsol
dier
sSouthorNort
h.

Thought
s

1
Ofthesey earsIsi ng,
Howt heypassandhav epass' dthroughconv uls'dpai ns, asthrough
parturit
ions,
HowAmer icaillustr
atesbi rt
h,muscul aryouth, thepr omi se,thesure
ful
fil
ment ,t
heabsol utesuccess, despi teofpeopl e--i
ll
ustrates
evi
l aswel l
asgood,
Thev ehementst r
uggl esof i
ercef oruni t
yinone' s-sel
f,
Howmanyhol ddespai ri
nglyyettot hemodel sdepar ted,caste, myths,
obedi ence,compul sion,andt oinfideli
ty,
Howf ewseet hear ri
vedmodel s,theat hletes,theWest ernStates,or
seef reedom orspi ri
tuali
ty,orholdanyf aithinr esults,
(ButIseet heat hlet
es, andIseet her esultsoft hewargl ori
ous
andi nevitable,andt heyagai nleadi ngtoot herr esults.)

Howt hegr eatciti

esappear -
-howt heDemocr aticmasses, turbulent,
wil
lf
ul,asIl ovet hem,
Howt hewhi rl
, t
hecont est,thewr estleofev i
lwi t
hgood, the
soundingandr esoundi ng, keeponandon,
Howsoci etywai tsunf orm' d,andi sforawhi lebet weenthingsended
andthingsbegun,
HowAmer icai sthecont i
nentofgl ori
es, andoft het r
iumphof
fr
eedom andoft heDemocr acies,andoft hef r
uitsofsociety,and
ofallt
hati sbegun,
Andhowt heSt atesar ecompl etei nthemsel v
es--andhowal l t
ri
umphs
andgloriesar ecompl eteint hemsel ves, toleadonwar d,
Andhowt heseofmi neandoft heSt ateswi l
lintheirturnbe
convul
s'd,andser veot herpar turit
ionsandt ransit
ions,
Andhowal lpeopl e,sights,combi nati
ons, thedemocr ati
cmassest oo,
serv
e--andhowev eryf act,andwari tself,withalli
tshorrors,
serv
es,
Andhownoworatanyt imeeachser vest heexqui si
tetransit
ionofdeath.
 2
Ofseedsdr oppingi ntot hegr ound, ofbi rths,
Oft hest eadyconcent r
at ionofAmer ica, i
nl and, upwar d, t
o
i
mpr egnabl eandswar mingpl aces,
OfwhatI ndiana, Kent ucky ,
Ar kansas, andt her est,aretobe,
Ofwhataf ewy ear swi ll showt her ei nNebr aska, Colorado, Nev ada,
andt her est,
(
Oraf ar,mount i
ngt heNor t
her nPaci fict oSi tkaorAl i
aska, )
Ofwhatt hef euil
lageofAmer icai st hepr epar ationfor--andofwhat
allsight s, North,Sout h,EastandWest ,are,
Oft hisUni onwel dedi nbl ood, oft hesol emnpr icepai d,oft he
unnamedl ostev erpr esenti nmymi nd;
Oft het empor aryuseofmat erial sf ori dent i
ty'ssake,
Oft hepr esent ,passi ng, depar ting- -
oft hegr owt hofcompl etermen
thananyy et
,
Ofal lslopingdownt her ewher et hef reshf reegi verthemot her,the
Mi ssissippi fl
ows,
Ofmi ghtyi nlandci t
iesy etunsur v ey'dandunsuspect ed,
Oft henewandgoodnames, oft hemoder ndev elopment s,of
i
nal ienabl ehomest eads,
Ofaf reeandor iginal li
fet her e, ofsi mpl edi etandcl eanand
sweetbl ood,
Oflitheness, maj esticf aces, cl earey es, andper fectphy siquet here,
Ofimmensespi r i
tual resul tsfut ur ey ear sf arWest ,
eachsi deoft he
Anahuacs,
Oft hesesongs, wel lunder stoodt her e, (
bei ngmadef ort hatar ea,)
Oft henat i
v escor nofgr ossnessandgai nt her e,
(
Oi tlur ksi nmeni ghtandday -
-whati sgai naf teralltosav ageness
andf reedom? )

SongatSunset

Spl
endorofendeddayf l
oati
ngandf i
l
li
ngme,
Hourprophet
ic,hourresumingthepast,
I
nfl
ati
ngmyt hroat,youdivi
neav er
age,
Youearthandli
fetil
lthelastraygl
eamsIsi
ng.

Openmout hofmysoul ut
teri
nggladness,
Eyesofmysoul seeingperfect
ion,
Naturall
i
feofmef aithf
ull
ypraisi
ngthings,
Corrobor
ati
ngforeverthetri
umphoft hings.

I
ll
ustr
iousever
yone!
I
ll
ustr
iouswhatwenamespace, spher
eofunnumber '
dspiri
ts,
I
ll
ustr
iousthemysteryofmotioninall
beings,
eventhetini
esti
nsect
,
I
ll
ustr
ioustheatt
ri
buteofspeech,thesenses,
thebody ,
I
ll
ustr
iousthepassingli
ght
--
il
l
ustri
ousthepalerefl
ect
ionon
t
henewmooni nthewesternsky,
I
ll
ustr
iouswhateverIseeorhearortouch,tot
helast.

Goodi
nal l,
I
nthesatisfacti
onandapl ombofani mal
s,
I
ntheannual returnoftheseasons,
I
nthehil
ar i
tyofy out
h,
I
nthestrengthandf lushofmanhood,
I
nthegrandeurandexqui sitenessofol
dage,
I
nthesuper bvistasofdeath.
Wonderfult
odepar t!
Wonderfult
obeher e!
Theheart,t
oj ett
heall-
ali
keandinnocentblood!
Tobreathetheair,howdelici
ous!
Tospeak--
towal k--
tosei
zesomet hi
ngbyt hehand!
Toprepareforsleep,f
orbed, t
olookonmyr ose-col
or'
dfl
esh!
Tobeconsci ousofmybody ,
sosati
sfi
ed, solarge!
Tobethisincredibl
eGodIam!
Tohavegonef or
thamongot herGods,thesemenandwomenIl ov
e.

Wonder f
ulhowIcel ebrateyouandmy self
Howmyt hought spl
aysubt l
yatthespect aclesaround!
Howt hecloudspasssi lentl
yoverhead!
Howt heearthdar t
sonandon!andhowt hesun, moon,stars,dar
tonandon!
Howt hewat ersportsandsings!(surel
yitisalive!
)
Howt hetreesriseandst andup,withstrongt r
unks,withbranches
andleaves!
(
Sur el
ythereissomet hingmoreineachoft hetrees,somel i
vi
ngsoul.
)

Oamazementoft hi
ngs--event hel
eastpar
ti
cle!
Ospir
it
uali
tyoft
hings!
Ostr
ainmusical
flowingt hroughagesandcontinent
s,nowreachi
ng
meandAmer i
ca!
It
akeyourstr
ongchor ds,inter
sper
sethem, andcheerf
ull
ypass
them for
ward.

It
oocarol
thesun,
usher
'doratnoon,
orasnow,set
ti
ng,
It
oothr
obtothebrai
nandbeautyoft
heeart
handofall
the
growt
hsoftheeart
h,
It
oohavefel
tther
esi
stl
esscal
lofmysel
f.

AsIsteam'ddownt heMissi ssippi,

AsIwander '
dov ertheprairi
es,
AsIhavelived,asIhav elook' dthroughmywi ndowsmyey es,
AsIwentf orthint hemor ning, asIbehel dtheli
ghtbreaki
ngi nt
heeast
,
AsIbathedont hebeachoft heEast ernSea,andagainont hebeach
oft
heWest ernSea,
AsIroam'dt hest reet
sofi nlandChi cago, whateverst
reet
sIhav er
oam'd,
Orcit
iesorsilentwoods, orev enami dthesightsofwar,
WhereverIhav ebeenIhav echar gedmy sel
fwithcontent
mentandtri
umph.

Isi
ngt othelasttheequal i
tiesmoder norol
d,
Isi
ngt heendlessfinalesoft hi
ngs,
IsayNaturecontinues, gl
orycontinues,
Iprai
sewi t
helectri
cv oice,
ForIdonotseeonei mper fecti
onintheuniver
se,
AndIdonotseeonecauseorr esultlament
ableatl
asti
ntheuni
ver
se.

Osetti
ngsun!t
houghtheti
mehascome,
Ist
il
lwarbl
eunderyou,i
fnoneel
sedoes,
unmi
ti
gat
edador
ati
on.

AsatThyPor
tal
sAl
soDeat
h

Asatt hypor tal

sal sodeat h,
Enteri
ngt hysov ereign,dim, i
l
li
mi tabl
egr ounds,
Tomemor i
esofmymot her,t
othedi vi
nebl endi
ng,mater
nit
y,
Toher ,buriedandgone, yetburiednot ,gonenotfr
om me,
(Iseeagai nthecal m benignantf acefreshandbeauti
fulst
il
l,
Isitbythef ormi nt hecoffin,
Iki
ssandkissconvulsi
velyagainthesweetol dl
ips,thecheeks,
t
heclosedeyesinthecof f
in;)
Toher,
theidealwoman, practi
cal,spi
ri
tual
,ofallofeart
h,
l
i
fe,l
ove,t
omet hebest ,
Igr
aveamonument all
i
ne, beforeIgo,amidthesesongs,
Andsetatombstoneher e.

MyLegacy

Thebusi nessmant heacquir

ervast,
Afterassiduousyearssurv
eyingresul
ts,preparingfordepart
ure,
Dev i
seshousesandl andstohischil
dren,bequeat hsstocks,
goods,
fundsf oraschoolorhospi
tal,
Leavesmoneyt ocert
aincompanionstobuyt okens,souveni
rsofgems
andgol d.

ButI,
myl i
fesurveyi
ng, cl
osing,
Withnothi
ngtoshowt odev i
sefrom i
tsidl
eyears,
Norhousesnorlands, nortokensofgemsorgol dformyf r
iends,
Yetcert
ainremembr ancesoft hewarforyou,andaftery
ou,
Andli
ttl
esouvenirsofcampsandsol di
ers,wit
hmyl ove,
Ibi
ndtogetherandbequeat hinthisbundleofsongs.

Pensi
veonHerDeadGazi
ng

Pensi veonherdeadgazi ngIhear dt heMot herofAl l,

Desper at eont het ornbodi es, ont hef ormscov er
ingt hebat tl
efiel
dsgazi
ng,
(Ast hel astgunceased, butt hescentoft hepowder -
smokel inger'
d,)
Asshecal l'dt oherear thwi thmour nful v oicewhi leshest alk'
d,
Absor bt hem wel lOmyear th, shecr i
ed, Ichar gey oul osenotmy
sons, losenotanat om,
Andy oust reamsabsor bt hem wel l
,taki ngt heirdearbl ood,
Andy oul ocal spot s,andy ouai r
st hatswi m abov el i
ghtlyimpal pable,
Andal lyouessencesofsoi landgr owt h, andy oumyr ivers'depths,
Andy oumount ai nsides, andt hewoodswher emydearchi ldren's
bloodt ricklingr edden' d,
Andy out r
eesdowni ny ourr ootst obequeat htoal lfuturet r
ees,
Mydeadabsor borSout horNor th--myy oungmen' sbodi esabsor b,
andt heirpr eci ouspr eci ousbl ood,
Whi chhol dingi nt rustformef aithfullybackagai ngi vememanya
yearhence,
I
nunseenessenceandodorofsur faceandgr ass, centur i
eshence,
I
nbl owi ngai rsf rom t hef i
el dsbackagai ngi vememydar l
ings,give
myi mmor tal heroes,
Exhal emet hem cent urieshence, breat hemet hei
rbr eat h,l
etnotan
atom bel ost ,
Oy ear sandgr av es!Oai randsoi l
!Omydead, anar omasweet !
Exhal et hem per enni
al sweetdeat h, year s, centurieshence.

CampsofGr
een

Noral
onet
hosecampsofwhit
e,ol
dcomradesoft
hewar
s,
Whenasor
der'
dfor
ward,
aft
eralongmar
ch,
Footsor eandwear y,soonast helightlessenswehal tforthenight,
Someofussof atiguedcar r
yingt hegunandknapsack, dr
opping
asleepinourt racks,
Otherspi t
chingt helitt
letents,andt hef i
reslitupbegi ntosparkle,
Outpost sofpicket spost edsur r
oundi ngalertthrought hedark,
Andawor dpr ovidedf orcount ersign,caref
ul forsafety,
Til
ltot hecalloft hedr ummer satday breakloudlybeat i
ngt hedrums,
Wer i
seupr efresh'd,thenightandsl eeppass' dover,andr esumeour
j
our ney,
Orproceedt obat tl
e.

Lo,thecampsoft hetentsofgreen,
Whicht hedaysofpeacekeepfill
ing,andthedaysofwarkeepf
il
li
ng,
Withamy st
icarmy,(
isitt
ooorder '
dforward?i
sitt
ooonly
halti
ngawhile,
Til
lnightandsleeppassover?)

Nowi nthosecampsofgr een, i

nthei
rtentsdotti
ngthewor l
d,
I
nt hepar ents,chi
ldren,husbands, wiv
es,inthem, i
ntheoldandy oung,
Sleepi
ngundert hesunl i
ght,sleepi
ngundert hemoonlight,
content
andsilentt her
eatl ast,
Beholdthemi ghtybivouac-fi
eldandwai ti
ng-campofal l
,
Ofthecor psandgener alsall
, andthePresidentovert
hecor psand
generalsal l
,
AndofeachofusOsol di
ers,andofeachandal li
ntherankswef ought
,
(Therewit houthatredweal l,allmeet.
)

Forpresentl
yOsoldi
ers,wetoocampi nourpl
aceinthe
bi
vouac-campsofgreen,
Butweneednotpr ovi
deforoutpost
s,norwordfort
hecount
ersi
gn,
Nordrummert obeatthemorningdrum.

TheSobbi
ngoft
heBel
l
s[Mi
dni
ght
,Sept
.19-
20,
1881]

Thesobbingoft hebells,thesuddendeat h-newsev erywhere,

Theslumber ersrouse,therapportofthePeopl e,
(Ful
lwelltheyknowt hatmessagei nthedar kness,
Fullwel
lreturn,r
espondwi t
hintheirbreasts, t
heirbrai
ns,t
he
sadreverberat
ions,)
Thepassionat et
ollandclang--cit
yt ocit
y, j
oining,soundi
ng, passi
ng,
Thosehear t
-beatsofaNat i
onintheni ght.

AsTheyDr
awt
oaCl
ose

Ast heydrawt oacl ose,

Ofwhatunder li
est hepr ecedentsongs- -
ofmyai msinthem,
Oft heseedIhav esoughtt opl antint hem,
Ofjoy ,
sweetj oy,throughmanyay ear,inthem,
(Forthem, forthem hav eIlived,int hem mywor ki
sdone,)
Ofmanyanaspi rationfond, ofmanyadr eam andplan;
ThroughSpaceandTi mef usedi nachant ,andthefl
owingeternali
dent
it
y,
ToNat ureencompassi ngt hese, encompassi ngGod--
tothejoyous,
electr
icall,
Tot hesenseofDeat h,andaccept ingexul ti
nginDeathinitsturn
thesameasl i
fe,
Theent ranceofmant osi ng;
Tocompactyou,yepart
ed,div
erseli
ves,
Toputrappor
tthemountainsandrocksandstr
eams,
Andthewindsofthenort
h,andtheforest
sofoakandpi
ne,
Wit
hy ouOsoul.

Joy
,Shi
pmat
e,Joy
!

Joy,shipmat e,Joy !
(Pl
eas'dt omysoul atdeathIcr y
,)
Ourlif
ei sclosed, ourli
febegins,
Thelong, longanchor agewel eave,
Theshipi sclearatl ast,
sheleaps!
Sheswi ftl
ycour sesf r
om theshore,
Joy,shipmat e,j
oy .

TheUnt
oldWant

Theuntoldwantbylif
eandlandne'ergr
anted,
Nowv oyagersai
lthoufor
thtoseekandfind.

Por
tal
s

Whatar
ethoseoftheknownbutt
oascendandent
ert
heUnknown?
Andwhatar
ethoseofli
febutf
orDeat
h?

TheseCar
ols

Thesecar
olssungtocheermypassagethr
oughthewor
ldIsee,
Forcompl
etionIdedi
cat
etotheI
nvisi
bleWorl
d.

NowFi
nal
etot
heShor
e

Nowf i
naletotheshor e,
Nowlandandl ifefi
nal eandf arewell,
NowVoy agerdepar t
, (
much, muchf ort heeisyeti
nst
ore,
)
Oft
enenoughhastt houadv entur'
do'ert heseas,
Cauti
ouslycrui
sing,studyingt hechar t
s,
Dul
yagai ntoportandhawser '
st i
ereturning;
Butnowobeyt hycher ish'
dsecr etwish,
Embracet hyfr
iends,leaveal li
nor der,
Toportandhawser 'st i
enomor ereturning,
Departuponthyendl esscr uiseoldSai l
or .

SoLong!
Toconcl
ude,
Iannouncewhatcomesaf
terme.

Ir
ememberIsai
dbefor
emyl eav
essprangatal
l,
Iwoul
drai
semyv oi
cej
ocundandst
rongwithref
erencet
oconsummat
ions.

WhenAmer icadoeswhatwaspr omis'd,

WhenthroughtheseStat
eswalkahundr edmi l
li
onsofsuper
bpersons,
Whentherestpartawayforsuperbper sonsandcontr
ibutet
othem,
Whenbreedsofthemostper f
ectmot her sdenoteAmeri
ca,
Thent
omeandmi neourduefrui
ti
on.

Ihavepress'
dthroughinmyownr i
ght,
Ihavesungthebodyandt hesoul
,warandpeacehav
eIsung,and
t
hesongsofl i
feanddeath,
Andthesongsofbi rt
h,andshownthatt
her
earemanybi
rths.

Ihav
eof f
er'
dmyst y
letoeveryone,Ihavejourney'
dwithconfi
dentstep;
Whil
emypl easur
eisyetattheful
lIwhisperSol ong!
Andtaketheyoungwoman'shandandt heyoungman' shandforthelastt
ime.

Iannouncenatural
personstoari
se,
Iannouncej
usticetri
umphant,
Iannounceuncompr omisi
ngli
bert
yandequal
i
ty,
Iannouncethejust
ifi
cat
ionofcandorandt
hejust
if
icat
ionofpr
ide.

Iannouncethattheidentit
yoftheseStat
esisasingl
eidenti
tyonl
y,
IannouncetheUni onmor eandmor ecompact
,indi
ssolubl
e,
Iannouncesplendorsandmaj esti
estomakealltheprevi
ouspoli
ti
cs
oftheear
thinsignif
icant.

Iannounceadhesi
veness,
Isayitshal
lbel
i
mi tl
ess,
unl
oosen'
d,
Isayyoushall
yetfi
ndthefri
endyouwerelooki
ngfor.

Iannounceamanorwomancomi ng,per
hapsyouaretheone,
(Sol
ong!
)
Iannouncethegreati
ndi
vi
dual,
fluidasNatur
e,chast
e,
aff
ecti
onate,
compassi
onate,f
ullyarm'
d.

Iannounceali
fet
hatshallbecopi
ous,v
ehement
,spi
ri
tual
,bol
d,
Iannounceanendthatshall
li
ghtl
yandjoy
ful
l
ymeetit
stransl
ati
on.

Iannouncemyr
iadsofy
ouths,
beauti
ful
,gi
gant
ic,
sweet
-bl
ooded,
Iannouncear
aceofspl
endidandsavageol
dmen.

Ot hickerandfast
er-
-(
Solong!
)
Ocr owdi ngtoocl
oseuponme,
Iforeseet oomuch,i
tmeansmoret
hanIt
hought
,
Itappear stomeIam dyi
ng.

Hast
enthr
oatandsoundyourl
ast
,
Sal
uteme-
-sal
utet
hedaysoncemore.Peal
theol
dcr
yoncemor
e.

Screami ngel ectric,theatmospher eusing,

Atrandom gl ancing, eachasInot iceabsor bi
ng,
Swiftlyon, butal itt
lewhi l
eali
ghti
ng,
Curiousenv elop'dmessagesdel i
ver i
ng,
Sparkleshot ,
seedet herealdowni nthedirtdropping,
My selfunknowi ng,mycommi ssi
onobey ing,toquestioni
tneverdar
ing,
Toagesandagesy etthegrowthoft heseedl eavi
ng,
Tot roopsoutoft hewarar isi
ng,theythet asksIhaveset
promul ging,
Towomencer t
ainwhi spersofmy sel
fbequeat hi
ng,thei
raf
fecti
on
 memor eclearl
yexplaini
ng,
Toy oungmenmypr oblemsof f
eri
ng--nodalli
erI
--
Ithemuscl eof
theirbrainstryi
ng,
SoIpass, ali
ttl
etimev ocal,
visi
ble,contrary
,
Afterwar damel odiousecho,passionatelybentf
or,(deathmaking
mer eall
yundy i
ng,)
Thebestofmet henwhennol ongerv i
sible,f
ort
owar dthatIhave
beeni ncessantlyprepari
ng.

Whatisther
emor e,thatIlagandpauseandcrouchext
endedwith
unshutmouth?
I
st her
easinglef
inalfarewell?
Mysongscease,Iabandont hem,
Fr
om behindthescreenwher eIhi
dIadv
ancepersonal
l
ysolel
ytoyou.

Camer ado,t
hisisnobook,
Whot ouchesthistouchesaman,
(Isitnight?areweher etogetheral
one?
)
ItisIyouhol dandwhohol dsyou,
Ispr i
ngf r
om thepagesi nt
oy ourar
ms--deceasecal
l
smef
ort
h.

Ohowy ourfi
ngersdrowseme,
Yourbreathfall
saroundmelikedew,
yourpul
sel
ull
sthet
ympans
ofmyear s,
If
eelimmer gedfrom headt
of oot
,
Deli
cious,enough.

EnoughOdeedimpromptuandsecr
et,
EnoughOgl
idi
ngpresent
--
enoughOsumm'
d-uppast
.

Dearfriendwhoev eryouaretaket hiski ss,

Igivei
tespeciall
yt oyou,donotf orgetme,
Ifeell
ikeonewhohasdonewor kfort hedayt oreti
reawhile,
Irecei
v enowagainofmymanyt ranslat ions,f
rom myav at
aras
ascending,whi
leot hersdoubtl
essawai tme,
Anunknownspher emor erealthanIdr eam' d,
moredirect,
darts
awakeningraysaboutme, Solong!
Remembermywor ds,Imayagainr eturn,
Il
ov eyou,Idepartfrom materi
als,
Iam asonedi sembodi ed,t
ri
umphant ,dead.

BOOKXXXI
V.SANDSATSEVENTY

Mannahat
ta

Myci ty
'sfi
tandnobl enamer esumed,
Choiceabor i
ginal
name, withmar vel
lousbeauty
,meani
ng,
Arockyf oundedisland-
-shoreswhereev ergay
lydasht
hecomi
ng,
going,hurr
yingseawav es.

Paumanok

Sea-
beaut
y!str
etch'
dandbaski
ng!
Onesidet
hyinl
andoceanlavi
ng,br
oad,
wit
hcopi
ouscommer
ce,
st
eamers,
sail
s,
AndonetheAt l
anti
c'
swindcar essi
ng,fi
erceorgentl
e--
might
yhul
l
s
dar
k-gl
idi
nginthedi
stance.
I
sleofsweetbrooksofdri
nking-water
--
healthyai
randsoil
!
I
sleofthesalt
yshoreandbreezeandbr ine!

Fr
om Mont
aukPoi
nt

Istandasonsomemi ghtyeagle'
sbeak,
Eastwar dtheseaabsorbing,vi
ewing,(
nothingbutseaandsky,
)
Thet ossingwaves,t
hef oam, t
heshipsinthedistance,
Thewi ldunrest,
thesnowy ,cur
li
ngcaps--t
hatinboundurgeandur
ge
ofwav es,
Seekingt heshoresf
orever.

ToThoseWho'
veFai
l
'd

Tot hosewho' vef

ail
'd,i
naspirati
onv ast,
Tounnam' dsoldi
ersfall
eninfrontont helead,
Tocal m, devot
edengineers--
toover-
ardentt r
avelers-
-t
opilot
son
theirships,
Tomanyal oft
ysongandpi cturewit
houtr ecogni
t i
on--
I'
drear
laurel
-cover'
dmonument ,
High,highabov etherest-
-Toallcutoffbeforetheirti
me,
Possess' dbysomest rangespiri
toffir
e,
Quench' dbyanear l
ydeath.

ACar
olCl
osi
ngSi
xty
-Ni
ne

Acarolclosingsi xty-
ni ne--
ar esume- -arepeti
tion,
Mylinesinj oyandhopecont inuingont hesame,
Ofye,OGod, Life,Nat ure,Freedom, Poetry;
Ofyou,myLand- -y
ourr ivers,pr ai
ri
es,States--
you,mot tl
edFlagIlov
e,
Youraggr egater etai
n'dent ir
e- -
Ofnor th,south,eastandwest ,y
our
i
temsal l;
Ofmemy self
--
thej ocundhear tyetbeatinginmybr east
,
Thebodywr eck'd,old, poorandpar alyzed--
thest r
angeinerti
a
f
alli
ngpal l-
li
ker oundme,
Thebur ni
ngf ir
esdowni nmysl uggi
shbl oodnoty etextinct
,
Theundi minish'
df aith--t
hegr oupsofl ovingfri
ends.

TheBr
avestSol
dier
s

Brave,
bravewer ethesol
dier
s(highnamedto-
day)wholi
vedthr
ough
thefi
ght;
Butthebravestpress'
dtothefr
ontandfel
l
,unnamed,unknown.

AFontofTy
pe
Thislat
entmine--
theseunl aunch'dvoices--
passionatepowers,
Wrath,argument,orpraise,orcomi cleer
,orprayerdev out
,
(Notnonparei
l,br
evier
, bourgeois,l
ongpr imermer el
y,)
Theseoceanwav esar ousabletof uryandt odeath,
Orsooth'dtoeaseandsheenysunandsl eep,
Withi
nt hepal
li
dsliver
ssl umbering.

AsISi
tWr
it
ingHer
e

AsIsi
twrit
ingher
e,sickandgr ownold,
Notmyleastbur
deni sthatdulnessoft
hey ear
s,quer
il
it
ies,
Ungr
aci
ousglooms, aches,l
ethargy,
const
ipati
on,whi
mper i
ngennui
,
Mayfi
lt
erinmydallysongs.

MyCanar
yBi
rd

Didwecountgr eat,
Osoul,topenetratethethemesofmi ght
ybooks,
Absorbi
ngdeepandf ul
lfr
om thoughts,play
s, specul
ati
ons?
Butnowf r
om theetome, cagedbird,tofeelthyjoyouswarble,
Fi
ll
ingtheair
,thelonesomeroom, thelongfor enoon,
I
sitnotjustasgreat,Osoul?

Quer
iest
oMySev
ent
iet
hYear

Approachi
ng, neari
ng,curi
ous,
Thoudim, uncertai
nspectre--
bri
ngestt houli
feordeat
h?
Str
ength,weakness, bli
ndness,morepar al
ysisandheavi
er?
Orplaci
dskiesandsun?Wi l
tsti
rthewat ersyet
?
Orhaplycutmeshor tforgood?Orl eavemeher easnow,
Dull
,parr
ot-l
ikeandol d,wit
hcrack'dv oi
ceharping,
scr
eeching?

TheWal
l
aboutMar
tyr
s

Great
erthanmemor yofAchil
lesorUlysses,
More,morebyfartotheethantombofAl exander,
Thosecartl
oadsofoldcharnelashes,scalesandspl i
ntsofmoul
dybones,
Onceli
vingmen--
onceresolut
ecour age,aspirat
ion,st
rengt
h,
Thesteppi
ngstonestotheeto-dayandher e,Amer i
ca.

TheFi
rstDandel
i
on

Si
mpl eandf r
eshandf airfr
om wint
er'scloseemer ging,
Asifnoar t
if
iceoffashion,busi
ness,poli
tics,hadeverbeen,
Fort
hf r
om itssunnynookofshel t
er'
dgr ass--i
nnocent,gol
den,
cal
m
asthedawn,
Thespring'
sf i
rstdandeli
onshowsi t
st r
ust f
ulface.
Amer
ica

Centreofequal daughters,equalsons,
Al
l,allal
ikeendear'
d, grown,ungrown,youngorol
d,
Str
ong, ample,f
air,enduring,capabl
e,r
ich,
Perennialwit
htheEar th,withFreedom,LawandLove,
Agr and,sane,t
ower i
ng, seatedMother
,
Chair'
dintheadamantofTi me.

Memor
ies

Howsweetthesil
entbackwar
dt raci
ngs!
Thewanderi
ngsasindreams-
-themedi t
ati
onofol
dti
mesr
esumed
-
-t
hei
rlov
es,j
oys,per
sons,v
oy ages.

To-
DayandThee

Theappoi ntedwinnersi nalong-stretch'

dgame;
Thecour seofTimeandnat i
ons--Egypt,Indi
a,GreeceandRome;
Thepastent ir
e,wit
hal l i
tsheroes,histori
es,ar
ts,experi
ment
s,
I
tsstor
eofsongs, inventions,voyages, t
eachers,books,
Garner
'df ornowandt hee--
Tot hi
nkofi t
!
Theheirdom allconver gedinthee!

Af
tert
heDazzl
eofDay

Aft
erthedazzleofdayisgone,
Onlyt
hedar k,dar
knightshowstomyeyesthestars;
Aft
ertheclangoroforganmajest
ic,
orchor
us,orperf
ectband,
Si
lent
,athwartmysoul ,
mov est
hesymphonytrue.

Abr
aham Li
ncol
n,Bor
nFeb.12,
1809

To-
day
,fr
om eachandal
l,abr
eat
hofpr
ayer
--
apul
seoft
hought
,
TomemoryofHim--
tobi
rt
hofHim.

OutofMay
'sShowsSel
ect
ed

Appl
eor chards,thetreesallcover
'dwi
thbl ossoms;
Wheatfiel
dscar petedfarandneari nv
italemer al
dgreen;
Theeter
nal,exhaust l
essfreshnessofeachear lymorni
ng;
Theyell
ow, golden,tr
ansparenthazeoft hewar m af
ter
noonsun;
Theaspiri
ngl i
l
acbusheswi thprof
usepur pleorwhitefl
ower
s.
Hal
cyonDay
s

Notfr
om successf ullov ealone,
Norwealth,norhonor '
dmi ddleage, norvictoriesofpolit
icsorwar;
Butaslif
ewanes, andal ltheturbulentpassi onscalm,
Asgorgeous, vapor y
, sil
enthuescov ertheev eningsky,
Assoftness,fulness, rest,suffusethef r
ame, li
kefreshi
er,bal
mierai
r,
Astheday stakeonamel l
owerl i
ght,andt heappl eatlasthangs
r
eal
lyfini
sh'dandi ndol ent-
ri
peont hetree,
Thenfortheteemi ngqui etest,happiestday sofal l!
Thebroodingandbl issful hal
cy onday s!

FANCI
ESATNAVESI
NK

[
I]ThePi
l
oti
ntheMi
st

Steamingt henor thernrapids--

(anoldSt .Lawr encer eminiscence,
Asuddenmemor y-f
lashcomesback, Iknownotwhy ,
Herewaitingf orthesunr i
se, gazi
ngf rom thishi l
l
;)
Again't
isjustatmor ning--
aheav yhazecont endswi t
hday break,
Againthet rembling,labori
ngv essel veer
sme- -Ipressthrough
foam-dash'dr ockst hatalmostt ouchme,
AgainImar kwher eaf tt
hesmal l
thinIndianhel msman
Loomsi nthemi st,withbrowel ateandgov erninghand.

[
II
]HadIt
heChoi
ce

HadIt hechoicet ot all

ygreatestbards,
Tolimnt hei
rpor tr
aits,stat
ely,beauti
ful,andemul ateatwi ll
,
Homerwi t
hall hi
swar sandwar ri
ors--Hector,Achi
lles,Ajax,
OrShaksper e'
swoe- entangl
edHaml et,Lear,Othel
lo--Tennyson'sf
airl
adi
es,
Metreorwi tthebest ,
orchoiceconcei ttowi el
dinper fectrhyme,
del
ightofsi ngers;
These,these,Osea, allt
heseI '
dgladlybarter,
Wouldy outheundul ati
onofonewav e,i
tstricktomet ransfer
,
Orbreatheonebr eathofy oursuponmyv erse,
Andleav eit
sodort here.

[
II
I]YouTi
deswi
thCeasel
essSwel
l

Youtideswi t
hceasel essswel l!y
oupowert hatdoest hi
swork!
Youunseenf orce,centri
petal,centrifugal,
thr oughspace'sspread,
Rapportofsun, moon, eart
h, andal ltheconst ell
ati
ons,
Whatar ethemessagesbyy ouf rom distantst ar
stous?whatSi ri
us'
?
whatCapel l
a'
s?
Whatcent ral
hear t
--
andy out hepul se--v
ivi
fi
esal l?whatboundless
aggregateofall?
Whatsubt l
eindirecti
onandsi gni
ficancei ny ou?whatcl uetoallin
you?whatf l
uid,vastidenti
ty ,
Holdingtheuniversewi t
hallitspar tsasone- -assaili
nginaship?
[
IV]LastofEbb,
andDay
li
ghtWani
ng

Lastofebb,andday li
ghtwaning,
Scentedsea-coollandwardmaking,
smell
sofsedgeandsalti
ncomi
ng,
Withmanyahal f-caughtvoi
cesentupf
rom t
heeddies,
Manyamuf f
ledconf essi
on-
-manyasobandwhisper'
dword,
Asofspeaker sfarorhid.

Howt heysweepdownandout !howt heymutt

er!
Poetsunnamed- -ar
ti
stsgreat
estofany,wit
hcheri
sh'dlostdesi
gns,
Love'
sunr esponse-
-achorusofage'scomplai
nts-
-hope'
slastwords,
Somesui cide'
sdespair
ingcry,Awaytotheboundl
esswast e,and
neveragainretur
n.

Ontoobli
vi
onthen!
On,
on,anddoy ourpar
t,yebury
ing,ebbi
ngt
ide!
Onfory
ourtime,yefur
iousdebouche!

[
V]AndYetNotYouAl
one

Andy etnoty oualone,twil

ightandbur yingebb,
Noryou, yelostdesignsalone--norfail
ures,aspi
rati
ons;
Iknow, di
vinedeceitful
ones, yourglamour '
sseemi ng;
Dulybyy ou,from you,t
het ideandl i
ghtagain--
dulythehi
ngest
urni
ng,
Dulytheneededdi scord-partsoffset
ting,bl
ending,
Weavingf r
om y ou,fr
om Sleep, Night,
Deat hit
self
,
TherhythmusofBi rt
het er
nal.

[
VI]Pr
oudl
ytheFl
oodComesI
n

Proudl ythefl
oodcomesi n,shouting, f
oami ng,advancing,
Longi tholdsatt hehigh,wit
hbosom br oadout swelli
ng,
Allthrobs,dil
ates--t
hefarms,woods, str
eetsofci t
ies-
-wor kmenatwor
k,
Mai nsail
s,topsails,
ji
bs,appearint heoffing--
steamers' pennant
s
ofsmoke- -
andundert heforenoonsun,
Freightedwi t
hhumanl i
ves,gail
yt heout wardbound, gailythe
inwar dbound,
Fl
aunt ingfrom manyaspart heflagIl ove.

[
VII
]ByThatLongScanofWav
es

Byt hatlongscanofwav es,myselfcall

'
dback, resumeduponmy sel
f,
Inev erycrestsomeundul ati
nglightorshade- -
somer etr
ospect
,
Joys, t
ravels,studies,si
l
entpanor amas- -
scenesephemer al
,
Thel ongpastwar ,thebattl
es,hospitalsights,
thewoundedandt hedead,
My selfthroughev eryby-gonephase- -
myi dl
eyout h--
oldageathand,
Myt hree-scorey earsoflif
esumm' dup, andmor e,andpast,
Byanygr andideal tri
ed,i
ntenti
onless,t
hewhol eanot hing,
Andhapl yyetsomedr opwi t
hinGod'sscheme' sensembl e-
-some
wav e,orpar tofwav e,
Likeoneofy ours,y emulti
tudi
nousocean.

[
VII
I]ThenLastOfAl
l
Thenlastofall
,caughtfrom t
heseshores,thi
shill
,
OfyouOt i
des, t
hemy stichumanmeani ng:
Onlybylawofy ou,yourswellandebb,encl
osingmet hesame,
Thebrainthatshapes,thevoi
cethatchantsthissong.

El
ect
ionDay
,Nov
ember
,1884

I
fIshoul dneedt oname, OWest ernWor ld,yourpower f ulestsceneandshow,
'
Twoul dnotbey ou, Ni agara--nory ou, y el i
mi t
lessprairi
es- -nor
yourhuger i
ftsofcany ons, Colorado,
Nory ou,Yosemi te--norYel l
owst one, wi t
hal lit
sspasmi c
geyser-loopsascendi ngt ot heski es, appear i
nganddi sappearing,
NorOr egon' swhi tecones- -norHur on'sbel tofmi ghtylakes- -
nor
Mississippi '
sst ream:
-
-Thisseet hinghemi spher e'
shumani t
y ,asnow, I'
dname- -t
hest i
ll
smal lvoicev ibrating--Amer i
ca'schoosi ngday ,
(Thehear tofi tnoti nt hechosen- -
theacti t
selfthemai n, t
he
quadrienni al choosi ng,)
Thest r
etchofNor thandSout har ous' d--sea-boardandi nland- -
Texast oMai ne--thePr air
ieSt ates- -
Ver mont ,Vir
gini
a, Calif
ornia,
Thefinal ballot-showerf rom Eastt oWest -
-t
hepar adoxandconf l
ict
,
Thecount l
esssnow- flakesf alli
ng- -
(aswor dlessconf l
ict ,
Yetmor et hanal l
Rome' swar sofol d, ormoder nNapol eon' s:
)the
peaceful choi ceofal l
,
Orgoodori l
lhumani ty -
-welcomi ngt hedar kerodds, thedr oss:
-
-Foamsandf er ment sthewi ne?i tser vest opur if
y--
whi let hehear t
pants,lifegl ows:
Thesest ormygust sandwi ndswaf tpr eciousshi ps,
Swell'
dWashi ngt on's, Jefferson's, Lincol n'ssails.

Wi
thHusky
-Haught
yLi
ps,
OSea!

Wi t
hhusky -haught yl i
ps, Osea!
Wher edayandni ghtIwendt hysur f
-beatshor e,
I
magi ngt omysenset hyv ariedst rangesuggest ions,
(Iseeandpl ainlyl i
stt hyt alkandconf erenceher e,)
Thyt roopsofwhi te-manedr acer sr acingt othegoal ,
Thyampl e,smi lingf ace, dash'dwi t
ht hespar kli
ngdi mplesofthesun,
Thybr oodingscowl andmur k-
-thyunl oos'dhur ri
canes,
Thyunsubduedness, capr i
ces, wi l
fulness;
Greatast houar tabov et her est,thymanyt ears--alackfrom al
l
eternityint hycont ent ,
(Naughtbutt hegr eat estst ruggles, wr ongs, defeats,couldmaket hee
great est-
-nol esscoul dmaket hee,)
Thyl onel ystate- -somet hingt houev erseek' standseek' st,yet
nev ergai n'st,
Surelysomer i
ghtwi thhel d--somev oice, i
nhugemonot onousrage,of
freedom- l
ov erpent ,
Somev asthear t,li
keapl anet '
s,chai n'dandchaf inginthosebreakers,
Bylengt hen' dswel l
,andspasm, andpant ingbr eath,
Andr hy thmi cr aspi ngoft hysandsandwav es,
Andser penthi ss, andsav agepeal sofl aught er,
Andunder t
onesofdi st antlionr oar,
(Soundi ng,appeal ingt ot hesky 'sdeafear --
butnow, r
apportforonce,
Aphant om i nt heni ghtt hyconf idantf oronce, )
Thefir
standlastconfessi
onoftheglobe,
Outsur
ging,mutt
eringfrom t
hysoul'
sabysms,
Thetaleofcosmicelementalpassi
on,
Thoutell
esttoakindredsoul.

Deat
hofGener
alGr
ant

Asonebyonewi thdrawt hel oft

yactors,
From thatgr eatplayonhi st
or y
'sstageet erne,
Thatlurid,partialactofwarandpeace- -
ofol dandnewcont endi
ng,
Foughtoutt hroughwr ath, f
ears,darkdismay s,andmanyalongsuspense;
Allpast--
andsi nce, i
ncount lessgravesr ecedi ng,mel
l
owing,
Victor
'sandv anquish'd-
-Lincoln'sandLee' s--nowthouwi
ththem,
Manoft hemi ghtyday s--
andequal totheday s!
Thouf rom thepr airi
es!-
-tangledandmany -vein'
dandhar
dhasbeent hypar
t,
Toadmi rat
ionhasi tbeenenact ed!

RedJacket(
From Al
oft
)

Upont hisscene,thisshow,
Yiel
dedt o-
daybyf ashion,learning,weal t
h,
(Norincapricealone- -
somegr ainsofdeepestmeani ng,)
Haply,alof
t,(whoknows? )fr
om di stantsky-cl
ouds'blendedshapes,
Assomeol dt r
ee,orr ockorcl if
f,thri
ll
'dwithit
ssoul,
ProductofNat ure'
ssun, stars,earthdirect-
-at
ower i
nghumanf orm,
Inhunting-
shirtoff i
l
m, arm' dwi ththerifl
e,ahalf
-i
ronical
smilecurvingitsphant om l i
ps,
LikeoneofOssi an'sghost slooksdown.

Washi
ngt
on'
sMonumentFebr
uar
y,1885

Ah, nott hismar ble, deadandcol d:

Farf rom itsbaseandshaf texpandi ng- -
ther oundzonesci r
cling,
compr ehendi ng,
Thou, Washi ngt on, ar tallthewor l
d's,thecont inents' enti
re--
not
your sal one, Amer ica,
Europe' saswel l,
inev er ypar t
,castleofl ordorl abor er'
scot ,
Orf rozenNor th, orsul tr
ySout h--
theAf r
ican'
s--theAr ab'sinhi stent
,
OldAsi a'
st herewi thv enerablesmi l
e, seatedami dherr uins;
(Greet stheant iquet heher onew?' tisbutt hesame- -thehei r
legitimat e,cont inuedev er,
Thei ndomi tablehear tandar m--proofsoft henev er-brokenline,
Cour age, alertness, pat i
ence, fait
h, thesame- -
e'enindef eat
def eatednot ,thesame: )
Wher eversai l
sashi p, orhousei sbui l
tonl and, ordayorni ght ,
Throught eemi ngci ties' streets,i
ndoor sorout ,factor i
esorf arms,
Now, ort ocome, orpast -
-wher epat ri
otwi l
lsexistedorexi st
,
Wher everFr eedom, poi s'dbyTol erat i
on, sway'dbyLaw,
Standsori sr i
si ngt hyt ruemonument .
OfThatBl
i
theThr
oatofThi
ne

Ofthatblit
het hr
oatoft hinefrom arcti
cbleakandbl ank,
I
'l
lmindthel esson,solitarybir
d--
letmet oowel comechi l
l
ingdr
ift
s,
E'
ent heprofoundestchi ll
,asnow- -
atorpidpulse, abrainunner
v'
d,
Oldageland-lock'dwithinitswinterbay--
(col
d, cold,Ocol d!
)
Thesesnowyhai rs,
myf eeblearm, myfrozenfeet ,
Forthem thyf ai
th,t
hyr uleItake,andgraveittot helast;
Notsummer '
szonesal one--
notchant sofyouth,orsout h'swar
mt idesal
one,
Butheldbysl uggishfloes,pack'dinthenorthernice, t
hecumulus
ofyears,
Thesewithgayhear tIalsosing.

Br
oadway

Whathur ryi
nghumant i
des,ordayorni ght!
Whatpassi ons, winnings,losses, ardors,swi mt hywat er
s!
Whatwhi rlsofev il
,blissandsor r
ow, stem t hee!
Whatcur i
ousquest ioningglances- -gl
intsofl ove!
Leer,
envy ,scorn,cont empt ,hope, aspir
at i
on!
Thoupor tal-
-t
houar ena--t
houoft hemy r
iadl ong-drawnlinesandgroups!
(Coul
dbutt hyflagstones, curbs,facades, telltheiri
nimit
abletal
es;
Thywindowsr ich,andhugehot els--
thyside- walkswi de;
)
Thouoft heendl esssl idi
ng, mincing,shuf f
lingf eet!
Thou,li
ket hepar ti
-coloredwor lditself-
-l
ikei nf
inite,t
eeming,
mockingl if
e!
Thouv i
sor '
d,vast,unspeakabl eshowandl esson!

ToGett
heFi
nal
Lil
tofSongs

Togetthefinalli
ltofsongs,
Topenetrat
et heinmostl oreofpoets--
toknowt hemi ght
yones,
Job,Homer ,
Eschy l
us, Dante,Shakesper
e, Tenny
son,Emer son;
Todiagnosetheshi ft
ing-deli
cateti
ntsofloveandprideanddoubt-
-
t
otrulyunderstand,
Toencompasst hese,thelastkeenfacult
yandent r
ance-price,
Oldage,andwhati tbringsfrom alli
tspastexperi
ences.

Ol
dSal
tKossabone

Farback, rel
atedonmymot her'
sside,
OldSal tKossabone, I'
l
l t
ellyouhowhedi ed:
(Hadbeenasai l
orallhisli
fe--
wasnear ly90- -l
i
vedwi thhis
mar riedgrandchil
d,Jenny ;
Houseonahi l
l,wit
hv i
ewofbayathand, anddi st
antcape, and
stretchtoopensea; )
Thel astofaf t
ernoons, t
heev eninghour s,formanyay earhis
regularcustom,
I
nhi sgr eatarm chairbythewi ndowseat ed,
(Somet imes, i
ndeed,throughhal ftheday ,)
Wat chingthecomi ng, goi
ngoft hev essels,hemut terstohimself-
-
Andnowt hecloseofal l
:
Onest ruggli
ngout boundbr ig,oneday ,baffledforlong--
cross-
ti
des
 andmuchwr onggoing,
Atlastatnight
fallst
ri
kesthebr eezearight
,herwholeluckv eer
ing,
Andswi ft
lybendingroundthecape, thedarknessproudlyenteri
ng,
cleav
ing,ashewat ches,
"
She' sf
ree--
she'
sonherdest ination"
--t
hesethelastwords--when
Jennycame, hesattheredead,
DutchKossabone, OldSalt
,relatedonmymot her'
sside,farback.

TheDeadTenor

Asdownt hest ageagai n,

WithSpani shhatandpl umes, andgai tinimitable,
Backf rom t hef adi nglessonsoft hepast , I
'
dcal l,I'
dt ellandown,
Howmuchf rom t hee!t herevelationoft hesi ngingv oicef rom thee!
(Sofir
m- -
sol iquid- soft--
againt hatt r
emul ous, manl ytimbr e!
Theper fectsi ngi ngv oice--deepestofal ltomet helesson- -tr
ial
andt estofal l:
)
Howt hr ought hosest rainsdistill
'd--
howt heraptear s,thesoul of
me, absor bing
Fernando' shear t,Manr ico'spassi onatecal l,Ernani '
s,sweetGennar o'
s,
Ifol
dt hencef or th, orseekt of old, wit
hinmychant st ransmut i
ng,
Freedom' sandLov e'
sandFai th'sunloos' dcant abile,
(Asper fume' s, color '
s,sunlight'scor r
elation:)
From these, f
ort hese, withthese, ahurriedline, deadt enor ,
Awaf tedaut umnl eaf,droptint hecl osinggr ave, theshov el'
dear t
h,
Tomemor yoft hee.

Cont
inui
ti
es

Nothingi severreall
ylost,
orcanbel ost,
Nobirt h,i
dentit
y,form--
noobj ectoft hewor ld.
Norli
f e,norforce,noranyv i
siblething;
Appear ancemustnotf oi
l,norshiftedspher econfuset hybrai
n.
Amplear eti
meandspace- -ampl ethef i
eldsofNat ure.
Thebody ,sl
uggish,aged,cold--
theember sleftfr
om ear l
ierf
ir
es,
Thelightintheey egrowndi m,shalldulyf l
ameagai n;
Thesunnowl owi nthewestr i
sesf ormor ni
ngsandf ornoonscont
inual
;
Tofrozencl odsev erthespring'
si nvisi
blelawr et
urns,
Wit
hgr assandf lowersandsummerf r
uit
sandcor n.

Yonnondi
o

Asong, apoem ofi tsel f

--t
hewor ditselfadi rge,
Ami dthewi lds,t
her ocks, t
hest orm andwi nt r
yni ght,
Tomesuchmi st
y, stranget ableauxt hesy l
lablescal l
ingup;
Yonnondi o--
Isee,fari nt hewestornor th,alimi tl
essr avi
ne,
with
plai
nsandmount ainsdar k,
Iseeswar msofst al wartchieftains,medi ci
ne-men, andwarri
ors,
Asf l
it
tingbyl i
kecl oudsofghost s,theypassandar egoneinthe
twil
ight,
(Raceoft hewoods, thelandscapesf ree, andt hef all
s!
Nopi cture,poem, stat ement ,
passi ngt hem t ot hef ut
ure:
)
Yonnondi o!Yonnondi o!-
-unli
mn' dtheydi sappear ;
To-daygiv
esplace,andf
ades-
-thecit
ies,far
ms,fact
ori
esfade;
Amuf fl
edsonoroussound,
awai l
ingwor disbor
nethroughtheai
r
f
oramoment ,
Thenblankandgoneandstil
l,
andut t
erlylost
.

Li
fe

Evertheundiscouraged, resolute,struggl
ingsoul ofman;
(Havef or
merar miesfail
'd?t henwesendf resharmies-
-andfreshagai
n;)
Everthegrappledmy steryofal lear t
h'sagesol dornew;
Evertheeagerey es,hurrahs, t
hewel come- clappi
nghands, t
hel oud
applause;
Everthesouldissati
sfied, curi
ous, unconvincedatlast;
Str
uggl i
ngto-
dayt hesame- -bat
t l
i
ngt hesame.

"
Goi
ngSomewher
e"

Mysci ence-fri
end, mynoblestwoman- f
riend,
(Nowbur iedi nanEngl i
shgrave--
andt hisamemor y-
leafforherdearsake,
)
Endedourt alk- -
"Thesum, concludingall weknowofol dormoder n
l
earning,intuitionsdeep,
"Ofal lGeologies- -Hist
ori
es--
ofallAstronomy --
ofEvoluti
on,
Met aphysicsal l,
"Is,thatweal lareonwar d,onward,speedi ngslowly
,surelybetter
ing,
"Life,l
ifeanendl essmar ch,anendlessar my,(
nohalt,butitis
dulyov er
,)
"Thewor ld,t
her ace, t
hesoul-
-i
nspaceandt i
met heuniverses,
"Allboundasi sbef it
ti
ngeach--al
lsurelygoingsomewher e."

Smal
ltheThemeofMyChant

Smal lthet hemeofmyChant ,y

etthegr eat est--namely,One's-Self-
-
asi mpl e,separateperson.That ,f
ort heuseoft heNewWor ld,Ising.
Man' sphy siologycompl ete,fr
om topt ot oe, Ising.Notphy siognomyal one,
norbr ainalone, i
swor thyfortheMuse; --
Isayt heForm compl ete
i
swor thierfar.TheFemal eequal l
ywi t ht heMal e,Isi
ng.
Norceaseatt hethemeofOne' s-Sel
f.Ispeakt hewor dofthe
moder n,thewor dEn- Masse.
MyDay sIsi ng,andt heLands- -
withinter sticeIknewofhapl essWar .
(Of r
iend, whoe'eryouar e,atlastarri
vi
nghi thert ocommence, I
feelthroughev er
yl eafthepressureofy ourhand, whichIret urn.
Andt husuponourj ourney,footi
ngther oad, andmor ethanonce, and
l
ink'dtoget herletusgo. )

Tr
ueConquer
ors

Oldfar
mer s,tr
aveler
s,workmen(nomat t
erhowcr ippledorbent,
)
Oldsai
lors,outofmanyaper il
ousv oyage,stor
m andwr eck,
Oldsol
diersfrom campaigns,wit
hal lt
heirwounds, defeatsandscar
s;
Enoughthatthey'v
esurvivedatall
--
longlif
e'sunfl
i
nchi ngones!
Forthfrom t
hei
rst
ruggl
es,tr
ials,
fight
s,t
ohav
eemer
gedatal
l
--
inthatal
one,
Trueconqueror
so'eral
ltherest.

TheUni
tedSt
atest
oOl
dWor
ldCr
it
ics

Herefi
rstthedut i
esoft o-
day,t
helessonsoft heconcr ete,
Wealt
h,order,travel
,shelt
er,pr
oducts,pl
enty;
Asofthebui l
dingofsomev ari
ed,vast
,perpetual edi
fi
ce,
Whencet oariseinevi
tableinti
me,thetoweringr oofs,t
helamps,
Thesoli
d-plantedspirestal
lshoot
ingtothest ars.

TheCal
mingThoughtofAl
l

Thatcour
singon,whate'ermen'sspeculati
ons,
Amidthechangingschools,theol
ogies,phi
losophi
es,
Amidthebawli
ngpr esentati
onsnewandol d,
Theroundeart
h'ssi
lentv i
tall
aws,facts,modesconti
nue.

Thanksi
nOl
dAge

Thanksi nol dage- -t

hankser eIgo,
Forheal t h,themi ddaysun, t
hei mpal pabl eai r--forli
fe,mer el i
fe,
Forpr eci ousev er -
lingeringmemor i
es, (ofy oumymot herdear --
you,
father --y
ou, br others,sister s, f
r i
ends, )
Forall myday s--nott hoseofpeaceal one- -t
heday sofwart hesame,
Forgent lewor ds, car esses, gif t
sf r
om f oreignl ands,
Forshel ter ,wi neandmeat -
-forsweetappr eci ation,
(Youdi st ant, dim unknown- -
ory oungorol d--count l
ess,unspeci fi
ed,
reader sbel ov 'd,
Wenev ermet , andneershal l meet --andy etoursoul sembr ace,long,
closeandl ong; )
Forbei ngs, gr oups, love, deeds, wor ds, books- -forcolor
s, forms,
Forall thebr av est rongmen- -dev ot
ed, har dymen- -
who'vef or ward
sprungi nf reedom' shel p,al lyear s,al llands
Forbr av er,str onger ,mor edev otedmen- -(aspeci all
aurel ereIgo,
tolife'swar 'schosenones,
Thecannoneer sofsongandt hought --thegr eatar t
il
leri
sts--the
foremostl eader s,capt ainsoft hesoul :)
Assol dierf rom anendedwarr eturn'd- -
Ast rav eleroutofmy ri
ads,
tothel ongpr ocessi onr etrospect ive,
Thanks- -joyful thanks! -
-asol di er's,trav eler'st hanks.

Li
feandDeat
h

Thetwoold,si
mpleproblemseverint
ertwi
ned,
Closehome,el
usiv
e,present,
baff
led,gr
appl
ed.
Byeachsuccessi
veagei nsol
ubl
e,pass'
don,
Tooursto-
day--
andwepassont hesame.
TheVoi
ceoft
heRai
n

Andwhoar tthou?sai dIt othesof t-

falli
ngshower ,
Which, stranget otell,
gav emeananswer , asher et r
anslated:
Iam thePoem ofEar t
h, sai
dt hevoiceoft her ai
n,
EternalIriseimpal pableoutoft helandandt hebot toml esssea,
Upwar dt oheav en, whence, vaguelyf orm'd, alt
oget herchanged, and
yetthesame,
Idescendt olav ethedr ouths,atomies, dust -l
ayersoft hegl obe,
Andal lthatint hem wi t
houtmewer eseedsonl y,latent,unborn;
Andf orever,bydayandni ght,Igivebackl if etomyownor i
gin,
andmakepur eandbeaut i
fyit;
(Forsong, i
ssuingf rom itsbir
th-pl
ace, afterf ulf
il
ment ,
wander ing,
Reck'dorunr eck'd,dulywi t
hlover eturns.)

SoonShal
ltheWi
nter
'sFoi
lBeHer
e

Soonshall
thewinter'
sfoil
behere;
Soonshall
theseicyli
gatur
esunbindandmelt
--
Al i
ttl
ewhi l
e,
Andair,
soil
,wave,suff
usedshal
lbeinsoft
ness,bloom and
gr
owth--
athousandformsshallri
se
From t
hesedeadclodsandchil
lsasf r
om l
owburialgraves.

Thineey es, ears--

allthybestattributes-
-al
l t
hattakescognizance
ofnat ural beauty,
Shallwakeandf il
l.Thoushal tper cei
vethesimpl eshows, t
he
deli
cat emi r
aclesofear th,
Dandel i
ons, clover,theemer aldgr ass,t
heear lyscentsandflowers,
Thear butusunderf oot,t
hewi l
low' syel
low-green,thebl
ossomi ng
plum andcher r
y;
Withtheset her obin,lar
kandt hr ush,si
ngingtheirsongs--
the
fl
itt
ingbl uebird;
Forsucht hescenest heannual playbri
ngson.

Whi
l
eNott
hePastFor
get
ti
ng

Whilenotthepastf orgetti
ng,
To-day,atl
east,contentionsunkentir
e- -
peace,br
other
hoodupr
isen;
Forsignreci
procalourNor t
hern,Southernhands,
Layont hegravesofal ldeadsoldier
s, Nort
horSouth,
(Norforthepastalone--formeaningst othefutur
e,)
Wreathsofrosesandbr anchesofpal m.

TheDy
ingVet
eran

Amidt hesedaysoforder,ease,prosperi
ty,
Amidt hecurr
entsongsofbeaut y
,peace,decorum,
Icastar emi
niscence-
-(l
i
kely't
wi l
loff
endy ou,
Ihearditinmyboy hood;
)--
Mor ethanagener at
ionsince,
Aqueerol dsavageman, afighterunderWashingtonhimsel
f,
(Large,br av e,cleanly,hot -bl
ooded, not al
ker,r
atherspirit
ualisti
c,
Hadf oughti nt her anks- -f
oughtwel l-
-hadbeenal lthrought he
Rev olutionar ywar ,)
Laydy ing--sons, daught ers,chur ch-deacons, l
ovinglytendinghi m,
Sharpingt heirsense, theirears,towar dshismur mur i
ng,half-caughtwor
ds:
"Letmer et urnagai nt omywar -day s,
Tot hesi ght sandscenes- -
toformi ngt heli
neofbat t
le,
Tot hescout saheadr econnoi tering,
Tot hecannons, thegr im arti
ll
ery ,
Tot hegal lopi ngai des, carryi
ngor ders,
Tot hewounded, thef allen,theheat ,
thesuspense,
Theper f
umest rong, thesmoke, thedeaf eningnoise;
Awaywi thy ourlifeofpeace! --
yourj oy sofpeace!
Givememyol dwi l
dbat t
le-l
i
feagai n!
"

St
rongerLessons

Hav eyoulearn'dlessonsonlyofthosewhoadmi r
edyou,andwere
tenderwithy ou,andstoodasideforyou?
Hav eyounotl earn'
dgreatlessonsfrom t
hosewhor ej
ectyou,and
bracethemsel vesagainstyou?orwhot reaty
ouwi t
hcontempt,
ordisputethepassagewi t
hy ou?

APr
air
ieSunset

Shotgold, maroonandv i
olet
,dazzl
ingsil
ver
,emer al
d,f
awn,
Theear t
h'swhol eampl i
tudeandNat ur
e'smulti
for
m powerconsi gn'
d
f
oroncet ocolors;
Theli
ght ,thegeneralairpossess'
dbythem--col
orstil
lnowunknown,
Nolimit,confi
ne--nottheWest er
nskyalone-
-thehighmer i
dian-
-
North,South,all
,
Purelumi nouscolorfi
ght i
ngthesil
entshadowst othelast
.

Twent
yYear
s

Downont heancientwhar f,t

hesand, Isit
,withanew- comerchat t
ing:
Heshi pp'dasgr een-handboy ,andsail'
daway ,(t
ooksomesudden,
vehementnot i
on;)
Since,twent yyearsandmor ehaveci r
cledroundandr ound,
Whi l
ehet hegl obewasci r
cli
ngroundandr ound, -
-andnowr eturns:
Howchangedt heplace- -allt
heoldland-mar ksgone- -t
heparent sdead;
(Yes,hecomesbackt olayi nportforgood--toset tl
e--
hasa
well-fi
l
l'
dpur se-
-nospotwi l
ldobutt hi
s;)
Thel i
ttl
eboatt hatscul l
'dhimf rom thesloop, nowhel dinleashIsee,
Iheart heslappingwav es,therestl
esskeel ,therockinginthesand,
Iseet hesai l
orkit
,thecanv asbag, t
hegr eatboxboundwi thbrass,
Iscant hef aceallberry-brownandbear ded--
thest out-
str
ongf rame,
Dress'dini t
srussetsui tofgoodScot chcloth:
(Thenwhatt hetold-outst oryofthoset wentyy ears?Whatoft hef ut
ure?
)
Or
angeBudsbyMai
lfr
om Fl
ori
da

Alesserproofthanol dVolt ai
re'
s,yetgreat
er,
Proofofthispresentt i
me, andthee,thybroadexpanse,Amer
ica,
Tomypl ainNor thernhut,i
nout si
decl oudsandsnow,
Broughtsafel
yf orat housandmi leso'erl
andandt i
de,
Somet hreedayssi nceont heirownsoi ll
iv
e-spr
outi
ng,
Nowher etheirsweet nesst hr
oughmyr oom unf
oldi
ng,
Abunchofor angebudsbymal lf
rom Flori
da.

Twi
l
ight

Thesoftv ol
uptuousopiat
eshades,
Thesunj ustgone,theeagerl
ightdi
spell
'
d--
(It
oowi
l
lsoonbe
gone,dispel
l'
d,
)
Ahaze--
ni r
wana--r
estandnight-
-obl
i
vion.

YouLi
nger
ingSpar
seLeav
esofMe

Youli
ngeringspar sel eav esofmeonwi nter-
near i
ngboughs,
AndIsomewel l-shornt reeoff iel
doror chard-row;
Youtokensdi minuteandl orn-
-(notnowt heflushofMay ,orJul
y
cl
over-
bloom- -nogr ainofAugustnow; )
Youpall
idbanner -
stav es--youpennant svalueless--
youover
stay
'doft
ime,
Yetmysoul -dearestleav esconf i
rmingalltherest,
Thefai
thfulest-
-hardiest -
-last.

NotMeagr
e,Lat
entBoughsAl
one

Notmeagr e,l
atentboughsal one,Osongs!(scalyandbare,l
ike
eagles'tal
ons,)
Buthapl yforsomesunnyday( whoknows? )somef ut
urespring,some
summer --
burstingfort
h,
Tov erdantleaves, orshel
teri
ngshade--
tonourishi
ngfrui
t,
Applesandgr apes--t
hestalwartl
imbsoftreesemer gi
ng--
thef r
esh,
fr
ee, openai r
,
Andl oveandf aith,li
kescentedrosesbl
oomi ng.

TheDeadEmper
or

To-day ,wi
thbendi
ngheadandey es,thou,t
oo, Col
umbia,
Lessf orthemight
ycrownlai
dlowi nsorrow--l
essfort
heEmper or
,
Thytruecondolencebreat
hest,
sendestouto' ermanyasaltseamile,
Mour ningagoodoldman--afai
thfulshepherd,pat
ri
ot.

Ast
heGr
eek'
sSi
gnal
Flame
AstheGr eek'ssi
gnalfl
ame, byanti
quer ecordstol
d,
Rosef r
om t hehi
ll
-t
op,l
ikeapplauseandgl ory,
Welcomi nginfamesomespeci alv
eteran,hero,
Withrosytingereddeni
ngt helandhe'dserved,
SoIaloftfrom Mannahatta'
sship-f
ri
ngedshor e,
Li
fthighaki ndl
edbrandforthee,OldPoet .

TheDi
smant
ledShi
p

Insomeunusedl agoon, somenamel essbay ,

Onsl uggish,l
onesomewat ers,anchor'
dneart heshore,
Anol d,dismasted,grayandbat ter
'dship,disabl
ed,done,
Afterfreev oy
agest oall
t heseasofear th,haul'
dupatlastand
hawser 'dti
ght,
Liesrusting,moulderi
ng.

NowPr
ecedentSongs,
Far
ewel
l

Nowpr ecedentsongs, farewel l--

byev erynamef arewell,
(Trainsofast agger i
ngl ineinmanyast rangepr ocession,waggons,
From upsanddowns- -wi thinter vals--fr
om eldery ears,mid- age,oryout
h,)
"I
nCabi n'dShips, orTheeOl dCauseorPoet stoCome
OrPaumanok, SongofMy self, Calamus, orAdam,
OrBeat !Beat!Dr ums!orTot heLeav en'dSoiltheyTr od,
OrCapt ain!MyCapt ain!Kosmos, Qui cksandYear s,orThought s,
ThouMot herwi ththyEqual Br ood, "andmany ,manymor eunspeci fi
ed,
From f i
brehear tofmi ne--fr
om t hroatandt ongue--(Mylife'
shot
pul singblood,
Theper sonal urgeandf ormf orme- -notmer elypaper ,
aut omat icty
pe
andi nk,
)
Eachsongofmi ne-
-eachut ter ancei nthepast -
-hav i
ngitslong, long
hist ory,
Ofl i
feordeat h,orsoldier '
swound, ofcount r
y'slossorsaf ety,
(Oheav en!whatf l
ashandst artedendl esst r
ainofal l
!compar ed
indeedt othat !
Whatwr etchedshr ede'enatt hebestofal l!
)

AnEv
eni
ngLul
l

Aft
eraweekofphy sicalangui
sh,
Unrestandpai
n,andf ev
erishheat,
Towardtheendingdayacal m andlullcomeson,
Thr
eehour sofpeaceandsoot hi
ngr estofbr
ain.

Ol
dAge'
sLambentPeaks

Thetouchoffl
ame- -
theill
uminati
ngfi
re-
-thelof
tiestl
ookatlast,
O'
ercit
y,passi
on,sea--o'
erprai
ri
e,mountain,wood--t
heeart
hitsel
f,
Theair
y,di
ffer
ent
, changinghuesofall
,i
nf ai
li
ngt wil
ight
,
Obj
ectsandgroups, bear
ings,f
aces,
reminiscences;
Thecalmersight
--
thegoldensett
ing,clearandbroad:
Somuchi '
theatmospher e,
thepointsofv i
ew,thesit
uat
ionswhence
wescan,
Bro'
toutbythem al
one--
somuch( perhapsthebest)unr
eck'
dbefore;
Theli
ghtsi
ndeedf r
om them--ol
dage'sl ambentpeaks.

Af
tert
heSupperandTal
k

Aftert hesupperandt al
k--afterthedayi sdone,
Asaf riendf rom fri
endshi sf i
nal withdrawal prol
onging,
Good- by eandGood- by ewi themot i
onal l
ipsrepeating,
(Sohar df orhishandt or eleaset hosehands- -
nomor ewi llt
heymeet,
Nomor eforcommuni onofsor rowandj oy,ofoldandy oung,
Af ar-stretchingjourneyawai tshim, toreturnnomor e,
)
Shunni ng,post poni
ngsev erance--seekingtowar dof fthelastword
ev ersol i
ttl
e,
E'enatt heexi t-
doorturning--chargessuper f
luouscalli
ngback- -
e'enashedescendst hest eps,
Somet hingt oekeoutami nut eaddi t
ional--
shadowsofni ghtf
all
deepening,
Farewel ls,messagesl esseni ng--
dimmert hef ort
hgoer'
sv isageandform,
Soont obel ostforayei nthedar kness- -l
oth,Osol othtodepar t
!
Gar r
ul oust ot heverylast.

BOOKXXXV.GOOD-
BYEMYFANCY

Sai
loutf
orGood,
Eidol
onYacht
!

Heav etheanchorshor t!
Raisemai n-sail
andj ib-
-steerf or
th,
Olitt
lewhi t
e-hull
'dsloop, nowspeedonr eallydeepwat ers,
(Iwil
lnotcal li
tourconcl udi ngv oy age,
Butout setandsur eent r
ancet othet r
uest,best,mat ur
est;)
Depart,depar tfrom sol i
dear th--
nomor ereturni
ngt otheseshores,
Nowonf oray eouri nfi
nit
ef r eev enturewendi ng,
Spurningal l y
ettriedpor t
s, seas, hawser s,densit
ies,gravi
tati
on,
Sailoutforgood, eidolony achtofme!

Li
nger
ingLastDr
ops

Andwhenceandwhycomey
ou?

Weknownotwhence, (wast heanswer ,

)
Weonlyknowthatwedr i
fther ewit
ht herest
,
Thatweli
nger
'dandlagg'
d--butwer ewaftedatl
ast,
andar
enowher
e,
Tomakethepassingshower 'sconcludi
ngdrops.

Good-
ByeMyFancy

Good-
byemyf
ancy
--(
Ihadawor
dtosay
,
But't
isnotquit
ethet i
me--
Thebestofanyman'
swordorsay
,
Iswhenitsproperplacear
ri
ves-
-andf
orit
smeaning,
Ikeepminetil
lthelast.
)

On,
ont
heSame,
YeJocundTwai
n!

On, ont hesame, yejocundt wai n!

Myl ifeandr ecitative,cont ainingbi rt
h, youth,mi d- agey ears,
Fit
ful asmot ley -t
onguesoff lame, i
nsepar ablyt winedandmer gedi n
one- -combi ningal l
,
Mysi nglesoul --aims, conf i
rmat ions, fai
lures,joy s--Norsinglesoul alone,
Ichantmynat ion'scr ucialstage, (Amer i
ca's,hapl yhumani ty'
s)--
thet rialgreat ,thev ictorygr eat ,
Ast rangeecl aircissementofal lthemassespast ,theeast ernwor l
d,
theanci ent,medi eval,
Here, her efrom wander ings, stray ings,lessons, war s,defeats--
here
att hewestav oicet ri
umphant -
-justif
yingall,
Agl adsomepeal ingcr y--asongf oronceofut mostpr i
deandsat i
sfacti
on;
Ichantf rom itthecommonbul k,thegener alav eragehor de,(t
he
bestsoonert hant hewor st)--AndnowIchantol dage,
(Myv erses,wr ittenf ir
stf orfor enoonl if
e, andf ort hesummer '
s,
aut umn' sspr ead,
Ipasst osnow- whi tehai rsthesame, andgi v
et opul ses
wi nter-cool'dt hesame; )
Asher ei ncarel esst ri
ll,
Iandmyr ecit
atives,wi thf aithandl ove,
waf t
ingt ootherwor k,tounknownsongs, condi tions,
On, ony ejocundt wai n!cont inueont hesame!

MY71stYear

Aftersurmount ingt hree-scoreandt en,

Withalltheirchances, changes, l
osses,sorr
ows,
Mypar ents' deat hs, t
hev agariesofmyl i
fe,t
hemanyt ear
ing
passionsofme, t
hewarof' 63and'4,
Assomeol dbr okensol dier
,afteralong,hot,
wear
yingmar ch,or
haplyaf t
erbat tle,
To-dayatt wi l
ight ,hobbling,answeringcompanyrol
l-cal
l,
Her e,
withvitalv oice,
Reporti
ngy et,sal uti
ngy ettheOf fi
ceroverall
.

Appar
it
ions

Av aguemisthangi
ng'roundhal
fthepages:
(Sometimeshowst r
angeandcleartot
hesoul,
Thatallt
hesesoli
dthingsarei
ndeedbutappar
it
ions,
concept
s,
non-r
eali
ti
es.
)

ThePal
l
idWr
eat
h

SomehowIcannotl
eti
tgoy
et,
funer
alt
houghi
tis,
Letitremai nbackt hereoni tsnailsuspended,
Withpink, blue, yell
ow,allbl
anch'd, andt hewhi tenowgr ayandashy
,
Onewi ther'dr oseputy earsagof orthee, dearf ri
end;
ButIdonotf orgetthee.Hastt hout henf aded?
Istheodorexhal ed?Arethecol ors,vitali
ties,dead?
No, whilememor iessubtl
ypl ay-
-thepastv ivi
dasev er;
Forbutl astni ghtIwoke, andi nthatspect ral
ringsawt hee,
Thysmi l
e,ey es,face,calm, si
lent,l
ov i
ngasev er:
Sol etthewr eat hhangst i
llawhi l
ewi thinmyey e-r
each,
Iti
snoty etdeadt ome, norev enpal l
id.

AnEndedDay

Thesoot
hingsanit
yandbli
thenessofcompl
eti
on,
Thepompandhur ri
edcont
est-gl
areandr
usharedone;
Nowtri
umph!transf
ormati
on!jubi
lat
e!

Ol
dAge'
sShi
p&Cr
aft
yDeat
h's

From eastandwestacr ossthehor i

zon'
sedge,
Twomi ghtymast er
fulvesselssailersst
eal uponus:
Butwe' l
lmaker acea-timeupont heseas--abattl
e-cont
estyet
!bear
li
velythere!
(Ourjoysofst r
ifeandder r
ing-dot othelast
!)
Putont heol dshipall
herpowert o-day!
Crowdt op-sail
,top-
gall
antandr oyalst
udding-sai
ls,
Outchal l
engeanddef iance--
flagsandf l
aunt i
ngpennantsadded,
Aswet aketotheopen- -t
aketot hedeepest ,fr
eestwaters.

Tot
hePendi
ngYear

HaveInoweapon- wor dforthee--

somemessagebr i
efandf
ierce?
(HaveIfoughtoutanddonei ndeedthebatt
le?)I
stherenoshotlef
t,
Forall
thyaffectat
ions,l
i
sps, scorns,
manifoldsi
ll
i
ness?
Norformy sel
f--
myownr ebell
iousselfi
nthee?

Down,down, pr
oudgor ge!-
-t
houghchokingthee;
Thybeardedthroatandhigh-bor
neforeheadtothegut
ter
;
Crouchl
owt hyneckt oeleemosynar
ygifts.

Shaksper
e-Bacon'
sCi
pher

Idoubtitnot --
thenmor e,f armor e;
Ineachol dsongbequeat h' d--
ineverynoblepageortext,
(Di
fferent-
-somet hi
ngunr eck'dbefore--
someunsuspect edauthor,
)
Ineveryobj ect,mount ain, tree,andstar
--i
neverybir
thandlif
e,
Aspar tofeach- -evolv
'df rom each- -
meani ng,
behindtheostent,
Amy sti
ccipherwai t
sinf olded.
Long,
LongHence

Aft
eralong,longcourse,hundredsofy ears,deni
als,
Accumulati
ons,rous'
dloveandj oyandt hought,
Hopes,wishes,aspi
rat
ions,ponderings,vi
ctori
es,myriadsofreader
s,
Coati
ng,compassing,coveri
ng--af
terages' andages'encrust
ati
ons,
Thenonlymayt hesesongsr eachfruit
ion.

Br
avo,
Par
isExposi
ti
on!

Addtoy ourshow, bef oreyoucloseit,Fr

ance,
Withalltherest,v
isible,concret
e,temples,towers,goods,
machi nesandor es,
Oursent i
mentwaf tedf rom manymi ll
ionheart-
throbs, et
herealbutsol
i
d,
(Wegr and-sonsandgr eat-
grandsonsdonotf orgety ourgrandsir
es,
)
From fif
tyNationsandnebul ousNations,compact ed,sentov er
seato-
day
,
America'sapplause, l
ov e,
memor i
esandgood- will
.

I
nter
pol
ati
onSounds

Overandt hrought hebur ial chant,

Organandsol emnser vice, sermon, bendingpr i
ests,
Tomecomei nter polationsoundsnoti ntheshow- -pl
ainl
ytome,
crowdingupt heai sleandf rom thewi ndow,
Ofsuddenbat tle'shur ryandhar shnoi ses--war '
sgr i
m gamet osight
andeari nearnest ;
Thescoutcal l
'dupandf orwar d--
thegener al mount edandhisaides
aroundhim- -
thenew- broughtwor d-
-thei nstantaneousorderissued;
Ther i
flecr
ack--thecannont hud--
therushi ngf orthofmenf rom thei
r
tents;
Thecl ankofcav alry--t
hest r angecelerityoff ormingranks--
the
slenderbuglenot e;
Thesoundofhor ses' hoof sdepar ti
ng--saddles, arms,accoutr
ement s.

Tot
heSun-
SetBr
eeze

Ah, whisper i
ng, somet hingagai n,unseen,
Wher el atethisheat eddayt houent erestatmywi ndow, door,
Thou, lav i
ng,temper i
ngal l
, cool-freshing,gentl
yv i
tal
izing
Me, old, al
one, sick,weak- down, mel ted-wornwithsweat ;
Thou, nest l
ing,foldingcl oseandf i
rmy etsoft
,compani onbetter
thant al
k,book, art,
(Thouhast ,ONat ure!element s!ut t
erancet omyhear tbey ondthe
rest--andt hi
si soft hem, )
Sosweett hypr i
mi ti
vet astet obr eathewi thi
n--
thysoot hi
ngf i
nger
s
myf aceandhands,
Thou, messenger -
-magi cal strangebr i
ngertobodyandspi ri
tofme,
(Distancesbal k'd--occultmedi cinespenet r
ati
ngmef rom headtofoot
,)
Ifeel t
hesky ,t
hepr ai
riesv ast--Ifeelthemi ghtynorthernlakes,
Ifeel t
heoceanandt hef orest --
somehowIf eeltheglobeitsel
f
swi f
t-swi mmi ngi nspace;
Thoubl ownf rom l
ipssol ov
ed,nowgone- -
haplyfr
om endl
essstor
e,
God- sent,
(Forthouar tspi
rit
ual ,
Godl y
,mostofal lknownt omysense,)
Ministertospeakt ome, hereandnow, whatwor dhasnevertol
d,and
cannott el
l,
Artthounotuni versalconcrete'
sdisti
ll
ation?Law's,al
l
Astronomy 'sl
astr efi
nement ?
Hastt hounosoul ?CanInotknow, identifythee?

Ol
dChant
s

Anancientsong,recit
ing,ending,
Oncegazingt owardthee,Mot herofAll,
Musing,seekingthemesf i
ttedforthee,
Acceptme, thousaidst,
theelderballads,
Andnamef ormebef orethougoesteachanci
entpoet
.

(
Ofmanydebtsi
ncalcul
abl
e,
Hapl
yourNewWorld'schi
eft
estdebti
stool
dpoems.
)

Eversof arback, preludi ngt hee, Amer i

ca,
Oldchant s,Egy pti
anpr iest s, andt hoseofEt hi
opia,
TheHi nduepi cs,theGr eci an, Chinese, Persian,
TheBi bl
icbooksandpr ophet s, anddeepi dy l
soft heNazarene,
TheIli
ad, Ody ssey,plots, doi ngs, wander ingsofEneas,
Hesiod,Eschy l
us,Sophocl es, Mer li
n,Arthur,
TheCi d,RolandatRoncesv alles,theNi belungen,
Thetroubadour s,minst rels, mi nnesinger s,skalds,
Chaucer ,Dant e,f
locksofsi ngi ngbi r
ds,
TheBor derMi nst
relsy ,
theby e-gonebal l
ads, f
eudaltal
es,essay
s,pl
ays,
Shakesper e,Schill
er, Wal terScot t,Tenny son,
Assomev astwondr ouswei rddr eam- presences,
Thegr eatshadowygr oupsgat heringaround,
Darti
ngt heirmi ghtymast erful eyesf orwardatt hee,
Thou!wi thasnowt hybendi ngneckandhead, withcourt
eoushand
andwor d,ascendi ng,
Thou!pausi ngamoment , droopi ngt hi
neey esupont hem,blent
withtheirmusi c,
Wellpleased, accept ingal l,cur iouslyprepar edf orbythem,
Thouent erestatt hyent rancepor ch.

AChr
ist
masGr
eet
ing

Wel come, Brazil

ianbr other--t
hyampl epl aceisready ;
Alov i
nghand- -asmi l
ef rom thenor t
h--asunnyi nstanthall
!
(Letthef uturecar ef oritself,
wher eitrevealsit
st r
oubles,
impedi ment as,
Ours, ourst hepr esentt hroe,thedemocr ati
caim, t
heaccept anceand
thef aith;
)
Tot heet o-dayourr eachi ngarm, ourturningneck--totheefrom us
theexpect antey e,
Thoucl usterfree!thoubr il
l
iantlustr
ousone!t hou, lear
ningwell,
Thet ruel essonofanat ion'sli
ghtinthesky ,
(Mor eshi ningthant heCr oss,mor ethant heCrown, )
Thehei ghtt obesuper bhumani ty
.
Soundsoft
heWi
nter

Soundsoft hewintertoo,
Sunshineuponthemount ai
ns--
manyadi st
antstrain
From cheeryrai
l
roadt rai
n--
fr
om nearerf
iel
d,barn,house,
Thewhi speri
ngair-
-ev
ent hemut ecr
ops,garner
'dapples,cor
n,
Chil
dren'sandwomen' stones--
rhyt
hm ofmanyaf armerandoffl
ail
,
Anoldman' sgarrul
ousl i
psamongt herest
,Thinknotwegi veoutyet
,
Fort
hf rom t
hesesnowyhai rswekeepupy etthelilt
.

ATwi
l
ightSong

AsIsi tint wilightl atealonebyt hef l

ickeringoak- f
lame,
Musi ngonl ong- pass' dwar -scenes- -
oft hecount l
essbur iedunknown
sol dier s,
Oft hev acantnames, asuni ndent edai r
'sandsea' s--theunr etur
n'd,
Thebr ieft ruceaf terbattl
e,wi thgr i
m bur i
al-squads, andt he
deep- fill
'dt renches
Ofgat her 'df rom deadal lAmer ica,Nor t
h, Sout h,East ,West ,whence
theycameup,
From woodedMai ne,New- England' sfarms, f r
om f ertil
ePennsy lvania,
Il
linoi s, Ohi o,
From t hemeasur elessWest ,Virgi
nia,theSout h,theCar oli
nas,Texas,
(Evenher ei nmyr oom-shadowsandhal f
-l
ightsi nthenoi seless
fl
icker ingf lames,
Agai nIseet hest alwartrankson- fi
li
ng, ri
sing--Iheart he
rhy thmi ct rampoft hearmi es; )
Youmi lli
onunwr itnamesal l,al
l--y
oudar kbequestf rom al lthewar,
Aspeci al versef ory ou--
aflashofdut ylongnegl ected--yourmy stic
roll strangel ygat her'
dher e,
Eachnamer ecal l'
dbymef rom outt hedar knessanddeat h'
sashes,
Hencef or tht obe, deep,deepwi thinmyhear trecording, formany
futur ey ear ,
Yourmy sticr ollent ir
eofunknownnames, orNor t
horSout h,
Embal m' dwi thl ov einthistwi li
ghtsong.

Whent
heFul
l
-Gr
ownPoetCame

Whent heful
l-
gr ownpoetcame,
OutspakepleasedNat ure( theroundi mpassiveglobe,wit
hallit
s
showsofdayandni ght,
)say i
ng, Heismi ne;
Butoutspaket oot heSoul ofman, proud,j
ealousandunr econci
led,
Nayheismi neal one;
-
-Thenthefull
-grownpoetst oodbet weenthet wo,andtookeach
bythehand;
Andto-dayandev ersost ands,asbl ender,
uniter,t
ight
lyholdi
nghands,
Whichhewi l
lnev erreleaseunt i
l hereconci
lest hetwo,
Andwhol l
yandj oy ouslyblendst hem.

Osceol
a
Whenhi shourf ordeathhadcome,
Hesl owlyr ais'dhimsel ffrom thebedont hefloor,
Drewonhi swar -dress,shi r
t,l
eggings, andgirdledthebel tar
ound
hiswai st,
Call
'dforv ermi li
onpai nt( hi
slooking-glasswashel dbef orehim,
)
Paintedhal fhi sfaceandneck, hi
swr ists,andback- hands.
Putthescal p-knifecaref ull
yinhisbelt--t
henl yi
ngdown, rest
ing
moment ,
Roseagai n,halfsitti
ng, smi l
ed,gaveinsi lencehisext endedhand
toeachandal l,
Sankf aintlylowt ot hefloor( t
ight
lygraspi ngthet omahawkhandl e,
)
Fi
x'dhi slookonwi feandl i
tt
lechil
dren- -
thelast:

(
Andher
eal
i
nei
nmemor
yofhi
snameanddeat
h.)

AVoi
cef
rom Deat
h

Avoicefrom Death,solemnandst range,i

nallhissweepandpower ,
Withsudden,indescri
bableblow--t
ownsdr own'd-
-humanityby
t
housandssl ai
n,
Thevauntedwor kofthrif
t,goods,dwelli
ngs,f
orge, str
eet
,ir
onbr
idge,
Dash'
dpel l
-mellbytheblow--yetusher'
dli
fecontinuingon,
(Amidtherest,amidtherushing,whirli
ng,wi
lddebr is,
Asufferi
ngwomansav ed--ababysaf el
yborn!)

AlthoughIcomeandunannounc'
d,i
nhorr
orandinpang,
Inpouringfl
oodandfir
e,andwhol
esal
eel
ementalcr
ash,(
thi
s
voicesosolemn,st
range,
)
Itooami ni
sterofDei
ty.

Yea,Death,webowourf aces,vei
loureyestothee,
Wemour nt heol d,t
heyoungunt i
melydrawntothee,
Thefair
,thestr ong,t
hegood, t
hecapable,
Thehouseholdwr eck'
d,thehusbandandthewife,theengulf
edforger
i
nhisforge,
Thecorpsesint hewhelmingwatersandthemud,
Thegather'
dt housandst othei
rfuner
almounds, andthousandsnever
f
oundorgat her'
d.

Thenafterbur yi
ng,mour ningthedead,
(Fai
thf
ultot hem foundorunf ound,forget
ti
ngnot,bear
ingt
he
past
,herenewmusi ng,)
Aday -
-apassi ngmomentoranhour -
-Americai
tsel
fbendsl
ow,
Sil
ent,
resign'd,submissive.

War,deat
h,cat
acl
ysm l
i
kethis,
Ameri
ca,
Takedeeptothypr
oudprosper
oushear
t.

E'
enasIchant ,
lo!outofdeath,andoutofoozeandsl i
me,
Theblossomsr api
dlyblooming,sympathy,hel
p,l
ove,
From WestandEast, f
rom SouthandNor thandoversea,
I
tshot-spur
r'
dheartsandhandshumani tytohumanaidmoveson;
Andfrom wit
hinathoughtandl essonyet.

Thouever-
darti
ngGlobe!t
hroughSpaceandAir!
Thouwatersthatencompassus!
Thouthati
nalltheli
feanddeathofus,i
nacti
onori
nsl
eep!
Thoul
awsi nv
isibl
ethatper
meat et
hem andall
,
Thouthatinall,andoverall
,andthr
oughandunderall
,incessant!
Thou!thou!thev i
tal
,uni
versal
,gi
antfor
ceresi
stl
ess,
sleepless,cal
m,
Holdi
ngHumani tyasinthyopenhand,assomeephemer altoy,
Howilltoe'erforgett
hee!

ForItoohav efor
got t
en,
(Wrapti
nt heseli
ttlepotenci
esofprogress,pol
i
tics,cul
tur
e,
wealt
h,inventi
ons,civi
li
zati
on,)
Havelostmyr ecogniti
onofy oursil
entever-
swayingpower,y
e
mighty
,element alt
hroes,
I
nwhi chanduponwhi chwef loat
,andev er
yoneofusi sbuoy'
d.

APer
sianLesson

Forhi
so'erar
chingandl astl
essonthegr ey
beardsuf
i,
I
nthefreshscentofthemor ningintheopenai r
,
Ontheslopeofat eemingPersianrose-
garden,
Underanancientchestnut-
tr
eewi despreadingi
tsbr
anches,
Spoketotheyoungpr i
estsandstudents.

"
Finall
ymychil
dren,t
oenvelopeachword,eachpartoft
herest
,
Al
lahisal
l,
all
,al
l--
immanentinever
yli
feandobject
,
May-beatmanyandmany -a-mor
eremoves--y
etAll
ah,Al
lah,
All
ahi
sther
e.

"Hastheestraywander'
dfar?Isthereason-
whystrangel
yhidden?
Wouldy ousoundbelowther est
lessoceanoftheenti
reworld?
Wouldy ouknowthedissati
sfacti
on?theurgeandspurofev er
yli
fe;
Thesomet hi
ngneversti
ll
'd-
-neverenti
rel
ygone?theinvi
si
bleneed
ofeveryseed?

"I
tisthecentral
urgeineveryatom,
(Oftenunconsci
ous,oft
enev i
l
,downfall
en,)
Tor et
urntoit
sdivinesour
ceandorigin,howeverdist
ant
,
Latentthesamei nsubj
ectandinobject
, wi
thoutoneexcept
ion.
"

TheCommonpl
ace

Thecommonpl aceIsi ng;

Howcheapi shealth!howcheapnobi li
ty!
Absti
nence,
nof alsehood, nogl uttony ,l
ust;
TheopenairIsing, f
reedom, toleration,
(Takeher
ethemai nestlesson--lessf rom books--
lessf
rom t
heschool
s,
)
Thecommondayandni ght-
-t
hecommonear thandwaters,
Yourfar
m--y
ourwor k,tr
ade,occupat ion,
Thedemocrati
cwi sdom under neat h,li
kesolidgroundforal
l.

"
TheRoundedCat
alogueDi
vi
neCompl
ete"

Thedevil
ishandt hedar k,thedy i
nganddi seas'd,
Thecountless(ni
neteen- twentiet
hs)lowandev il
,crudeandsavage,
Thecrazed,pri
sonersinj ail
, t
hehor r
ibl
e,rank,mal i
gnant,
Venom andf i
lt
h,serpent s,theravenousshar ks,l
iars,t
hedissol
ute;
(Whatisthepartthewi ckedandt heloathesomebearwi t
hineart
h's
 or
bicscheme? )
Newts,crawl
ingthingsinsl
i
meandmud, poisons,
Thebarrensoil
,theevil
men, t
hesl
agandhideousrot
.

Mi
rages

Mor eexper iencesandsi ght s,stranger ,thany ou'dthinkf or;

Timesagai n,nowmost lyjustaf tersunr iseorbef oresunset ,
Somet i
mesi nspr ing, ofteneri naut umn, per fectl
ycl earweat her,i
n
plainsi ght ,
Campsf arornear ,thecr owdedst r
eet sofci tiesandt heshopf r
onts,
(Accountf ori tornot --
cr editornot --
itisal ltr
ue,
Andmymat et herecoul dtelly out hel i
ke--wehav eof tenconf ab'
d
abouti t
,)
Peopl eandscenes, animal s,trees, colorsandl i
nes, plai
nascoul dbe,
Farmsanddoor yar dsofhome, pathsbor der'dwi thbox, l
ilacsincorner
s,
Weddi ngsi nchur ches, thanksgi v i
ngdi nner s,returnsofl ong-absentsons,
Glum f uner als,thecr ape- veil'
dmot herandt hedaught er
s,
Trial
si ncour ts,juryandj udge, theaccusedi nthebox,
Cont estant s,bat tl
es, cr owds, br idges, whar ves,
Nowandt henmar k'df acesofsor roworj oy ,
(Icouldpi ckt hem outt hi smomenti fIsawt hem agai n,
)
Show' dt ome- -
justt ot her ighti nthesky -edge,
Orpl ai
nlyt her et ot hel eftont hehi ll
-tops.

L.ofG.
'
sPur
por
t

Nottoexcludeordemar cate,orpi
ckoutevi
lsfr
om thei
rformidable
masses( eventoexposet hem,)
Butadd,f
use, complet
e,extend--
andcel
ebratet
hei mmortalandthegood.
Haughtyt
hi ssong,i
tswor dsandscope,
Tospanv astreal
msofspaceandt i
me,
Evol
uti
on--t
hecumul ati
ve-
-growthsandgenerat
ions.

Beguninr ipen'dyouthandst eadil

ypursued,
Wandering, peeri
ng,dall
yingwi t
hall-
-war,peace,dayandni
ght
absorbing,
Neverev enf oronebriefhourabandoningmyt ask,
Iendither einsickness,poverty,
andoldage.

Isingofl
ife,
yetmi
ndmewel lofdeath:
To-dayshadowyDeathdogsmysteps,myseat
edshape,
andhasf
ory
ear
s--
Drawssomet i
mesclosetome,asfacetof
ace.

TheUnexpr
ess'
d

Howdar eonesayi t
?
Aft
erthecy cles,poems, si
nger s,pl
ays,
VauntedI onia's,I
ndia'
s--Homer ,Shakspere--
thelong,l
ongtimes'
t
hickdot tedr oads,areas,
Theshi ni
ngcl ust
ersandt heMi lkyWay sofst ar
s--
Nature'
spul
sesreap'
d,
All
retrospect ivepassions,heroes,war,love,adorat
ion,
All
ages' plummet sdropttot heirutmostdept hs,
All
humanl i
ves, t
hroat
s,wishes,brains-
-allexperiences'ut
terance;
Aft
ert hecountlesssongs,orlongorshor t
,alltongues,all
lands,
Sti
llsomethingnoty ett
oldinpoesy '
sv oiceorpr int-
-somethi
ngl acki
ng,
(Whoknows?t hebesty etunexpress'dandl acking.)

Gr
andI
stheSeen

Grandistheseen, thel i
ght,t
ome- -
grandar etheskyandst ar
s,
Grandistheear th,andgr andarelastingt i
meandspace,
Andgr andtheirlaws, somul ti
form, puzzl i
ng,evol
uti
onary;
Butgranderfart heunseensoul ofme, comprehending,endowingal
lthose,
Li
ght i
ngthelight, t
heskyandst ars,del vi
ngtheearth,sail
ing
thesea,
(Whatwer eallthose, indeed,withoutt hee,unseensoul?ofwhat
amountwi thoutt hee? )
Mor eevol
utionary ,vast,puzzl
ing,Omysoul !
Mor emulti
formf ar-
-mor elast
ingt hout hanthey.

UnseenBuds

Unseenbuds, i
nfi
nite,hiddenwel l
,
Underthesnowandi ce, undert hedarkness, i
neverysquareorcubi
cinch,
Germinal,exquisi
te,indel i
cat elace,microscopic,unborn,
Likebabesi nwombs, latent,folded,compact ,sl
eeping;
Bill
i
onsofbi ll
i
ons, andt ri
ll
ionsoft ril
l
ionsoft hem waiti
ng,
(Onearthandi nthesea- -t
heuni verse--
thestarsthereinthe
heavens,)
Urgingslowly,sur
el yforwar d,formingendl ess,
Andwai t
ingev ermor e, f
or evermor ebehind.

Good-
ByeMyFancy
!

Good-byemyFancy !
Far
ewel ldearmate,dearl
ove!
I
'm goingaway,Iknownotwher e,
Ortowhatf ort
une,orwhetherImayev
erseey
ouagai
n,
SoGood- byemyFancy .

Nowf ormylast-
-l
etmelookbackamoment;
Theslowerfai
nterti
cki
ngoft
heclocki
sinme,
Exi
t,ni
ghtf
all
,andsoontheheart
-t
hudst
oppi
ng.

Longhaveweliv
ed,joy'
d,caress'
dtoget
her
;
Deli
ght
ful
!-
-nowseparat
ion--
Good-byemyFancy
.

Yetletmenotbet oohasty,
Longindeedhavewel iv
ed,slept,fi
lt
er'd,
becomer eall
yblended
i
ntoone;
Thenifwediewedi etogether,(
y es,we'l
lremai
none, )
Ifwegoany wherewe'l
lgot ogethertomeetwhathappens,
May -
bewe'l
lbebet t
eroffandblither,andlear
nsomet hing,
May -
beiti
sy our
selfnowreallyusheringmet othetruesongs,(who
knows?)
May-beiti
syouthemor
talknobr
eal
l
yundoi
ng,
tur
ning-
-sonowf
inal
l
y,
Good-by
e--
andhail
!myFancy.