Liberty in literature; Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892 -- Political and social views
Shine! shine! shine!
Pour down your warmth, great sun!
While we bask, we two together.
Two together!
Winds blow south, or winds blow north,
Day come white, or night come black,
Home, or rivers and mountains from home,
Singing all time, minding no time,
While we two keep together.
In a little while one of the birds is missed and never appeared again,
and all through the summer the mate, the solitary guest, was singing of
the lost:
Blow! blow! blow!
Blow up sea-winds along Paumanok's shore;
I wait and I wait till you blow my mate to me.
And the boy that night, blending himself with the shadows, with bare
feet, went down to the sea, where the white arms out in the breakers
were tirelessly tossing; listening to the songs and translating the
notes.
And the singing bird called loud and high for the mate, wondering what
the dusky spot was in the brown and yellow, seeing the mate whichever
way he looked, piercing the woods and the earth with his song, hoping
that the mate might hear his cry; stopping that he might not lose her
answer; waiting and then crying again: "Here I am! And this gentle
call is for you. Do not be deceived by the whistle of the wind; those
are the shadows;" and at last crying:
O past! O happy life! O songs of joy!
In the air, in the woods, over fields,
Loved! loved! loved! loved! loved!
But my mate no more, no more with me!
We two together no more.
And then the boy, understanding the song that had awakened in his
breast a thousand songs clearer and louder and more sorrowful than the
bird's, knowing that the cry of unsatisfied love would never again be
absent from him; thinking then of the destiny of all, and asking of the
sea the final word, and the sea answering, delaying not and hurrying
not, spoke the low delicious word "Death!" "ever Death!"
The next poem, one that will live as long as our language, entitled:
"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," is on the death of Lincoln,
The sweetest, wisest soul of all my days and lands.
One who reads this will never forget the odor of the lilac, "the
lustrous western star" and "the grey-brown bird singing in the pines
and cedars."
In this poem the dramatic unities are perfectly preserved, the
atmosphere and climate in harmony with every event.
Never will he forget the solemn journey of the coffin through day and
night, with the great cloud darkening the land, nor the pomp of
inlooped flags, the processions long and winding, the flambeaus of
night, the torches' flames, the silent sea of faces, the unbared heads,
the thousand voices rising strong and solemn, the dirges, the
shuddering organs, the tolling bells--and the sprig of lilac.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account