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Leaves of Grass (1871-72)
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THE WORLD BELOW THE BRINE.
THE world below the brine; |
Forests at the bottom of the sea—the branches and
leaves,
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Sea-lettuce, vast lichens, strange flowers and seeds—
the thick tangle, the openings, and the pink turf,
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Different colors, pale gray and green, purple, white,
and gold—the play of light through the water,
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Dumb swimmers there among the rocks—coral, gluten,
grass, rushes—and the aliment of the swimmers,
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Sluggish existences grazing there, suspended, or slowly
crawling close to the bottom,
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The sperm-whale at the surface, blowing air and spray,
or disporting with his flukes,
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The leaden-eyed shark, the walrus, the turtle, the hairy
sea-leopard, and the sting-ray;
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Passions there—wars, pursuits, tribes—sight in those
ocean-depths—breathing that thick-breathing
air, as so many do;
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The change thence to the sight here, and to the subtle
air breathed by beings like us, who walk this
sphere;
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The change onward from ours, to that of beings who
walk other spheres.
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