A Literary Analysis
 
 
        Many argue that "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" is perhaps Whitman's most technically skilled and technically perfect work.  In it, he employs two operatic styles that he would have been most familiar with, the recitative and aria.  A recitative is a style of music used for conversational passages within the opera, passages that advance the plot in some way or other.  The rhythms of such a work often closely follow the rhythms of actual speech.  Some were monotone, others were wide-ranging, uncontainable fits of passion.  Often, a recitative would be set apart by distinct chords at the beginning and end, to let the audience know that either a recitative was coming, or one had just happened.  An aria, on the other hand, is a convention first glorified by the Italian composer Rossini and does not serve to further the plot.  Instead, it clarifies and interprets the emotions the characters experience.  These are expressions of character, usually melodic, full and flowing, perhaps the true meaning behind the opera, taking a combination of music and language to a new level not reached by either alone.  After Rossini, the Italian composers took hold of this idea and ran with it, making the aria the crown jewel of Italian opera.

 
        In "Out of the Cradle," the translation of 'music' into word is central to the theme.  As the boy in the poem, that is to say, the poet himself, wanders to the seashore one night and hears the song of a lone bird.  Remembering that an aria does not advance the plot and is instead a lamentation or an expression of joy, the reader can see such a technique beautifully employed.

 
                                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.                         ll. 29 - 37.
 
 

Whitman trusts his reader to hear the lyrical, lilting quality of the words.  Such a passage cannot possibly be read in a monotone voice, for the voice creates the emotion behind the words, and without emotion, words are meaningless.
 

        The song of the bird captures the aria-esque nature of the writing.  The song eventually clears up any doubt or unresolved feelings that the boy-poet may have had about death.  Whitman chooses to express such deep seated emotions not through a soliloquy or reflective poetry, but instead in the style of the aria, capturing what language alone cannot give.  For Whitman, the beauty of the words and the musical quality to the lines do not represent the goal.  Instead, they are a means of getting at the end, the end of true, unadulterated emotion.  
 

        Not coincidentally, both Rossini and Verdi employed the technique of repetition in that they both wrote sections that would have a single note repeated for some length of time as the melody.  Whitman does the same thing with his words, repeating them two or three times to let the strain of emotion carry the reader through just as the two Italian composers may use the same note but trust that the power and feeling behind the music will sustain both singer and listener.
 
 
 
        The difference between Whitman and the Italian composers is that he melded the aria and the recitative into one, not really distinguishing between the two.  He weaves them together in an intricate poetic melody, both advancing the plot and expressing emotion.
 

                                        O madly the sea pushes upon the land,
                                     ;    With love, with love.

                                         O night! do I not see my love fluttering out among the breakers?
                                     ;    What is that little black thing I see there in the white?

                                         Loud! loud! loud!
                                     ;    Loud I call to you, my love!.

                                        High and clear I shoot my voice over the waves,
                                     ;   Surely you must know who is here, is here,
                                     ;   You must know who I am, my love.

In this passage, the poet shows his passion and love, and yet he calls out, advancing the story line.  Whitman expertly weaves the recitative and the aria together until they are completely indistinguishable from one another.
 
 
        Inherent in the idea of an aria are the concepts of rhythm and phrasing.  Phrasing is where the reader or singer breathes, putting emphasis on certain words.  The lines have distinct rises and falls, lengths and measures. This only further contributes to the lyrical quality of the poem.
 

        It seems that every aspect of the poem adds to its operatic nature.  The words weave a melody of sounds around the reader or listener, and by their very nature they are meant to be rhythmic, measured, and passionate.  A reader could even change the meaning or power behind a poem merely by changing his volume or inflection.  Such qualities can only be captured in music, and it would seem as if Walt Whitman has here translated that music into poetic verse. 

 

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