Leaves of Grass 2
Part of the cluster LEAVES OF GRASS.
2.
TEARS! tears! tears! In the night, in solitude, tears; On the white shore dripping, dripping, suck'd in bythe sand; Tears—not a star shining—all dark and desolate; Moist tears from the eyes of a muffled head: —O who is that ghost?—that form in the dark, with
tears? [ begin page 250 ]
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What shapeless lump is that, bent, crouch'd there on the sand? Streaming tears—sobbing tears—throes, choked with
wild cries; O storm, embodied, rising, careering, with swift steps
along the beach; O wild and dismal night storm, with wind! O belch-
ing and desperate! O shade, so sedate and decorous by day, with calm
countenance and regulated pace; But away, at night, as you fly, none looking—O then
the unloosen'd ocean, Of tears! tears! tears!
Part of the cluster LEAVES OF GRASS.