Chants Democratic and Native American 8
Part of the cluster CHANTS DEMOCRATIC AND NATIVE AMERICAN.
8.
1SPLENDOR of falling day, floating and filling me, Hour prophetic—hour resuming the past, Inflating my throat—you, divine average! You, Earth and Life, till the last ray gleams, I sing. [ begin page 177 ]
ppp.01500.185.jpg
2Open mouth of my Soul, uttering gladness,
Eyes of my Soul, seeing perfection,
Natural life of me, faithfully praising things,
Corroborating forever the triumph of things.
3Illustrious every one!
Illustrious what we name space—sphere of unnum- bered spirits, Illustrious the mystery of motion, in all beings, even
the tiniest insect, Illustrious the attribute of speech—the senses—the
body, Illustrious the passing light! Illustrious the pale
reflection on the moon in the western sky! Illustrious whatever I see, or hear, or touch, to the
last. 4Good in all, In the satisfaction and aplomb of animals, In the annual return of the seasons, In the hilarity of youth, In the strength and flush of manhood, In the grandeur and exquisiteness of old age, In the superb vistas of Death. 5Wonderful to depart! Wonderful to be here! The heart, to jet the all-alike and innocent blood, To breathe the air, how delicious! To speak! to walk! to seize something by the hand! To prepare for sleep, for bed—to look on my rose-
colored flesh, To be conscious of my body, so amorous, so large, [ begin page 178 ]
ppp.01500.186.jpg
To be this incredible God I am,
To have gone forth among other Gods—those men and women I love. 6Wonderful how I celebrate you and myself! How my thoughts play subtly at the spectacles
around! How the clouds pass silently overhead! How the earth darts on and on! and how the sun,
moon, stars, dart on and on! How the water sports and sings! (Surely it is
alive!) How the trees rise and stand up—with strong trunks
—with branches and leaves! (Surely there is something more in each of the trees—
some living Soul.) 7O amazement of things! even the least particle! O spirituality of things! O strain musical, flowing through ages and continents
—now reaching me and America! I take your strong chords—I intersperse them, and
cheerfully pass them forward. 8I too carol the sun, ushered, or at noon, or setting, I too throb to the brain and beauty of the earth, and
of all the growths of the earth, I too have felt the resistless call of myself. 9As I sailed down the Mississippi, As I wandered over the prairies, As I have lived—As I have looked through my
windows, my eyes, [ begin page 179 ]
ppp.01500.187.jpg
As I went forth in the morning—As I beheld the light breaking in the east, As I bathed on the beach of the Eastern Sea, and
again on the beach on the Western Sea, As I roamed the streets of inland Chicago—whatever
streets I have roamed, Wherever I have been, I have charged myself with
contentment and triumph. 10I sing the Equalities, I sing the endless finales of things, I say Nature continues—Glory continues, I praise with electric voice, For I do not see one imperfection in the universe, And I do not see one cause or result lamentable at
last in the universe. 11O setting sun! O when the time comes, I still warble under you, if none else does, unmiti-
gated adoration!
Part of the cluster CHANTS DEMOCRATIC AND NATIVE AMERICAN.