Published Works

Books by Whitman



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 67a] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -




OUT OF THE ROLLING OCEAN, THE
CROWD
.



—————

1

OUT of the rolling ocean, the crowd, came a drop gently
to me,
Whispering, I love you, before long I die,
I have travel'd a long way, merely to look on you, to touch you,
For I could not die till I once look'd on you,
For I fear'd I might afterward lose you.


2

(Now we have met, we have look'd, we are safe;
Return in peace to the ocean my love;
I too am part of that ocean, my love—we are not so
much separated;
Behold the great rondure—the cohesion of all, how per-
fect!
But as for me, for you, the irresistible sea is to separ-
ate us,
As for an hour carrying us diverse—yet cannot carry
us diverse for ever;
Be not impatient—a little space—know you, I salute
the air, the ocean and the land,
Every day, at sundown, for your dear sake, my love.)


Comments?

Published Works | In Whitman's Hand | Life & Letters | Commentary | Resources | Pictures & Sound

Support the Archive | About the Archive

Distributed under a Creative Commons License. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, & Kenneth M. Price, editors.