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walks home late at night, or as I lay in my bed, they came upon me.

, That I was, I knew was of my body, and what I should be, I knew I should be of my body.

Manhatta, my river and sun-set, and my scallop-edged waves of flood-tide, the sea-gulls oscillating

face, Which fuses me into you now, and pours my meaning into you.

loudly and mu- sically musically call me by my nighest name! Live, old life!

You objects that call from diffusion my meanings and give them shape!

Why are there men and women that while they are nigh me the sun-light expands my blood?

Why when they leave me do my pennants of joy sink flat and lank?

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well. Allons! be not detained!

I give you my hand!

It is I, you women—I make my way, I am stern, acrid, large, undissuadable—but I love you, I do not hurt

babes I beget upon you are to beget babes in their turn, I shall demand perfect men and women out of my

And I stood before the young man face to face, and took his right hand in my left hand, and his left

hand in my right hand, And I answered for his brother, and for men, and I answered for the poet, and

to the President at his levee, And he says, Good-day, my brother!

Then the mechanics take him for a mechanic, And the soldiers suppose him to be a captain, and the sailors

distinctly I comprehend no better sphere than this earth, I comprehend no better life than the life of my

I do not know what follows the death of my body, But I know well that whatever it is, it is best for

I am not uneasy but I shall have good housing to myself, 11* But this is my first—how can I like the

, I suppose the pink nipples of the breasts of women with whom I shall sleep will taste the same to my

lips, But this is the nipple of a breast of my mother, always near and always divine to me, her true

ALL day I have walked the city and talked with my friends, and thought of prudence, Of time, space, reality—of

do not doubt there is more in myself than I have supposed—and more in all men and women —and more in my

my brother or my sister! Keep on!

REALISM is mine, my miracles, Take all of the rest—take freely—I keep but my own—I give only of them,

As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight

any one I love—or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love, Or sit at the table at dinner with my

perfect old man, or the perfect old woman, Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to burial, Or my

Receive me and my lover too—he will not let me go without him.

Darkness, you are gentler than my lover!

I descend my western course, my sinews are flaccid, Perfume and youth course through me, and I am their

carefully darn my grand-son's stockings.

How he informs against my brother and sister, and takes pay for their blood!

Features of my equals, would you trick me with your creased and cadaverous march?

I saw the face of the most smeared and slobbering idiot they had at the asylum, And I knew for my consolation

what they knew not, I knew of the agents that emptied and broke my brother, The same wait to clear the

she blushingly cries—Come nigh to me, limber-hipp'd man, and give me your finger and thumb, Stand at my

upon you, Fill me with albescent honey, bend down to me, Rub to me with your chafing beard, rub to my

THE friend I am happy with, The arm of my friend hanging idly over my shoulder, The hill-side whitened

pressed and glued together with love, Earth of chaste love—life that is only life after love, The body of my

and trembling encirling fingers—the young man all colored, red, ashamed, angry; The souse upon me of my

eats in me day and night with hungry gnaw, till I saturate what shall pro- duce produce boys to fill my

WHO learns my lesson complete? Boss, journeyman, apprentice? churchman and atheist?

as every one is immortal, I know it is wonderful—but my eye-sight is equally wonderful, and how I was

con- ceived conceived in my mother's womb is equally wonderful, And how I was not palpable once, but

years old in the Year 79 of America, and that I am here anyhow, are all equally wonderful, And that my

and let one line of my poem contradict another! Let the people sprawl with yearning aimless hands!

Let him who is without my poems be assas- sinated assassinated !

without shame or the need of shame Air, soil, water, fire, these are words, I myself am a word with them—my

qualities interpenetrate with theirs—my name is noth- ing nothing to them, Though it were told in the

three thousand lan- guages languages , what would air, soil, water, fire, know of my name?

When I undertake to tell the best, I find I can- not cannot , My tongue is ineffectual on its pivots,

My breath will not be obedient to its organs, I become a dumb man.

How perfect is my soul! How perfect the earth, and the minutest thing upon it!

My soul! if I realize you, I have satisfaction, Animals and vegetables!

I cannot define my satisfaction, yet it is so, I cannot define my life, yet it is so.

WHEN LILACS LAST IN THE DOORYARD BLOOM'D . . . 255 O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN . . . . . . . . 262 HUSH'D BE

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! O CAPTAIN! my Captain!

my Captain!

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse

or "To the Leaven'd Soil they Trod," Or "Captain! My Captain!"

Leaves of Grass (1891) COME, said my Soul, Such verses for my Body let us write, (for we are one,) That

Ever and ever yet the verses owning—as, first, I here and now, Signing for Soul and Body, set to them my

Besides, is not the verse-field, as originally plann'd by my theory, now sufficiently illustrated—and

—(indeed amid no loud call or market for my sort of poetic utterance.)

defiance, to that kind of well-put interrogation, here comes this little cluster, and conclusion of my

collated, it is worth printing (certainly I have nothing fresh to write)—I while away the hours of my

72d year—hours of forced confinement in my den—by putting in shape this small old age collation: Last

I had my choice when I commenc'd.

My Book and I—what a period we have presumed to span!

my own distinctive era and surroundings, America, Democracy?)

I felt it all as positively then in my young days as I do now in my old ones; to formulate a poem whose

But my volume is a candidate for the future.

the title of a Book, the title or description of which is in the following words, to wit: GOOD-BYE MY

work, books especially, has pass'd; and waiting till fully after that, I have given (pages 423-438) my

As I ponder'd in silence, Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long, A Phantom arose before

Bear forth to them folded my love, (dear mariners, for you I fold it here in every leaf;) Speed on my

And so will some one when I am dead and gone write my life?

my real life, Only a few hints, a few diffused faint clews and indirections I seek for my own use to

BEGINNING MY STUDIES.

What do my shouts amid lightnings and raging winds mean?)

To rise thither with my inebriate soul! To be lost if it must be so!

songs in Sex, Offspring of my loins.

was still ringing little bells last night under my ear.

voice, approach, Touch me, touch the palm of your hand to my body as I pass, Be not afraid of my body

SCENTED HERBAGE OF MY BREAST.

O blossoms of my blood!

EARTH, MY LIKENESS.

WHAT THINK YOU I TAKE MY PEN IN HAND? WHAT think you I take my pen in hand to record?

THAT SHADOW MY LIKENESS.

COME my tan-faced children, Follow well in order, get your weapons ready, Have you your pistols?

O my breast aches with tender love for all!

Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem, I whisper with my lips close to your

I call to the world to distrust the accounts of my friends, but listen to my enemies, as I myself do,

name, the Past, And in the name of these States and in your and my name, the Present time.

do I not see my love fluttering out among the breakers?

Loud I call to you, my love!

who I am, my love.

Hither my love! Here I am! here!

But my mate no more, no more with me! We two together no more.

LOVER divine and perfect Comrade, Waiting content, invisible yet, but certain, Be thou my God.

O Death, (for Life has served its turn,) Opener and usher to the heavenly mansion, Be thou my God.

All great ideas, the races' aspirations, All heroisms, deeds of rapt enthusiasts, Be ye my Gods.

arm and half enclose with my hand, That containing the start of each and all, the virtue, the germs

SKIRTING the river road, (my forenoon walk, my rest,) Skyward in air a sudden muffled sound, the dalliance

with bends and chutes, And my Illinois fields, and my Kansas fields, and my fields of Missouri, The

My limbs, my veins dilate, my theme is clear at last, Banner so broad advancing out of the night, I sing

VIGIL strange I kept on the field one night; When you my son and my comrade dropt at my side that day

WHILE my wife at my side lies slumbering, and the wars are over long, And my head on the pillow rests

Ah my silvery beauty—ah my woolly white and crimson! Ah to sing the song of you, my matron mighty!

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! O CAPTAIN! my Captain!

O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain!

my Captain!

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse

But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

body to meet my lover the sea, I will not touch my flesh to the earth as to other flesh to renew me.

COURAGE yet, my brother or my sister!

Me ruthless and devilish as any, that my wrists are not chain'd with iron, or my ankles with iron?

WHO LEARNS MY LESSON COMPLETE? WHO learns my lesson complete?

MY PICTURE-GALLERY.

dear brothers' and sisters' sake, for the soul's sake, Wending my way through the homes of men, rich

words, mine only, Young and strong I pass knowing well I am destin'd myself to an early death; But my

charity has no death—my wisdom dies not, neither early nor late, And my sweet love bequeath'd here and

side, warlike, equal with any, real as any, Nor time nor change shall ever change me or my words. 4

Softly I lay my right hand upon you, you just feel it, I do not argue, I bend my head close and half

my special word to thee. Hear me illustrious!

lengthen- ing lengthening shadows, Prepare my starry nights.

my city! ALL IS TRUTH.

WEAVE IN, MY HARDY LIFE.

Then my realities; What else is so real as mine?

Open mouth of my soul uttering gladness, Eyes of my soul seeing perfection, Natural life of me faithfully

MY LEGACY.

, And you trees down in your roots to bequeath to all future trees, My dead absorb or South or North—my

I remember I said before my leaves sprang at all, I would raise my voice jocund and strong with reference

I have offer'd my style to every one, I have journey'd with confi- dent confident step; While my pleasure

Would you the undulation of one wave, its trick to me transfer, Or breathe one breath of yours upon my

past war, the battles, hospital sights, the wounded and the dead, Myself through every by-gone phase—my

idle youth—old age at hand, My three-score years of life summ'd up, and more, and past, By any grand

As I ponder'd in silence, Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long, A Phantom arose before

then I answer'd, I too haughty Shade also sing war, and a longer and greater one than any, Waged in my

Bear forth to them folded my love, (dear mariners, for you I fold it here in every leaf;) Speed on my

spread your white sails my little bark athwart the imperious waves, Chant on, sail on, bear o'er the

prove this puzzle the New World, And to define America, her athletic Democracy, Therefore I send you my

play of causes, (With vast results to come for thrice a thousand years,) These recitatives for thee,—my

And thee my soul, Joys, ceaseless exercises, exaltations, Thy yearning amply fed at last, prepared to

To my knowledge it is understood by Col. M ULFORD , Major John E.

In my opinion the Secretary has taken and obstinately held a position of cold-blooded policy, (that is

B UTLER , in my opinion, has also incorporated in the question of exchange a needless amount of personal

In my opinion, the anguish and death of these ten to fifteen thousand American young men, with all the

I found he wanted to go part of the road in my direction, so we walked on together.

My boy was with the former, stepping along with the rest. There were several other boys no older.

were all of pleasant, even handsome physiognomy; no refinement, nor blanched with intellect, but as my

Began my visits (Dec. 21, 1862,) among the camp hospitals in Army of the Potomac, under Gen.

, but space forbids my transcribing them.

He said: "It is my chief reliance." He talked of death, and said he did not fear it.

my life and occupation more than I can tell.

Independent Missionary, in my own style, and not as agent of any commission.

Upon a few of these hospitals I have been almost daily calling as a missionary, on my own account, for

On recurring to my note-book, I am puzzled which cases to select to illustrate the average of these young

I would offer, as an illustration of my meaning, that, in times of peace, a slightly greater ratio of

We are soon to see a thing accomplished here which I have often exercised my mind about, namely, the

Not at all, to my eye.

many respects of our constructive nation and age, and even so poetical, that I have even balanced in my

When a train comes to a bad spot in the road this Captain reins in his horse and stands there till they

I find this everywhere, and very pleasing to my sight.

If in his barouche, I can see from my window he does not alight, but sits in the vehicle, and Mr.

"Shining Shores," also called "My Days are Swiftly Gliding By," was written by David Nelson in 1835,

My days are swiftly gliding by, and I a Pilgrim stranger, Would not detain them as I fly, those hours

We'll gird our loins my brethren dear, our distant home discerning.

The sounds and scene altogether had made an indelible impression on my memory.

.; "Shining Shores," also called "My Days are Swiftly Gliding By," was written by David Nelson in 1835

I remember I said before my leaves sprang at all, I would raise my voice jocund and strong with reference

I have press'd through in my own right, I have sung the body and the soul, war and peace have I sung,

I have offer'd my style to every one, I have journey'd with confi- dent confident step; While my pleasure

My songs cease, I abandon them, From behind the screen where I hid I advance personally solely to you

Remember my words, I may again return, I love you, I depart from materials, I am as one disembodied,

Give it space enough, and the vox populi my be relied upon to the fullest extent.

My heart to night Runs over with the fullness of content;" —which we have marked for publication.

One night, as I was sitting alone with my mother and writing, I felt a sudden dizziness overcome me immediately

after a draught of tea stronger than any I had taken yet, and requested my mother to get me a glass

My mother was standing before me with the sherry. I asked her how long I had been insensible.