Whitman

Yo.
Seeing as I have a copy of Whitman in front of me, he is the subject of today's post. My main observation about WW is that he sounds totally high. What's the story with that?

Here are some bits from "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" from Sea-Drift (Book XIX of Leaves of Grass):


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. (lines 12-23)


Low hangs the moon, it rose late,
It is lagging -- O I think it is heavy with love, with love.

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? (lines 59-64)


Death, death, death, death, death.

Which I do not forget,
But fuse the song of my dusky demon and brother,
That he sang to me in the moonlight on Paumanok's gray beach,
With the thousand responsive songs at random,
My own songs awaked from that hour,
And with them the key, the word up from the waves,
The word of the sweetest song and all songs,
that strong and delicious word which, creeping to my feet
(Or like some old crone rocking the cradle,
swathed in sweet garments, bending aside,)
The sea whisper'd me.

(last lines)

PS John thinks this is terrible.