Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitmanwas an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth31 May 1819
CountryUnited States of America
Be not ashamed women, ... You are the gates of the body, and you are the gates of the soul.
Clear and sweet is my soul, clear and sweet is all that is not my soul.
I loafe and invite my soul.
I have said that the soul is not more than the body, And I have said that the body is not more than the soul, And nothing, not God, is greater to one than one's-self is,
Only themselves understand themselves and the like of themselves, As souls only understand souls.
We also ascend dazzling and tremendous as the sun, We found our own O my soul in the calm and cool of the daybreak.
Sure as the most certain sure .... plumb in the uprights, well entreated, braced in the beams, Stout as a horse, affectionate, haughty, electrical, I and this mystery we stand. Clear and sweet is my soul .... and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul, Lack one lacks both .... and the unseen is proved by the seen Till that becomes unseen and receives proof in its turn. To elaborate is no avail .... Learned and unlearned feel that it is so.
Logic and sermons never convince, The damp of the night drives deeper into my soul.
And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?
The soul is always beautiful, it appears more or it appears less, it comes or it lags behind, It comes from its embowered garden and looks pleasantly on itself and encloses the world.
I see behind each mask that wonder a kindred soul ...
Americans should know the universe itself as a road, as many roads, as roads for traveling souls.
Sail Forth- Steer for the deep waters only. Reckless O soul, exploring. I with thee and thou with me. For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared go. And we will risk the ship, ourselves, and all.
What do you suppose will satisfy the soul, except to walk free and own no superior?