The Copious Personal Self

II. - The Copious Personal Self

I announce a life that shall be copious, vehement, spiritual, bold.

Absurd egotism seemed to early critics of Whitman's poems to mark all of his work.

To have an author give his own name to his chief poem and have the personal pronoun the chief character on every page, whatever the title of the poem, was something new and too absurd for patience, it was thought.

This is a feature of his general method and outlook which the student of his poems must master at the outset or find little that is worth while.

Whitman was possessed with the fact of man's divinity.

So much is said upon this subject in these latter days, that humanity's divinity is something of a truism, little as its full significance is generally realized. Forty years ago it was rarely admitted, even as a theory. Whitman accepted this as a truth, pondered over it, delighted in it, became intoxicated with its wondrous and dynamic import.

He, then, was an out-cropping of the Deity. He was a part of divine power. His nature was a test and revelation of infinite nature. All the mystery and beauty of experience as it came aroused in him the ardor and devotion of religious abandon.

But each human being equally incarnates the 'supreme life of all. No one then can be commonplace. Each is an object of adoration and reverence. All that is great or good or heroic or wise in one is the birthright and final attainment of each. Yea, more than the highest has guessed is the lowest sometime to attain.

Painters have painted their swarming groups, and the center figure of all

From the head of the center figure spreading a nimbus of gold-colored light,

But I paint myriads of heads, but paint no head without its nimbus of gold-colored light,

From my hand, from the brain of every man and woman it streams, effulgently flowing forever.

Why should I wish to see God better than this day?
I see something of God each hour of the twenty-four,
In the faces of men and women I see God, and in my
own face in the glass.

And nothing-not God-is greater to one than one's self is.

All the records of Zeus and Odin, of Brahma or Buddha do not bring humility to him.

Whatever mankind has known or imagined of divine achievement must be simply a token of what may be for all.

Accepting the rough, deific sketches to fill out better in myself-bestowing them freely on each man or woman I see.

After picturing tenderly countless exhibitions of heroism and nobleness he affirms:

These become mine and me every one- and they are but little. I become as much more as I like.

This claim of unity with all does not stop with claiming the highest.

I become any presence or truth of humanity here,
See myself in prison shaped like another man,

And feel the dull unintermitted pain.

Not a youngster is taken for larceny, but I go up, too, and am tried and sentenced.

Askers embody themselves in me, and I am embodied

in them,

I project my hat, sit shamefaced and beg.

In his own person he "intercedes for every person born."

with him.

He would have all these affirm

I chant the chant of dilation and pride,

We have had ducking and deprecating about enough, I show that size is only development.

Have you outstripped the rest? Are you the president? It is a trifle - they will more than arrive there every one

and still pass on.