FRANCE, THE 18TH YEAR OF THESE STATES. First published in 1860. I A GREAT year and place; A harsh, discordant, natal scream out-sounding, to touch the mother's heart closer than any yet. I walk'd the shores of my Eastern Sea, Heard over the waves the little voice, Saw the divine infant, where she woke, mournfully wailing, amid the roar of cannon, curses, shouts, crash of falling buildings; Was not so sick from the blood in the gutters running-nor from the single corpses, nor those in heaps, nor those borne away in the tumbrils; Was not so desperate at the battues of death-was not so shock'd at the repeated fusillades of the guns. 2 Pale, silent, stern, what could I say to that long-accrued retribu tion ? Could I wish humanity different? Could I wish the people made of wood and stone? Or that there be no justice in destiny or time? O Liberty! O mate for me! 3 ΙΟ Here too the blaze, the grape-shot and the axe, in reserve, to fetch them out in case of need; Here too, though long represt, can never be destroy'd ;' Here too demanding full arrears of vengeance. 4 Hence I sign this salute over the sea, And I do not deny that terrible red birth and baptism, But remember the little voice that I heard wailing—and wait with perfect trust, no matter how long; 1 1860 reads "still is not destroyed." And from to-day, sad and cogent, I maintain the bequeath'd cause, as for all lands, And I send these words to Paris with my love, 20 And I guess some chansonniers there will understand them, OI think the east wind brings a triumphal and free march, I will run transpose it in words, to justify it, EUROPE, THE 72D AND 73D YEARS OF THESE STATES. First published in 1855, in 1856 under title of " Poem of the Dead Young Men of Europe," etc. SUDDENLY, out of its stale and drowsy lair, the lair of slaves, Like lightning it le'pt forth, half startled at itself, Its feet upon the ashes and the rags-its hands tight to the throats of kings. O hope and faith! O aching close of exiled patriots'' lives! O many a sicken'd heart! Turn back unto this day, and make yourselves afresh. And you, paid to defile the People! you liars, mark! For court thieving in its manifold mean forms, worming from his simplicity the poor man's wages, ΙΟ For many a promise sworn by royal lips, and broken, and laugh'd at in the breaking, Then in their power, not for all these, did the blows strike re venge, or the heads of the nobles fall; The People scorn'd the ferocity of kings. 2 But the sweetness of mercy brew'd bitter destruction, and the frighten'd monarchs come back ; 1 "exiled patriots'" added in 1860. Each comes in state, with his train-hangman, priest, taxgatherer, Soldier, lawyer, lord,1 jailer, and sycophant. Yet behind all, lowering, stealing-lo, a Shape, Vague as the night, draped interminably, head, front and form, in scarlet folds, Whose face and eyes none may see, 20 Out of its robes only this-the red robes, lifted by the arm, One finger, crook'd,' pointed high over the top, like the head of a snake appears. 3 Meanwhile, corpses lie in new-made graves-bloody corpses of young men ; The rope of the gibbet hangs heavily, the bullets of princes are flying, the creatures of power laugh aloud, And all these things bear fruits—and they are good. Those corpses of young men, Those martyrs that hang from the gibbets—those hearts pierc'd by the gray lead, Cold and motionless as they seem, live elsewhere with unslaughter'd vitality. They live in other young men, O kings! They live in brothers, again ready to defy you! They were purified by death-they were taught and exalted. 30 Not a grave of the murder'd for freedom, but grows seed for freedom, in its turn to bear seed, Which the winds carry afar and re-sow, and the rains and the snows nourish. Not a disembodied spirit can the weapons of tyrants let loose, But it stalks invisibly over the earth, whispering, counseling, cautioning. 4 Liberty! let others despair of you! I never despair of you. 1 "lord" added in 1860. "lowering, stealing" added in 1860. 8 "crook'd" added in 1860, Is the house shut? Is the master away? Nevertheless, be ready-be not weary of watching; WALT WHITMAN'S CAUTION. First published in 1860. To The States, or any one of them, or any city of The States, Resist much, obey little; Once unquestioning obedience, once fully enslaved ; Once fully enslaved, no nation, state, city, of this earth, ever afterward resumes its liberty. TO A CERTAIN CANTATRICE. HERE, take this gift! First published in 1860. I was reserving it for some hero, speaker, or General, One who should serve the good old cause, the great Idea, the progress and freedom of the race ;' Some brave confronter of despots-some daring rebel ;' -But I see that what I was reserving, belongs to you just as much as to any. 1 1860. After " cause "reads "the progress and freedom of the race, the cause of my Soul." 2 Line 4 added in 1870. LEAVES OF GRASS. TO YOU. First published in 1856 under title of " Poem of You, Whoever You Are." WHOEVER you are, I fear you are walking the walks of dreams, I fear these supposed1 realities are to melt from under your feet and hands; Even now, your features, joys, speech, house, trade, manners, troubles, follies, costume, crimes, dissipate away from you, Your true Soul and Body appear before me, They stand forth out of affairs-out of commerce, shops, law, science, work, forms, clothes, the house, medicine, print, buying, selling, eating, drinking, suffering, dying." Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem; I whisper with my lips close to your ear, I have loved many women and men, but I love none better than you. OI have been dilatory and dumb; I should have made my way straight to you long ago; ΙΟ I should have blabb'd nothing but you, I should have chanted nothing but you. I will leave all, and come and make the hymns of you; None have done justice to you-you have not done justice to yourself; 1 "supposed" added in 1867. 2 1856 reads "begetting, dying," and adds, "They receive these in their places, they find these or the like of these, eternal, for reasons, They find themselves eternal, they do not find that the water and soil tend to endure forever, and they not endure." |