Crossing the prairies-dwelling again in Chicago-dwelling in every town,' 1 Observing shows, births, improvements, structures, arts, Listening to the orators and the oratresses in public halls, 230 Of and through The States, as during life-each man and woman my neighbor, The Louisianian, the Georgian, as near to me, and I as near to him and her, The Mississippian and Arkansian' yet with me—and I yet with any of them; Yet upon the plains west of the spinal river-yet in my house of adobie, Yet returning eastward-yet in the Sea-Side State, or in Mary land, 3 Yet Kanadian, cheerily braving the winter-the snow and ice welcome to me, Yet a true son either of Maine, or of the Granite State, or of the Hereby applying these leaves to the new ones, from the hour they unite with the old ones; Coming among the new ones myself, to be their companion and equal-coming personally to you now; Enjoining you to acts, characters, spectacles, with me. 16 With me, with firm holding-yet haste, haste on. For your life, adhere to me! 240 Of all the men of the earth, I only can unloose you and toughen you; I may have to be persuaded many times before I consent to give myself really to you-but what of that? Must not Nature be persuaded many times? No dainty dolce affettuoso I; Bearded, sun-burnt, gray-neck'd, forbidding, I have arrived, 11860. For "in every town" reads " "in many towns. 21860. After "Arkansian" reads "the woman and the man of Utah, Da kotah, Nebraska, yet with me," etc. 31860 reads "Yet a child of the North-yet Kanadian," etc. To be wrestled with as I pass, for the solid prizes of the uni verse; For such I afford whoever can persevere to win them. On my way a moment I pause ; 17 Here for you! and here for America! 250 Still the Present I raise aloft-Still the Future of The States I harbinge, glad and sublime; And for the Past, I pronounce what the air holds of the red aborigines. The red aborigines! Leaving natural breaths, sounds of rain and winds, calls as of birds and animals in the woods, syllabled to us for names; Okonee, Koosa, Ottawa, Monongahela, Sauk, Natchez, Chattahoochee, Kaqueta, Oronoco, Wabash, Miami, Saginaw, Chippewa, Oshkosh, Walla-Walla; Leaving such to The States, they melt, they depart, charging the water and the land with names. 18 O expanding and swift! O henceforth, 260 Elements, breeds, adjustments, turbulent, quick, and audacious; A world primal again-Vistas of glory, incessant and branching; A new race, dominating previous ones, and grander far-with new contests, New politics, new literatures and religions, new inventions and arts. These! my voice announcing-I will sleep no more, but arise; You oceans that have been calm within me! how I feel you, fathomless, stirring, preparing unprecedented waves and storms. 19 See! steamers steaming through my poems! See, in my poems immigrants continually coming and landing ; See, in arriere, the wigwam, the trail, the hunter's hut, the flatboat, the maize-leaf, the claim, the rude fence, and the backwoods village; See, on the one side the Western Sea, and on the other the Eastern Sea, how they advance and retreat upon my poems, as upon their own shores. 270 See, pastures and forests in my poems-See, animals, wild and tame-See, beyond the Kanzas, countless herds of buffalo, feeding on short curly grass; See, in my poems, cities,' solid, vast, inland, with paved streets, with iron and stone edifices, ceaseless vehicles, and commerce ;2 .2 See, the many-cylinder'd steam printing-press-See, the electric telegraph, stretching across the Continent, from the Western Sea to Manhattan ; See, through Atlantica's depths, pulses American, Europe reaching-pulses of Europe, duly return'd; See, the strong and quick locomotive, as it departs, panting, blowing the steam-whistle; See, ploughmen, ploughing farms-See, miners, digging mines -See, the numberless factories; See, mechanics, busy at their benches, with tools-See from among them, superior judges, philosophs, Presidents, emerge, drest in working dresses; See, lounging through the shops and fields of The States, me, well-belov'd, close-held by day and night; Hear the loud echoes of my songs there! Read the hints come O a word to clear one's path ahead endlessly! 1 1860 reads "Old and new cities." O music wild! 280 21860. After line 272 reads "See the populace, millions upon millions, handsome, tall, muscular, both sexes, clothed in easy and dignified clothes-teaching, commanding, marrying, generating, equally electing and elective." 3" stretching across," etc., and line 274, added in 1867. * 1860. After line 281 reads “O power, liberty, eternity at last! O to be relieved or distinctions! to make as much of vices as virtues! O to level occupations and the sexes! O to bring all to common ground! O adhesiveness! O the pensive aching to be together-you know not why, and I know not why." O now I triumph-and you shall also ; O hand in hand-O wholesome pleasure-O one more desirer and lover! O to haste, firm holding-to haste, haste on with me. THE SHIP STARTING. First published in "Drum Taps," 1865. LO! THE unbounded sea! On its breast a Ship starting,' spreading all her sails-an ample Ship, carrying even her moonsails; The pennant is flying aloft, as she speeds, she speeds so stately -below, emulous waves press forward, They surround the Ship, with shining curving motions, and foam. UNFOLDED OUT OF THE FOLDS. First published in 1856, under title of "Poem of Women." In 1860 as No. 14, "Leaves of Grass." UNFOLDED Out of the folds of the woman, man comes unfolded, and is always to come unfolded; Unfolded only out of the superbest woman of the earth, is to come the superbest man of the earth; Unfolded out of the friendliest woman, is to come the friendliest man; Unfolded only out of the perfect body of a woman, can a man be form'd of perfect body; Unfolded only out of the inimitable poem of the woman, can come the poems of man-(only thence have my poems come ;) Unfolded out of the strong and arrogant woman I love, only thence can appear the strong and arrogant man I love; Unfolded by brawny embraces from the well-muscled woman I love, only thence come the brawny embraces of the man; Unfolded out of the folds of the woman's brain, come all the folds of the man's brain, duly obedient; Unfolded out of the justice of the woman, all justice is un folded; 1 66 starting" added in 1870. |