Walt Whitman
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1819–92, American poet, b. West Hills, N.Y.
Considered by many to be the greatest of all American poets, Walt Whitman
celebrated the freedom and dignity of the individual and sang the praises of
democracy and the brotherhood of man. His Leaves of Grass,
unconventional in both content and technique, is probably the most
influential volume of poems in the history of American literature.
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I celebrate myself; / And what I assume you shall assume/ For every
atom belonging to me, as good belongs to you. —Leaves of Grass
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All is Truth
O ME, man of slack faith so long!
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Only aware
to-day of compact, all-diffused truth;
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Discovering
to-day there is no lie, or form of lie, and can be none, but grows as
inevitably upon itself as the truth does upon itself,
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Or as any
law of the earth, or any natural production of the earth does.
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(This is
curious, and may not be realized immediately—But it must be realized;
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I feel in
myself that I represent falsehoods equally with the rest,
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And that
the universe does.)
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Where has
fail’d a perfect return, indifferent of lies or the truth?
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Is it
upon the ground, or in water or fire? or in the spirit of man? or in the meat
and blood?
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Meditating
among liars, and retreating sternly into myself, I see that there are really
no liars or lies after all,
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And that
nothing fails its perfect return—And that what are called lies are perfect
returns,
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And that
each thing exactly represents itself, and what has preceded it,
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And that
the truth includes all, and is compact, just as much as space is compact,
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And that
there is no flaw or vacuum in the amount of the truth—but that all is truth
without exception;
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And
henceforth I will go celebrate anything I see or am,
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And sing
and laugh, and deny nothing.
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Walt Whitman
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In 1855 Whitman published at his own expense a
volume of 12 poems, Leaves of Grass, which he had begun working on
probably as early as 1847. It was criticized because of Whitman’s exaltation
of the body and sexual love and also because of its innovation in verse form
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To be honest, the poem of Walt Whitman I like because first of all, it’s very unusual for me read a poem in English. Secondly it’s very unconventional and show what the author feels. Finally, I have never known this author. I will write to you later on!
ResponderEliminarCarolina Souza.