Friday, December 10, 2010

Walt Whitman






Walt Whitman! Reading his poems makes once again rethink some questions and life plans!!! O Me! O Life!- a poem for all times!!!!!!!!!!!








O Me! O Life!

O Me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring;
Of the endless trains of the faithless--of cities fill'd with the
foolish;
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I,
and who more faithless?)
Of eyes that vainly crave the light--of the objects mean--of the
struggle ever renew'd;
Of the poor results of all--of the plodding and sordid crowds I see
around me;
Of the empty and useless years of the rest--with the rest me
intertwined;
The question, O me! so sad, recurring--What good amid these, O me, O life?

Answer.

That you are here--that life exists, and identity;
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.



To a Stranger

PASSING Stranger! You do not know how longingly I look upon you,

You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking, (it comes to me as of a dream),

I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you,

All is recall’d as we flit by each other, fluid, affectionate, chaste, matured,

You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me,

I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours

only nor left my body mine only,

You give me the pleasure of your eyes, face, flesh, as we pass, you take

of my beard, breast, hands, in return,

I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake

at night alone,

I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again,

I am to see to it that I do not lose you.

6 comments:

  1. You grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me,

    I ate with you and slept with you, your body has become not yours

    only nor left my body mine only,...
    :))))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Walt Whitman is best describes the southern United States, except Faulner, is a genius in prose, and in some ways reminiscent of Russian literature. Thank you very much for the post Ani

    ReplyDelete
  3. And they say movies degrade people;) I learned of Whiteman from the movie "Dead Poets Society", been in love with him ever since:)))
    My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
    My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
    The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
    From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
    Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
    But I, with mournful tread,
    Walk the deck my Captain lies,
    Fallen cold and dead.

    ReplyDelete
  4. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
    Rise up--for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills,
    For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths for you the shores a-crowding,
    For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
    Here Captain! dear father!
    This arm beneath your head!
    It is some dream that on the deck,
    You've fallen cold and dead.

    Me too, have been in love with Whitman once I watched the movie "Dead Poets Society"-one of my most favorite movies!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. :) Yep. I even tried to organize something like the society in the movie. The thing is that most people are not really enthusiastic about poetry.

    ReplyDelete