"Give me to warble spontaneous songs recluse by myself, for my own ears only / Give me solitude, give me Nature, give me again O Nature your primal sanities!
I think it's easier to hide ourselves in the beauty of nature or the bustling streets of a city than it is to face things that hurt. I am trying to understand exactly what Whitman was getting out when he wrote this poem. In the opening line of section 1 he says, "Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling." In the opening line of section 2 he says, "Keep your splendid silent sun." I can't help but think that Whitman is at war with himself. Is Whitman trying to choose between Nature and People? I imagine that living with nature is alot simpler than living with people. We make mistakes, we fight, we aggravate each other, we get sick, we die, we love, we hate. Nature makes more sense. I say that and I think of the natural disasters going on in the world right now. Nature can be just as turbulent and unpredictable as people, so what was Whitman getting at when he wrote this poem? I wish I could just ask him. I think as much as Whitman loved Nature, he loved people more. In his poetry he wanted to give a voice to the average people. This meant sacrificing himself in order to capture it all.
He ended this poem saying, "Manhattan faces and eyes forever with me." What I'd like to say is that people are part of nature too. If Whitman was trying to choose a path, I don't think there was anything wrong with choosing both. You have to give something for yourself in order to give to everyone else. There needs to be a balance.
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