So Much History

I've been reading several more of Whitman's poems in the Drum-Taps section. I am struck by the details that Whitman saw fit to write about. There is so much history in each of these poems. Today, those I've read seem to be pre-war. In "Rise O Days from Your Fathomless Deeps" it seems that WW was trying to draw a parallel between the enormous violent nature of nature and that of democracy. In WW's mind the two are a force to be reckoned with. In fact this poem seems to follow a time-line of how nature helped WW grow and then democracy fed his soul. I am not sure what that feels like, having something consume you your entire life, to be that passionate and strong-willed. I feel frivolous compared to WWs passion for poetry. He wrote with such purpose and I have to wonder what kept him going. He didn't get much appreciation from those around him, it seems he just knew this was his calling and he tried to write with honesty and integrity.

He says, "Thunder on! stride on, Democracy! strike with vengeful stroke! / And do you rise higher than ever yet O days, O cities! / Crash heavier, heavier yet O storms! you have done me good, / My soul prepared in the mountains aborbs your immortal strong nutriment."

These are such strong words as he watched America in her civil unrest. I think of the thunder that he writes about as a symbol of the drum-taps. I see the young faces as they march for a greater cause. I wonder what did Whitman feel when he saw all of this unfold, was he truly enamored of democracy or did watching the deaths of the innocent cause him to have ill feelings about his ideals, I don't know. I would imagine he was torn in two - glorified in the power of an army, yet a small scared boy as he watched the dying and wounded return from each battle. 

In "Cavalry Crossing a Ford" it is easy for me to see that Whitman was struck by the power of united men. He captures this moment of a long line of soldiers crossing through the water. He references the musical clank which adds sound to a serene picture planted in my mind. He says, "A line in long array where they wind betwixt green islands / They take a serpentine course, their arms flash in the sun--hark to the musical clank." I get this same time of picture when I read "Bivouac on a Mountain Side." He says, "I see before me now a traveling army halting / Below a fertile valley spread, with barns and the orchards of summer." With Whitman, you don't just see the army, you see everything. I see the growth of nature, the smoke from campfires, and finally the stars. He paints such a vivid picture in my mind, he really was an excellent witness.

These poems are so different from the ones we've been reading. I feel that Whitman is becoming an adult. He does not seem obsessed with sex and the naked form. I think he saw patriotism in being a poet. I think in these days of war he matured immensely.