"Prayer of Columbus"

This is the last poem we're looking at as my exploration of Whitman comes to an end. I am sure I will be seeing him again though!

"Prayer of Columbus" was written with Christopher Columbus in mind, but in true Whitman form the underlying layers in this poem scream about Whitman's life as he neared the end. The poem is written like a prayer to God, which I believe is very uncharacteristic of Whitman. In fact, I feel he was feeling his own mortality and that is why he chose this form.

The poem begins, "A batter'd, wreck'd old man..." Whitman was ailing, feeling the effects of a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side. Perhaps he felt a kinship with Columbus, like the two were great explorers--one in a more physical sense and the other in a metaphysical sense! Kind of like "Passage to India" Whitman writes of Columbus' life work - sort of like a list of accomplishments, physically and spiritually. I like the line, "Intentions, purports, aspirations mine, leaving results to Thee." It's like Columbus' work was in God's hands. "A message from the Heavens whispering to me even in sleep, / These sped me on."

In the line, "By me the hemispheres rounded and tied, the unknown to the known." I can really see the dual purpose in this line. Whitman wanted to connect with people and pass on his transcendental views. He wanted to connect worlds in unity--uniting races and genders. 

As this poem comes to an end there is a different tone about it. I think Whitman is seeing the possibility of life after death--"As if some miracle, some hand divine unseal'd my eyes." It's like all of a sudden he was seeing so clearly what was going to happen. I almost felt like he was excited and at peace with the idea of being finished in our world. 

I think this is a great poem. I like the tribute to Columbus, but I also like the underlying hints of what Whitman was feeling and going through himself. I like knowing personal things about the writer because it helps me gain a better understanding of what his true message is. 

"Passage To India" Sections 7-9

I am finishing up "Passage to India" today.

These sections really reflect on the soul. Whitman says, "O Soul repressless, I with thee and thou with me / Thy circumnavigation of the world begin." I think this is interesting because clearly Whitman sees a separation of himself from his true soul, yet he wants to take the journey, which I imagine is the journey to explore his soul and find what makes him feel complete. I think if he could get to the point where he could unite his soul with himself - he would be so pleased. He continues on to say, "O Thou transcendent / Nameless, the fibre, and the breath" - Again, he wants to transcend his own boundaries. Here's an interesting line, "But that I, turning, call to thee O soul, thou actual Me." It's a strange notion for me to think my soul is separate from my person. 

"Passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins / Away O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!" Does he think that by traveling, exploring, and seeking out new places will help pacify his soul until he can transcend the earth and his true soul will be free? Sometimes Whitman's beliefs confuse me. 

I like this poem. I enjoy the themes of unity, advancement, accomplishment, race equality, transcendentalism, religion, --it seems this poem has it all. I didn't get the "ego" that Whitman usually portrays, at least I didn't feel like he was "in my face" with it. Whitman is a man of many identities - I can understand why he felt in conflict with himself.

"Passage To India" Section 4-6

I find I am really enjoying this poem. I feel positive when I read it, like Whitman was happy. 

In section 4 he starts out with motion. I still really think movement is prominent in this poem. He says, "As a rivulet running, sinking now, and now again to surface rising / A ceaseless thought, a varied train--lo, soul, to thee, thy sight, they rise" He's talking about history and exploration. I think he sees life as a bumpy road with ups and downs. 

In section 5 he begins by saying, "O vast Rondure, swimming in space" I looked up the word rondure and it says gracefully rounded curvature. I think he's talking about the curvature of the earth. He's also talking about the next step,like we've explored, made a new nation - what's next, and he says, "Finally shall come the poet worthy that name / The true son of God shall come singing his songs." Then he says, "Nature and man shall be disjoin'd and diffused no more / The true son of God shall absolutely fuse them. I used to get really upset with how Whitman references God in his poetry, but in this poem I think he had good intentions. I believe he was actually trying to unite the world and spread the message of God--love with save us all. 

In section 6 he is still talking unification and what an accomplishment it would have been if his poetry would have inspired it. I like this line, "Curious in time I stand, noting the efforts of heroes." I feel in this poem he sings the praises of many. The last verse of section 6 has me stumped. What does it mean? Is Whitman talking of the dead in the ground creating the beauty of nature? I'm not sure. 

I still see Passage to India as a sort of dream - and a tribute.

"Passage to India" Sections 1-3

This is quite a poem. Altogether, there are (9) sections in this poem. I am going to look at (3) sections at a time in order to try to better understand Whitman's point. 

In section (1) Whitman begins to "Sing" of the achievements of the world. There are definitely not ONLY achievements of the great America, he encompasses all. In fact, he speaks of the (7) wonders of the world, the opening of the Suez Canal, the growing railroad expansion, communication lines going in across the sea. He is setting a tone here for something bigger, I think. The world is so overwhelming as a whole.

In section (2) he begins to ponder not just the facts of science, but the fables of other lands. I love this line, "Towers of the fables immortal fashion'd from mortal dreams." People are so creative as individuals and I think that Whitman was giving credit where credit was due. I think he was also trying to inspire people. He says, "The earth to be spann'd, connected by network / The races, neighbors, to marry and be given in marriage. I think he was trying to unite the world. Maybe he lived in a fear of another war. If we were all united and peaceful then there would be this great happiness.

In section (3) I feel the movement. Whitman talks of the railroad system and the sounds of the train. He talks of bridging. I think this is all connected to his theme of unity. The achievements and inventions made by people allow for travel to be faster. The laying of the telegraph across the ocean allows for people to communicate faster and from a great distance. The world was becoming one and Whitman loved it. He wanted these connections. He was reaching globally instead of locally. I think it's fascinating and I think, once again Whitman was before his time.  

"The Base of All Metaphysics"

I think Whitman longed to confess to his readers that he was attracted to men. Maybe he wanted to be truthful, honest with them. Perhaps he felt that not revealing his true identity made his poems less to his audience. As a reader, do we need to know everything about a writer? I don't, but knowing makes things more fascinating. Writers tend to put themselves into their work. I think knowing the writer can help with understanding. There are so many topics that Whitman addresses in his poetry, and I would be lost if I didn't know a bit of his background. 

I think knowing is sexual preference explains a lot of strange statements that come up in his poetry, but I also think not knowing allows me to interpret them as a I see fit from my own perspective. And, let's face it, I find myself and my own thoughts way more fascinating than his. If I can draw a parallel from my own life and make his poem all about me, I will. I contradict myself because I contain multitudes too!

In this poem, Whitman says, "The dear love of man for his comrade, the attraction of friend to friend / Of the well-married husband and wife, of children and parents, / Of city for city and land for land." I feel like Whitman is talking about all relationships and how they should all be accepted. Whitman wanted love to prevail about all else - I truly believe that. Who are we to judge if he found happiness with a male companion. My mother is probably rolling her eyes at me, but seriously, no one in this world is perfect. I am flawed, Whitman is flawed, and you are flawed. I think that is what makes Whitman such a great poet--he isn't perfect, he doesn't need to be propped on a pedestal, he's not immortal --he made mistakes, he lived his life the best he could, and he tried to give America a voice. He says, "See the philosophies all" and I think that every culture is different and yet I think that he saw every culture could also be the same. Or maybe he didn't think it mattered--what each culture preached and believed in, maybe love only mattered. 

Someone used to tell me, " I don't know if right or wrong, but I know if it's good or bad." Think about that, I think each person will have their own perspective. 

"A Noiseless Patient Spider"

This week we are only looking at a few poems, one of which uses a spider to make a point. The spider "It launched forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them." The poem talks about how the spider uses his filament to anchor itself in order to explore the vacant vast surroundings. In section 2, Whitman begins to speak of his soul, "Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, / Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the sphere to connect them / Till the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold / till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul."

I think Whitman is envious of the focus the little spider has. Whitman wants his soul to connect with someone else - The poem doesn't speak of the who, but thinking about how Whitman feels, always at war with himself. Whitman wanted to be accepted, but he needed folks to be open-minded. Though he wanted to have these "relationships" with men, I think he wanted to prove to people that he had a good soul. I think he is speaking of relationships because he talks of "the bridge you will need be form'd" - I think these are bonds or connections. I think life is like a map. We stop here and there, forming relationships, until one day, we find a place to stay. Perhaps this is because we've gotten married, or found our dream job, or just because, but it's that final connection we make that anchors us to one spot. We seek and explore until we find that one place where we'll be happy. Some of us are always seeking, others have better luck. 

I may come back to this poem later this week.  

"O Captain! My Captain!"

I've had a few different interpretation of this poem this week. Don't get me wrong, I like this poem. I enjoy the rhyming scheme that Whitman employs here, thought it gives me a whimsical connotation when I read through it. In fact, if you read it and had no idea it was written about Lincoln, you may think, like I do, that it could be about a captain of a ship. 

The truth is Lincoln was the captain of a ship - our nation is a great big ship--tossing back in forth between the waves. The opening of this poem says, "O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done / The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won / The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting / While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring."  I like these opening lines. I looked up the word exulting because I just wasn't sure exactly what Whitman was trying to get at. I think he means to glorify. If Lincoln wouldn't have been assassinated would we view him the same way we do today? How would the reconstruction of our nation have gone with him at the helm? as opposed to how it actually went? I think we tend to put people on pedestals because we want to believe in someone. I hope Lincoln was everything Whitman thinks he was. 

I have found that if I read this poem slowly, I get a more serious tone from it. I try to picture Whitman standing in front of a crowd, reading it himself. I can feel the emotion when he says, "The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done / From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won." I know we won the war, but there would still be battles to fight. Nothing is ever really done.

This particular poem of Whitman's was not written in the usual way. Whitman went with they rhyming and the general public enjoyed it. I don't think Whitman should badly about having success with a poem that wasn't in his usual form. I think the important part was getting his message out there--which he did--successfully. I am glad that Whitman wrote this poem. It shows me that he can write poetry in many different ways. I feel that as a writer he was willing to explore what he didn't like--and I think that's good. I think we have to try to stay open-minded, and I think Whitman of all people would want an open-minded reader.

"Hush'd Be the Camps To-day"

As you know, this week we've been looking at Whitman's poems that are a tribute to President Lincoln. Each week we have a discussion FORUM based on the readings, and today I was reading a post written by a fellow classmate--she said something like--we don't respect the president of the United States like we once did, like in Whitman's time. She's right. Of course, there are some who do respect the president, but as a whole, we don't. Her thoughts have made me appreciate Whitman's poems more. I find myself re-reading them and wondering what has happened to us that we have lost our appreciation for our leaders. 

In, "Hush'd Be the Camps To-day," Whitman says, "No more for him life's stormy conflicts / Nor victory, nor defeat--no more time's dark events / Charging like ceaseless clouds across the sky." I like the line--no more for him life's stormy conflicts. I've been thinking that no matter what leader you are, you always have to deal with people's crap. I think Lincoln dealt with one of the worst types of conflict--having your own country at war with itself had to have been extremely difficult. North or South--they were all his people and he stayed steadfast and true, he didn't waiver. 

It must've been extremely difficult for the soldiers that fought for him, for the cause to end slavery in America. "As they invault the coffin there / Sing--as they close the doors of earth upon him--one verse / For the heavy hearts of soldiers." I think these last few lines are very touching. Whitman tells us to sing--one verse, to help ease the pain of the soldiers, Lincoln's men. I didn't think I like this poem as much as the other tribute poems, but today I feel I may like this one the most. It is written so honestly and it pulls at my heartstrings. The poems opening line is the same as its title --Hush'd be the camps today. I would imagine upon news of Abe's death that there was a lot silence. In my readings this week, I read that in Whitman's own household, there was nothing but silence, as the family consumed every newspaper and every detail of Lincoln's assassination. To feel so much grief and hurt that it takes your words away is amazing to me. I think Whitman wrote these poems as an emotional release. 

"This Dust Was Once the Man"

"This dust was once the man,
Gentle, plain, just and resolute, under whose cautious hand,
Against the foulest crime in history known in any land or age
Was saved the Union of these States."

What an interesting little poem about honest Abe Lincoln. It is apparent to me that Whitman held Mr. Lincoln in high esteem. I assume the that foulest crime he speaks of was slavery. I also think it's fascinating that Whitman begins his poem speaking of the ashes or the dust. He titles the poem much the same, but really the poem is about all of the human qualities of Mr. Lincoln. I think this was an interesting approach to writing a poem. The poem is short, sweet to the point. 

Whitman believes it was under the great leadership of Mr. Lincoln that the war was fought and won. In Callow, we read that Whitman would see President Lincoln, usually by himself, heading down the road somewhere. Is it true that a great leader keeps his own council? I mean, instead of confiding in others of his inner most thoughts, that he kept them to himself? That is what I think of when Whitman mentions seeing Mr. Lincoln alone. 

I wonder if Whitman ever met Abe? I can't remember reading about it, but I've read a lot this semester and this has escaped me.

President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in the Spring time. He did not get to lead the nation into its reconstruction phase. I wonder why Whitman doesn't write a poem about that....the nation was quite a mess at the end of the war--as you would expect of such long, drawn out fight. I wonder why Whitman didn't presume to know what might have happened if Lincoln had lived?

I think it's neat to know that Whitman lived in a time with Lincoln. It's hard for me to put people in history together, but this era of poems has helped me with a time-line.

Memories of President Lincoln

This week we're looking at a section of (4) poems titled of Memories of President Lincoln.

In, "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," Whitman has created this fascinating poem filled with symbols of how he felt about President Lincoln (lilac's heart shaped leaves) and the loss he was going through after his death.  The lilac is a perennial plant, which means it comes back each year. During the time of Lincoln's death, the lilac was growing fragrantly in many yards. I think Whitman has used the lilac to  talk about the process of loss and grief. It was the end of the Civil War and many lives had been lost---shattered. Death doesn't affect the dead as much as it does the living. Whitman realized this, and I believe he was trying to come to terms with his own feelings of despair and trying to help our nation at the same time. Whitman never used President Lincoln's name in the poem, but he made reference to him in other ways. He talked of how they journey'd Lincoln's coffin through different cities, he made note of the veiled women, the cities draped in black. He then went on to talk about how time doesn't stop. People continue with the same every-day tasks. Toward the end of the poem, he notes that, "They themselves were fully at rest, they suffer'd not / The living remain'd and suffer'd..." I think this is the most important message from this poem. Death affects us emotionally, physically, spiritually. Somehow we have to come to terms with our grief.     

Whitman has a strong belief in nature, so he used the lilac plant, a bird, and a star to symbolize his grief. I don't embrace death the way Whitman did, so it is hard for me to process the parts of the poem when he talks so openly of death. He says things like, "Come lovely and soothing death." This is supposed to be the warbling song from the bird, but I have a hard time with it, so I will continue to try to understand his point of view, and I may return to this subject later in the week.

Drum-Taps Final Words

This section of poetry was a new era in Whitman's life and he embraced it. He wrote of death in a new way. Death was no longer a process of life, it also had an effect on the living. Besides the tragedy that went along with war, Whitman wrote poems based on the stories of soldiers. He sat at campfires, bedsides, tents and he listened, and he wrote. He captured the memories of others so honestly and poignantly. As I read some of these poems, I felt I was standing inside the picture. I still feel like Whitman did some growing during this time, like he became more adult like. This poetry seems to lack the ego that is written in his other poems. I find I still have questions. There were times I felt that Whitman was like the journalist of today--right smack dab in the front lines, but that was not Whitman's style for this war. He was the listener. He captured the stories of others, not the story for himself. This seems to be a change from his journalism days. Was this Whitman's selfishness? Was it that he stayed clear of the actual fighting, out of harms way? I don't know. I'm glad he sat beside the wounded and dying. They needed someone to watch over them and it seems to me that Whitman gave them comfort.