Walt Whitman - A Hand-Mirror

Hold it up sternly--see this it sends back, (who is it? is it you?)
Outside fair costume, within ashes and filth,
No more a flashing eye, no more a sonorous voice or springy step,
Now some slave's eye, voice, hands, step,
A drunkard's breath, unwholesome eater's face, venerealee's flesh,
Lungs rotting away piecemeal, stomach sour and cankerous,
Joints rheumatic, bowels clogged with abomination,
Blood circulating dark and poisonous streams,
Words babble, hearing and touch callous,
No brain, no heart left, no magnetism of sex;
Such from one look in this looking-glass ere you go hence,
Such a result so soon--and from such a beginning!

Submited by

Saturday, April 9, 2011 - 15:49

Poesia Consagrada :

No votes yet

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman's picture
Offline
Title: Membro
Last seen: 14 years 10 weeks ago
Joined: 04/08/2011
Posts:
Points: 849

Add comment

Login to post comments

other contents of Walt Whitman

Topic Title Replies Views Last Postsort icon Language
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Walt Whitman Biography 0 8.458 04/13/2011 - 18:13 English
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Walt Whitman Biografia 0 12.531 04/13/2011 - 18:10 Spanish
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Walt Whitman Biografia 0 11.059 04/13/2011 - 18:05 Portuguese
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Youth, Day, Old Age and Night 0 6.537 04/13/2011 - 18:03 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : You Felons on Trial in Courts 0 11.196 04/13/2011 - 18:01 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Yonnondio 0 7.561 04/13/2011 - 18:00 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Yet, Yet Ye Downcast Hours 0 6.695 04/13/2011 - 17:59 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Years of the Modern 0 7.029 04/13/2011 - 17:59 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Year of Meteors [1859-60] 0 7.401 04/13/2011 - 17:57 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : The Wound-Dresser 0 8.032 04/13/2011 - 17:56 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : The World Below the Brine 0 7.200 04/13/2011 - 17:55 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : A Woman Waits for Me 0 7.130 04/13/2011 - 17:53 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : With Husky-Haughty Lips, O Sea! 0 9.998 04/13/2011 - 17:52 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : With Antecedents 0 9.309 04/13/2011 - 17:51 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Who Learns My Lesson Complete? 0 8.410 04/13/2011 - 17:50 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand 0 7.241 04/13/2011 - 17:48 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Whispers of Heavenly Death 0 6.185 04/13/2011 - 17:47 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When the Full-Grown Poet Came 0 8.156 04/13/2011 - 17:46 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd 0 7.693 04/13/2011 - 17:45 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Read the Book 0 6.478 04/13/2011 - 17:43 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Peruse the Conquer'd Fame 0 9.286 04/13/2011 - 17:42 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer 0 14.824 04/13/2011 - 17:41 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Heard at the Close of the Day 0 9.174 04/13/2011 - 17:40 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : What Think You I Take My Pen in Hand? 0 6.736 04/13/2011 - 17:38 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : What Ship Puzzled at Sea 0 12.910 04/13/2011 - 17:37 English