Walt Whitman Poems : With Antecedents

1

With antecedents,
With my fathers and mothers and the accumulations of past ages,
With all which, had it not been, I would not now be here, as I am,
With Egypt, India, Phenicia, Greece and Rome,
With the Kelt, the Scandinavian, the Alb and the Saxon,
With antique maritime ventures, laws, artisanship, wars and journeys,
With the poet, the skald, the saga, the myth, and the oracle,
With the sale of slaves, with enthusiasts, with the troubadour, the
crusader, and the monk,
With those old continents whence we have come to this new continent,
With the fading kingdoms and kings over there,
With the fading religions and priests,
With the small shores we look back to from our own large and present shores,
With countless years drawing themselves onward and arrived at these years,
You and me arrived--America arrived and making this year,
This year! sending itself ahead countless years to come.

2

O but it is not the years--it is I, it is You,
We touch all laws and tally all antecedents,
We are the skald, the oracle, the monk and the knight, we easily
include them and more,
We stand amid time beginningless and endless, we stand amid evil and good,
All swings around us, there is as much darkness as light,
The very sun swings itself and its system of planets around us,
Its sun, and its again, all swing around us.

 

As for me, (torn, stormy, amid these vehement days,)
I have the idea of all, and am all and believe in all,
I believe materialism is true and spiritualism is true, I reject no part.

 

(Have I forgotten any part? any thing in the past?
Come to me whoever and whatever, till I give you recognition.)

 

I respect Assyria, China, Teutonia, and the Hebrews,
I adopt each theory, myth, god, and demigod,
I see that the old accounts, bibles, genealogies, are true, without
exception,
I assert that all past days were what they must have been,
And that they could no-how have been better than they were,
And that to-day is what it must be, and that America is,
And that to-day and America could no-how be better than they are.

3

In the name of these States and in your and my name, the Past,
And in the name of these States and in your and my name, the Present time.

 

I know that the past was great and the future will be great,
And I know that both curiously conjoint in the present time,
(For the sake of him I typify, for the common average man's sake,
your sake if you are he,)
And that where I am or you are this present day, there is the centre
of all days, all races,
And there is the meaning to us of all that has ever come of races
and days, or ever will come.

Submited by

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - 16:51

Poesia Consagrada :

No votes yet

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman's picture
Offline
Title: Membro
Last seen: 12 years 51 weeks ago
Joined: 04/08/2011
Posts:
Points: 849

Add comment

Login to post comments

other contents of Walt Whitman

Topic Title Repliessort icon Views Last Post Language
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman- Aboard at a Ship's Helm 0 3.347 04/08/2011 - 23:00 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman- Adieu to a Soldier 0 2.128 04/08/2011 - 23:05 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - After the Sea-Ship 0 3.689 04/08/2011 - 23:09 English
Poesia Consagrada/General walt Whitman - After the Supper and Talk 0 2.453 04/08/2011 - 23:11 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Ages and Ages Returning at Intervals 0 3.383 04/08/2011 - 23:13 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Ah Poverties, Wincings, and Sulky Retreats 0 3.695 04/08/2011 - 23:14 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - All Is Truth 0 2.760 04/08/2011 - 23:16 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Among the Multitude 0 3.147 04/08/2011 - 23:17 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Are You the New Person Drawn Toward Me? 0 3.385 04/08/2011 - 23:22 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - An Army Corps on the March 0 2.953 04/08/2011 - 23:23 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - The Artilleryman's Vision 0 3.161 04/08/2011 - 23:25 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As at Thy Portals Also Death 0 2.204 04/08/2011 - 23:27 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As Consequent, Etc. 0 3.047 04/08/2011 - 23:28 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Ashes of Soldiers 0 2.408 04/08/2011 - 23:33 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As I Ebb'd with the Ocean of Life 0 3.493 04/08/2011 - 23:34 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As If a Phantom Caress'd Me 0 3.048 04/08/2011 - 23:35 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As I Lay with My Head in Your Lap Camerado 0 2.363 04/08/2011 - 23:37 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As I Ponder'd in Silence 0 2.539 04/08/2011 - 23:39 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days 0 2.123 04/08/2011 - 23:40 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As I Watch the Ploughman Ploughing 0 2.632 04/08/2011 - 23:43 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Assurances 0 3.295 04/08/2011 - 23:44 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As the Time Draws Nigh 0 2.302 04/08/2011 - 23:46 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As They Draw to a Close 0 2.789 04/08/2011 - 23:48 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - As Toilsome I Wander'd Virginia's Woods 0 2.860 04/08/2011 - 23:49 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - The Base of All Metaphysics 0 2.915 04/08/2011 - 23:52 English