Walt Whitman Poems : Year of Meteors [1859-60]

Year of meteors! brooding year!
I would bind in words retrospective some of your deeds and signs,
I would sing your contest for the 19th Presidentiad,
I would sing how an old man, tall, with white hair, mounted the
scaffold in Virginia,
(I was at hand, silent I stood with teeth shut close, I watch'd,
I stood very near you old man when cool and indifferent, but trembling
with age and your unheal'd wounds you mounted the scaffold;)
I would sing in my copious song your census returns of the States,
The tables of population and products, I would sing of your ships
and their cargoes,
The proud black ships of Manhattan arriving, some fill'd with
immigrants, some from the isthmus with cargoes of gold,
Songs thereof would I sing, to all that hitherward comes would welcome give,
And you would I sing, fair stripling! welcome to you from me, young
prince of England!
(Remember you surging Manhattan's crowds as you pass'd with your
cortege of nobles?
There in the crowds stood I, and singled you out with attachment;)
Nor forget I to sing of the wonder, the ship as she swam up my bay,
Well-shaped and stately the Great Eastern swam up my bay, she was
600 feet long,
Her moving swiftly surrounded by myriads of small craft I forget not
to sing;
Nor the comet that came unannounced out of the north flaring in heaven,
Nor the strange huge meteor-procession dazzling and clear shooting
over our heads,
(A moment, a moment long it sail'd its balls of unearthly light over
our heads,
Then departed, dropt in the night, and was gone;)
Of such, and fitful as they, I sing--with gleams from them would
gleam and patch these chants,
Your chants, O year all mottled with evil and good--year of forebodings!
Year of comets and meteors transient and strange--lo! even here one
equally transient and strange!
As I flit through you hastily, soon to fall and be gone, what is this chant,
What am I myself but one of your meteors?

Submited by

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - 16:57

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 Replies Views Last Postsort icon Language
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Old Salt Kossabone 0 3.395 04/10/2011 - 23:01 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Old Ireland 0 2.335 04/10/2011 - 23:00 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Old Chants 0 2.251 04/10/2011 - 22:57 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Old Age's Lambent Peaks 0 1.637 04/10/2011 - 22:56 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - O Hymen! O Hymenee! 0 3.400 04/10/2011 - 22:54 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Of the Terrible Doubt of Appearance 0 3.092 04/10/2011 - 22:53 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Of That Blithe Throat of Thine 0 2.051 04/10/2011 - 22:51 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Of Him I Love Day and Night 0 2.239 04/10/2011 - 22:49 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - O Captain! My Captain! 0 1.801 04/10/2011 - 22:48 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Now Precedent Songs, Farewell 0 1.025 04/10/2011 - 22:47 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Now Finale to the Shore 0 1.351 04/10/2011 - 22:42 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Not Youth Pertains to Me 0 2.843 04/10/2011 - 22:41 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Not Heaving from My Ribb'd Breast Only 0 1.631 04/10/2011 - 22:39 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Not Heat Flames Up and Consumes 0 1.792 04/10/2011 - 22:37 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - No Labor-Saving Machine 0 1.466 04/10/2011 - 22:36 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - A Noiseless Patient Spider 0 2.119 04/10/2011 - 22:35 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Night on the Prairies 0 1.554 04/10/2011 - 22:34 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Native Moments 0 2.426 04/10/2011 - 22:31 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - The Mystic Trumpeter 0 1.597 04/10/2011 - 22:28 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Myself and Mine 0 1.752 04/10/2011 - 22:25 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - My Legacy 0 1.989 04/10/2011 - 22:24 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - My 71st Year 0 3.225 04/10/2011 - 22:22 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Mirages 0 1.317 04/10/2011 - 22:19 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Miracles 0 2.553 04/10/2011 - 22:16 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman - Me Imperturbe 0 1.876 04/10/2011 - 22:14 English