One Sweeps By
July 6, 2023Once I Pass’d Through A Populous City
July 6, 2023One Song, America, Before I Go
ONE song, America, before I go,
I’d sing, o’er all the rest, with trumpet sound,
For thee–the Future.
I’d sow a seed for thee of endless Nationality;
I’d fashion thy Ensemble, including Body and Soul;
I’d show, away ahead, thy real Union, and how it may be accomplish’d.
(The paths to the House I seek to make,
But leave to those to come, the House itself.)
Belief I sing–and Preparation;
As Life and Nature are not great with reference to the Present
only,
But greater still from what is yet to come,
Out of that formula for Thee I sing.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist, often referred to as the "father of free verse". His best-known work, "Leaves of Grass," is a celebration of American democracy, individualism, and the common people. Whitman's poetry also explored themes of sexuality and the body. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature.