In Cabin’d Ships At Sea
July 6, 2023I Thought I Was Not Alone
July 6, 2023I Was Looking A Long While
I WAS looking a long while for a clue to the history of the past for
myself, and for these chants–and now I have found it;
It is not in those paged fables in the libraries, (them I neither
accept nor reject; )
It is no more in the legends than in all else;
It is in the present–it is this earth to-day;
It is in Democracy–(the purport and aim of all the past; )
It is the life of one man or one woman to-day–the average man of
to-day;
It is in languages, social customs, literatures, arts;
It is in the broad show of artificial things, ships, machinery,
politics, creeds, modern improvements, and the interchange of
nations,
All for the average man of to-day.
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.