To A Foil’d European Revolutionaire
July 6, 2023To A Certain Cantatrice
July 6, 2023To A Certain Civilian
DID YOU ask dulcet rhymes from me?
Did you seek the civilian’s peaceful and languishing rhymes?
Did you find what I sang erewhile so hard to follow?
Why I was not singing erewhile for you to follow, to understand–nor
am I now;
(I have been born of the same as the war was born;
The drum-corps’ harsh rattle is to me sweet music–I love well the
martial dirge,
With slow wail, and convulsive throb, leading the officer’s funeral
–What to such as you, anyhow, such a poet as I?–therefore leave my
works,
And go lull yourself with what you can understand–and with piano-
tunes;
For I lull nobody–and you will never understand me.
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.