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A poem by Walt Whitman |
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A Word Out Of The Sea |
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Title: A Word Out Of The Sea Author: Walt Whitman [More Titles by Whitman] 1. Out of the rocked cradle, Out of the mocking-bird's throat, the musical shuttle, Out of the Ninth-month midnight, Over the sterile sands, and the fields beyond, where the child, leaving his bed, wandered alone, bareheaded, barefoot, Down from the showered halo, Up from the mystic play of shadows, twining and twisting; as if they were alive, Out from the patches of briars and blackberries, From the memories of the birds that chanted to me, From your memories, sad brother--from the fitful risings and fallings I heard, From under that yellow half-moon, late-risen, and swollen as if with tears, From those beginning notes of sickness and love, there in the transparent mist, From the thousand responses of my heart, never to cease, From the myriad thence-aroused words, From the word stronger and more delicious than any,-- From such, as now they start, the scene revisiting, As a flock, twittering, rising, or overhead passing, Borne hither--ere all eludes me, hurriedly,-- A man--yet by these tears a little boy again, Throwing myself on the sand, confronting the waves, I, chanter of pains and joys, uniter of here and hereafter, Taking all hints to use them, but swiftly leaping beyond them, A reminiscence sing.
Once, Paumanok, When the snows had melted, and the Fifth-month grass was growing, Up this sea-shore, in some briars, Two guests from Alabama--two together, And their nest, and four light-green eggs spotted with brown; And every day the he-bird, to and fro, near at hand, And every day the she-bird, crouched on her nest, silent, with bright eyes; And every day I, a curious boy, never too close, never disturbing them, Cautiously peering, absorbing, translating.
3. _Shine! shine! shine! Pour down your warmth, great Sun! While we bask--we two together.
Winds blow South, or winds blow North, Day come white or night come black, Home, or rivers and mountains from home, Singing all time, minding no time, If we two but keep together_.
Till of a sudden, Maybe killed, unknown to her mate, One forenoon the she-bird crouched not on the nest, Nor returned that afternoon, nor the next, Nor ever appeared again.
And at night, under the full of the moon, in calmer weather, Over the hoarse surging of the sea, Or flitting from briar to briar by day, I saw, I heard at intervals, the remaining one, the he-bird, The solitary guest from Alabama.
5. _Blow! blow! blow! Blow up, sea-winds, along Paumanok's shore! I wait and I wait, till you blow my mate to me_.
6. Yes, when the stars glistened. All night long, on the prong of a moss-scalloped stake, Down, almost amid the slapping waves, Sat the lone singer, wonderful, causing tears.
He poured forth the meanings which I, of all men, know. Yes, my brother, I know; The rest might not--but I have treasured every note; For once, and more than once, dimly, down to the beach gliding, Silent, avoiding the moonbeams, blending myself with the shadows, Recalling now the obscure shapes, the echoes, the sounds and sights after their sorts, The white arms out in the breakers tirelessly tossing, I, with bare feet, a child, the wind wafting my hair, Listened long and long.
Following you, my brother.
7. _Soothe! soothe! soothe! Close on its wave soothes the wave behind, And again another behind, embracing and lapping, every one close,-- But my love soothes not me, not me.
O it is lagging--O I think it is heavy with love, with love.
With love--with love. O night! do I not see my love fluttering out there among the breakers? What is that little black thing I see there in the white?
Loud. I call to you, my love! High and clear I shoot my voice over the waves; Surely you must know who is here, is here; You must know who I am, my love.
What is that dusky spot in your brown yellow? O it is the shape, the shape of my mate! O moon, do not keep her from me any longer!
Whichever way I turn, O I think you could give me my mate back again, if you only would; For I am almost sure I see her dimly whichever way I look.
Perhaps the one I want so much will rise, will rise with some of you.
Sound clearer through the atmosphere! Pierce the woods, the earth; Somewhere, listening to catch you, must be the one I want.
Solitary here--the night's carols! Carols of lonesome love! Death's carols! Carols under that lagging, yellow, waning moon! O, under that moon, where she droops almost down into the sea! O reckless, despairing carols!
Soft! let me just murmur; And do you wait a moment, you husky-noised sea; For somewhere I believe I heard my mate responding to me, So faint--I must be still, be still to listen; But not altogether still, for then she might not come immediately to me.
Here I am! Here! With this just-sustained note I announce myself to you; This gentle call is for you, my love, for you!
That is the whistle of the wind--it is not my voice; That is the fluttering, the flattering of the spray; Those are the shadows of leaves.
O I am very sick and sorrowful!
O troubled reflection in the sea! O throat! O throbbing heart! O all!--and I singing uselessly, uselessly all the night.!
O murmurs--you yourselves make me continue to sing, I know not why.
In the air--in the woods--over fields; Loved! loved! loved! loved! loved! But my love no more, no more with me! We two together no more_!
8. The aria sinking; All else continuing--the stars shining, The winds blowing--the notes of the bird continuous echoing, With angry moans the fierce old Mother incessantly moaning, On the sands of Paumanok's shore, grey and rustling; The yellow half-moon enlarged, sagging down, drooping, the face of the sea almost touching; The boy ecstatic--with his bare feet the waves, with his hair the atmosphere, dallying, The love in the heart long pent, now loose, now at last tumultuously bursting; The aria's meaning the ears, the soul, swiftly depositing, The strange tears down the cheeks coursing; The colloquy there--the trio--each uttering; The undertone--the savage old Mother, incessantly crying, To the boy's soul's questions sullenly timing--some drowned secret hissing To the outsetting bard of love.
9. Demon or bird! (said the boy's soul,) Is it indeed toward your mate you sing? or is it mostly to me? For I, that was a child, my tongue's use sleeping, Now I have heard you, Now in a moment I know what I am for--I awake; And already a thousand singers--a thousand songs, clearer, louder, and more sorrowful than yours, A thousand warbling echoes, have started to life within me,
O solitary me, listening--never more shall I cease perpetuating you; Never more shall I escape, never more, the reverberations, Never more the cries of unsatisfied love be absent from me,
By the sea, under the yellow and sagging moon, The messenger there aroused--the fire, the sweet hell within, The unknown want, the destiny of me.
O if I am to have so much, let me have more! O a word! O what is my destination? I fear it is henceforth chaos;-- O how joys, dreads, convolutions, human shapes and all shapes, spring as from graves around me!
O I cannot see in the dimness whether you smile or frown upon me; O vapour, a look, a word! O well-beloved! O you dear women's and men's phantoms!
The word final, superior to all, Subtle, sent up--what is it?--I listen; Are you whispering it, and have been all the time, you sea-waves? Is that it from your liquid rims and wet sands?
Whereto answering, the Sea, Delaying not, hurrying not, Whispered me through the night, and very plainly before daybreak, Lisped to me the low and delicious word DEATH; And again Death--ever Death, Death, Death, Hissing melodious, neither like the bird nor like my aroused child's heart, But edging near, as privately for me, rustling at my feet, Creeping thence steadily up to my ears, and laving me softly all over, Death, Death, Death, Death, Death.
But fuse the song of my dusky demon and brother, That he sang to me in the moonlight on Paumanok's grey beach, With the thousand responsive songs, at random, My own songs, awaked from that hour; And with them the key, the word up from the waves, The word of the sweetest song, and all songs, That strong and delicious word which, creeping to my feet, The Sea whispered me. [The end] GO TO TOP OF SCREEN |