The Patriotic Poems of Walt Whitman

N, MY H

eave in, my

trong and full for gr

sinews in like ropes, th

y and night the weft, the wa

life, nor know the aim, the

nd shall go on, the death-envelop'd m

the wiry threads to weave, We know not

MN AS ON

gton Ci

mn as on

orn and sweaty, as the m

ppear, as I glance at th

this page studying you, dea

my whispering soul to each

h mask that wond

ver kill what you rea

et stab what

I see, great as any

ontent, which the bu

yonet stab

HOSE WOR

gton Ci

is done-spirit o

from my eyes your f

and doubts (yet onward e

n day and many a savag

rough the war now closed, li

eath of flame, while you

m, hollow and harsh to the

mortal ranks, return,

e young men yet lean

yonets bristling ov

s of them appearing in the distance, ap

ion, swaying to and fr

ng and falling while

ll hectic red one day, bu

e you depart, pre

e-bequeath them to me-fill

lister out of my chan

you to the futur

RN OF TH

or these passionate

re to thee O soil

y breast, givin

ses of thy sane a

verse f

t no voice, conf

lands-O boundles

turient earth-O in

to narr

on this

d's calm an

cessions, so

st feeds and fresh

ves upon the shore, the

wart trees, the sle

untless armies

owers, the measu

e snows, the wind

of of clouds, the clear ceru

stars, the placi

d herds, the plains

aried lands and all th

America

over set in b

s, thy wealth clothes th

ud with ache of

ke interlacing vines bin

ghted to water's edge

ise from the earth, so have the precious va

the globe!

choked, swim

tress of the t

middle and lookest out upon thy worl

givest a thousand miles, a mil

pitable (thou only art hospi

sang sad w

me with deafening noises o

the conflict, th

w step through the

I sing

rch of soldiers, no

tily coming up deploy

ad, unnatural

immortal ranks, the fir

stly ranks, the armie

brigades, with your

and strong, with your kn

watch'd you, where sta

rattle d

in sight, O anoth

on the rear, O you

us, with your mortal dia

s, with the plenteous bloo

allid army

se days of

pe, the roads and lanes, the high-piled

he dead

mar not, they fi

n the landscape unde

of the sky in the h

forget yo

r or summer

w when my soul is rapt and at

rising glide s

(Yet the heroes never surpass'd shall

saw them approaching, defiling by with divisions, Streaming north

diers-youthful

strong, of the stock of

a long campaign

a hard-fought

the armi

h'd embattled

hen soft as breaking n

t, they

nds! victo

tory on those red

nd hence y

armies-disperse ye

in, give up for goo

elds henceforth for y

, sweet wars, l

hroat, and

nks and the voice

and power for bou

ntill'd fields e

enas of my race,

ent and str

heroes at

d in their hands

e the Moth

ng eye gazes for

aried gathering

r, the sunl

, and yellow gra

of the South and

ws, rich fields of

eding, and droves

river flowing and m

nds with herby-p

, that delicate miracle

es! harvest

e warlike fields

rm and lambent

oil well! handle

, yet here as eve

America tho

f the West those

ventions, the labou

direction imbued as with l

ing-machines and the

ners of grain, well separating the straw

ill, the southern cotton-

hy look O

with their own strong

r and all

ful, not a scythe might

ngle as now its silk

st, even but a wisp of hay

Illinois, Wisconsin, ever

, Kentucky, Tennessee, each e

myriad mows in the o

hite potato, the buckwhea

abama, dig and hoard the golden the sw

of California

dle States, or hemp or

ull apples from the trees or bu

s in all these Stat

aming sun an

OF PRESID

AST IN THE DO

ast in the do

rly droop'd in the we

shall mourn with ev

ring, trinity sur

ennial and droopin

ght of h

western f

ight-O moody,

ar'd-O the black mur

hold me powerless-O

ng cloud that wil

an old farm-house near

ll-growing with heart-sh

om rising delicate, with

racle-and from this

blossoms and heart-shap

th its flo

p in seclud

den bird is w

ry the

n to himself, avoid

himself

he bleedi

of life (for well

anted to sing thou

f the spring, the

ere lately the violets peep'd from t

ds each side of the lanes,

t, every grain from its shroud

e blows of white and

to where it shall

day journe

ses through lan

t with the great clo

nloop'd flags with the

tes themselves as of cra

and winding and the

lit, with the silent sea of

, the arriving coffin,

ht, with the thousand voice

voices of the dirges p

the shuddering organs-whe

tolling bells'

in that sl

u my spri

you, for

ches green to cof

us would I chant a song for

bouquets

ou over with roses

w the lilac that

I break the sprig

rms I come, p

e coffins all

rb sailing

must have meant as a

lence the transpa

ing to tell as you bent

w down as if to my side (while

lemn night (for something I kn

I saw on the rim of the wes

ground in the breeze in t

s'd and was lost in the ne

ble dissatisfied sank,

pt in the nigh

here in t

tender, I hear your n

presently, I

r, for the lustrous

ting comrade hold

e myself for the de

y song for the large s

erfume be for the g

lown from e

blown from the Western sea, til

hese and the bre

the grave o

I hang on the

pictures be that

burial-house

wing spring and

e at sundown, and the gr

f the gorgeous, indolent, sinkin

under foot, and the pale gree

ze, the breast of the river, wi

banks, with many a line ag

th dwellings so dense,

and the workshops, and the

and soul-

s, and the sparkling and hu

uth and the North in the light, O

ading prairies cover'

cellent sun so

urple morn with

ft-born measu

ing bathing all, t

cious, the welcome

ining all, envelo

g on you gra

the recesses, pour you

he dusk, out of th

brother, warble

, with voice of

and free

e to my soul-O

the star holds me (b

with mastering

t in the day a

ight and the fields of spring, and

s scenery of my land wi

eauty (after the perturb

e afternoon swift passing, and

ides, and I saw the s

with richness, and the fi

how they all went on, each with it

robbings throbb'd, and the c

nd among them all, enve

ud, appear'd the

thought, and the sac

edge of death as wa

eath close-walking t

h companions, and as holdi

hiding receiving n

he water, the path by t

owy cedars and gho

so shy to the r

d I know receiv'd

ol of death, and a

secluded

cedars and the gho

carol of

rm of the c

their hands my co

y spirit tallied t

y and soot

world, serenely a

the night, to

later deli

the fathoml

and for objects an

et love-but prais

nding arms of coo

ays gliding nea

for thee a chant o

or thee, I glorif

when thou must indeed c

strong de

ou hast taken them I j

ving floating

flood of thy

thee glad

saluting thee, adornment

en landscape and the hig

elds, and the huge

silence under

he husky whispering w

g to thee O vast an

atefully nestli

-tops I float

g waves, over the myriad f

cities all and the tee

with joy, with jo

ally of

g kept up the

te notes spreading

pines and

hness moist and t

comrades there

hat was bound in

panoramas

askant t

ess dreams hundred

f the battles and pierc'd

yon through the smoke

hreds left on the staff

s all splinte

-corpses, my

eletons of young

débris of all the sla

y were not as

re fully at rest,

d and suffer'd, th

e child and the mus

es that rema

isions, passi

ng the hold of m

hermit bird and the ta

s outlet song, yet vary

ear the notes, rising and

as warning and warning, and

and filling the s

alm in the night I

thee lilac with h

the dooryard, blooming

om my song

the west, fronting the w

us with silver f

d all, retrievement

drous chant of th

chant, the echo a

rooping star with the c

ding my hand nearing

t, and their memory ever to kee

ul of all my days and lands

bird twined with th

ant pines and the

IN! MY

ptain! our fearf

'd every rack, the p

e bells I hear, the

e steady keel, the v

art! hea

eding dro

e deck my C

cold an

ptain! rise up a

flag is flung-for

ibbon'd wreaths-for yo

e swaying mass, their

tain! de

beneath y

dream that

llen cold

t answer, his lips

feel my arm, he has

safe and sound, its v

he victor ship come

res, and ri

th mourn

eck my Cap

cold an

E THE CA

4,

the camp

t us drape our

using soul reti

commander

im life's sto

defeat-no more ti

easeless clouds

poet in

him-because you, dwelle

ault the co

the doors of earth

vy hearts o

OF S

ldiers Sout

ective murmuring

, again to my s

e advance of

as mists a

ves in the tre

ll through Virgin

the compass out of t

large, or squads of twos or t

tly gathe

no note O

my cavalry parading

ning, and carbines by their

d horsemen! what lif

he perils

s, neither at r

g the camp, nor even the

time O drummers bear

d the marts of wealth a

mrades close unseen by

alive again, the d

y silent soul in the na

ndrous eyes, very dea

se, but

of countl

est henceforth bec

-desert me not

ks of the living-sweet are

, are the dead with

es, all is ove

over-and what

ields rising, up fro

e my chant, O lo

the memories of a

hem, cover them all o

l-make all

hes to nouris

fructify all with

stless, make

m me wherever I go lik

all dead soldie

ON HER D

ad gazing I heard

ies, on the forms coverin

, but the scent of the

earth with mournful v

she cried, I charge you lose

orb them well, taki

d you airs that swim ab

f soil and growth, and

he woods where my dear childr

your roots to bequea

-my young men's bodies absorb, a

me faithfully back again

odour of surface and g

ds back again give me my darl

nce, breathe me their breat

O air and soil! O my

al sweet death, yea