Weekly Whitman: “America”
Walt Whitman himself reads this short poem, caught for posterity on a wax cylinder.
And here’s what a wax cylinder looks like:
America[1]
Centre of equal daughters, equal sons,
All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old,
Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich,
Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love,
A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother,
Chair’d in the adamant of Time.
Source
[1] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53091/america-56d23215696b8
What a splendid Sunday gift, Meg. Not only a Whitman poem, but Whitman reading his poem. Thank you. Thank you.
More to come. Thanks for liking this column.
Wow! Thank-you! His voice fits his poetry-strong, emphatic. My favorite CW poem by Whitman is “Cavalry Crossing a Ford.” (Think that’s the correct title.) It is a perfect word-picture.
That is one of my favorites as well. Thanks, and enjoy the column.