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:

An Edison wax cylinder machine

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



4 Responses to Weekly Whitman: “America”

  1. 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.

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