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Ah, not this marble, dead and cold:
comprehending,Thou, Washington, art all the world’s, the continents’ entire—not yours alone, America,Europe’s as well, in every part, castle of lord or laborer’s cot,Or frozen North, or sultry South—the African’s—the Arab’s inhis tent,Old Asia’s there with venerable smile, seated amid her ruins;(Greets the antique the hero new? ‘tis but the same—the heirlegitimate, continued ever,The indomitable heart…
A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full
How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what itis any more than he.I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopefulgreen stuff woven.Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropped,Bearing the owner’s name someway in the corners, that…
OF the visages of things–And of piercing through to the accepted
Of ugliness–To me there is just as much in it as there is inbeauty–And now the ugliness of human beings is acceptable tome;Of detected persons–To me, detected persons are not, in any respect,worse than undetected persons–and are not in any respect worsethan I am myself;Of criminals–To me, any judge, or any juror, is equally criminal–and…
Trippers and askers surround me,
The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors old and new,My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, dues,The real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love,The sickness of one of my folks or of myself, or ill-doing or loss or lack of money, or depressions or exaltations,Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever…
AH poverties, wincings, and sulky retreats!
(For what is my life, or any man’s life, but a conflict with foes–the old, the incessant war?)You degradations–you tussle with passions and appetites;You smarts from dissatisfied friendships, (ah wounds, the sharpest ofall;)You toil of painful and choked articulations–you meannesses;You shallow tongue-talks at tables, (my tongue the shallowest ofany;)You broken resolutions, you racking angers, you…
THICK-SPRINKLED bunting! Flag of stars!
bloody death!For the prize I see at issue, at last is the world!All its ships and shores I see, interwoven with your threads, greedybanner!–Dream’d again the flags of kings, highest born, to flauntunrival’d?O hasten, flag of man! O with sure and steady step, passing highestflags of kings,Walk supreme to the heavens, mighty symbol–run up above…