Leaves of Grass (1891-92)


contents   |  previous   |  next
 



 

THE WORLD BELOW THE BRINE.


THE world below the brine,
Forests at the bottom of the sea, the branches and leaves,
Sea-lettuce, vast lichens, strange flowers and seeds, the thick tangle,
         openings, and pink turf,
 


View Page 207
View Page 207

Different colors, pale gray and green, purple, white, and gold, the
         play of light through the water,
Dumb swimmers there among the rocks, coral, gluten, grass, rushes,
         and the aliment of the swimmers,
Sluggish existences grazing there suspended, or slowly crawling
         close to the bottom,
The sperm-whale at the surface blowing air and spray, or disporting
         with his flukes,
The leaden-eyed shark, the walrus, the turtle, the hairy sea-leopard,
         and the sting-ray,
Passions there, wars, pursuits, tribes, sight in those ocean-depths,
         breathing that thick-breathing air, as so many do,
The change thence to the sight here, and to the subtle air breathed
         by beings like us who walk this sphere,
The change onward from ours to that of beings who walk other
         spheres.
 
 
 
 
contents   |  previous   |  next