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Leaves of Grass (1891-92)
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NOW PRECEDENT SONGS, FAREWELL.
Now precedent songs, farewell—by every name farewell, |
(Trains of a staggering line in many a strange procession,
waggons,
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From ups and downs—with intervals—from elder years, mid-age,
or youth,)
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"In Cabin'd Ships," or "Thee Old Cause" or "Poets to Come" |
Or "Paumanok," "Song of Myself," "Calamus," or "Adam," |
Or "Beat! Beat! Drums!" or "To the Leaven'd Soil they
Trod,"
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Or "Captain! My Captain!" "Kosmos," "Quicksand Years,"
or "Thoughts,"
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"Thou Mother with thy Equal Brood," and many, many more
unspecified,
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From fibre heart of mine—from throat and tongue—(My life's
hot pulsing blood,
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The personal urge and form for me—not merely paper, automatic
type and ink,)
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Each song of mine—each utterance in the past—having its long,
long history,
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Of life or death, or soldier's wound, of country's loss or safety, |
(O heaven! what flash and started endless train of all! com-
pared indeed to that!
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What wretched shred e'en at the best of all!) |
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