The Walt Whitman Archive
Published Works
Books by Whitman
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10 — Poem of You, Whoever You Are.
WHOEVER you are, I fear you are walking
the walks of dreams,
the walks of dreams,
I fear those realities are to melt from under your
feet and hands;
feet and hands;
Even now, your features, joys, speech, house,
trade, manners, troubles, follies, costume,
crimes, dissipate away from you,
trade, manners, troubles, follies, costume,
crimes, dissipate away from you,
Your true soul and body appear before me,
They stand forth out of affairs—out of commerce,
shops, law, science, work, farms, clothes, the
house, medicine, print, buying, selling, eating,
drinking, suffering, begetting, dying,
shops, law, science, work, farms, clothes, the
house, medicine, print, buying, selling, eating,
drinking, suffering, begetting, dying,
They receive these in their places, they find these
or the like of these, eternal, for reasons,
or the like of these, eternal, for reasons,
They find themselves eternal, they do not find that
the water and soil tend to endure forever —
and they not endure.
the water and soil tend to endure forever —
and they not endure.
Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you,
that you be my poem,
that you be my poem,
I whisper with my lips close to your ear,
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I have loved many women and men, but I love
none better than you.
none better than you.
O I have been dilatory and dumb,
I should have made my way straight to you long
ago,
ago,
I should have blabbed nothing but you, I should
have chanted nothing but you.
have chanted nothing but you.
I will leave all, and come and make the hymns
of you;
of you;
None have understood you, but I understand you,
None have done justice to you, you have not done
justice to yourself,
justice to yourself,
None but have found you imperfect, I only find no
imperfection in you,
imperfection in you,
None but would subordinate you, I only am he
who will never consent to subordinate you,
who will never consent to subordinate you,
I only am he who places over you no master,
owner, better, god, beyond what waits intrin-
sically in yourself.
owner, better, god, beyond what waits intrin-
sically in yourself.
Painters have painted their swarming groups, and
the centre figure of all,
the centre figure of all,
From the head of the centre figure spreading a
nimbus of gold-colored light,
nimbus of gold-colored light,
But I paint myriads of heads, but paint no head
without its nimbus of gold-colored light,
without its nimbus of gold-colored light,
From my hand, from the brain of every man and
woman it streams, effulgently flowing forever.
woman it streams, effulgently flowing forever.
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O I could sing such grandeurs and glories about
you!
you!
You have not known what you are—you have
slumbered upon yourself all your life,
slumbered upon yourself all your life,
Your eye-lids have been as much as closed most
of the time,
of the time,
What you have done returns already in mock-
eries,
eries,
Your thrift, knowledge, prayers, if they do not
return in mockeries, what is their return?
return in mockeries, what is their return?
The mockeries are not you,
Underneath them, and within them, I see you lurk,
I pursue you where none else has pursued you,
Silence, the desk, the flippant expression, the
night, the accustomed routine, if these con-
ceal you from others, or from yourself, they
do not conceal you from me,
night, the accustomed routine, if these con-
ceal you from others, or from yourself, they
do not conceal you from me,
The shaved face, the unsteady eye, the impure
complexion, if these balk others, they do
not balk me,
complexion, if these balk others, they do
not balk me,
The pert apparel, the deformed attitude, drunken-
ness, greed, premature death, all these I part
aside,
ness, greed, premature death, all these I part
aside,
I track through your windings and turnings—I
come upon you where you thought eye should
never come upon you.
come upon you where you thought eye should
never come upon you.
There is no endowment in man or woman that is
not tallied in you,
not tallied in you,
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There is no virtue, no beauty, in man or woman
but as good is in you,
but as good is in you,
No pluck, no endurance in others, but as good is
in you,
in you,
No pleasure waiting for others, but an equal plea-
sure waits for you.
sure waits for you.
As for me, I give nothing to any one, except I
give the like carefully to you,
give the like carefully to you,
I sing the songs of the glory of none, not God,
sooner than I sing the songs of the glory of
you.
sooner than I sing the songs of the glory of
you.
Whoever you are, you are to hold your own at
any hazard,
any hazard,
These shows of the east and west are tame com-
pared to you,
pared to you,
These immense meadows, these interminable riv-
ers—you are immense and interminable as
they,
ers—you are immense and interminable as
they,
These furies, elements, storms, motions of nature,
throes of apparent dissolution—you are he
or she who is master or mistress over them,
throes of apparent dissolution—you are he
or she who is master or mistress over them,
Master or mistress in your own right over nature,
elements, pain, passion, dissolution.
elements, pain, passion, dissolution.
The hopples fall from your ankles! you find an
unfailing sufficiency!
unfailing sufficiency!
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Old, young, male, female, rude, low, rejected by
the rest, whatever you are promulges itself,
the rest, whatever you are promulges itself,
Through birth, life, death, burial, the means are
provided, nothing is scanted,
provided, nothing is scanted,
Through angers, losses, ambition, ignorance,
ennui, what you are picks its way.
ennui, what you are picks its way.