The Walt Whitman Archive
Published Works
Books by Whitman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 192] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
19.
I WAS looking a long while for the history of the
past for myself, and for these Chants—and now
I have found it,
past for myself, and for these Chants—and now
I have found it,
It is not in those paged fables in the libraries, (them
I neither accept nor reject,)
I neither accept nor reject,)
It is no more in the legends than in all else,
It is in the present—it is this earth to-day,
It is in Democracy—in this America—the old world
also,
also,
It is the life of one man or one woman to-day, the
average man of to-day;
average man of to-day;
It is languages, social customs, literatures, arts,
It is the broad show of artificial things, ships, ma-
chinery, politics, creeds, modern improvements,
and the interchanges of nations,
chinery, politics, creeds, modern improvements,
and the interchanges of nations,
All for the average man of to-day.