The Walt Whitman Archive
Published Works
Books by Whitman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 260] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TO THE STATES,
To Identify the 16th, 17th, or 18th Presidentiad.
WHY reclining, interrogating? Why myself and all
drowsing?
drowsing?
What deepening twilight! scum floating atop of the
waters!
waters!
Who are they, as bats and night-dogs, askant in the
Capitol?
Capitol?
What a filthy Presidentiad! (O south, your torrid suns!
O north, your arctic freezings!)
O north, your arctic freezings!)
Are those really Congressmen? are those the great
Judges? is that the President?
Judges? is that the President?
Then I will sleep awhile yet—for I see that These States
sleep, for reasons;
sleep, for reasons;
(With gathering murk—with muttering thunder and
lambent shoots, we all duly awake,
lambent shoots, we all duly awake,
South, north, east, west, inland and seaboard, we will
surely awake.)
surely awake.)