The Walt Whitman Archive
Published Works
Books by Whitman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 288] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GIVE ME THE SPLENDID SILENT SUN.
1
GIVE me the splendid silent sun, with all his beams full-
dazzling;
dazzling;
Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the
orchard;
orchard;
Give me a field where the unmow'd grass grows;
Give me an arbor, give me the trellis'd grape;
Give me fresh corn and wheat—give me serene-moving
animals, teaching content;
animals, teaching content;
Give me nights perfectly quiet, as on high plateaus
west of the Mississippi, and I looking up at the
stars;
west of the Mississippi, and I looking up at the
stars;
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flow-
ers, where I can walk undisturb'd;
ers, where I can walk undisturb'd;
Give me for marriage a sweet-breath'd woman, of whom
I should never tire;
I should never tire;
Give me a perfect child—give me, away, aside from the
noise of the world, a rural domestic life;
noise of the world, a rural domestic life;
Give me to warble spontaneous songs, reliev'd, recluse
by myself, for my own ears only;
by myself, for my own ears only;
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 289] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Give me solitude—give me Nature—give me again, O
Nature, your primal sanities!
Nature, your primal sanities!
—These, demanding to have them, (tired with cease-
less excitement, and rack'd by the war-strife;)
less excitement, and rack'd by the war-strife;)
These to procure, incessantly asking, rising in cries
from my heart,
from my heart,
While yet incessantly asking, still I adhere to my city;
Day upon day, and year upon year, O city, walking your
streets,
streets,
Where you hold me enchain'd a certain time, refusing
to give me up;
to give me up;
Yet giving to make me glutted, enrich'd of soul—you
give me forever faces;
give me forever faces;
(O I see what I sought to escape, confronting, reversing
my cries;
my cries;
I see my own soul trampling down what it ask'd for.)
2
Keep your splendid, silent sun;
Keep your woods, O Nature, and the quiet places by
the woods;
the woods;
Keep your fields of clover and timothy, and your corn-
fields and orchards;
fields and orchards;
Keep the blossoming buckwheat fields, where the Ninth-
month bees hum;
month bees hum;
Give me faces and streets! give me these phantoms in-
cessant and endless along the trottoirs!
cessant and endless along the trottoirs!
Give me interminable eyes! give me women! give me
comrades and lovers by the thousand!
comrades and lovers by the thousand!
Let me see new ones every day! let me hold new ones
by the hand every day!
by the hand every day!
Give me such shows! give me the streets of Manhat-
tan!
tan!
Give me Broadway, with the soldiers marching—give
me the sound of the trumpets and drums!
me the sound of the trumpets and drums!
(The soldiers in companies or regiments—some, start-
ing away, flush'd and reckless;
ing away, flush'd and reckless;
Some, their time up, returning, with thinn'd ranks—
young, yet very old, worn, marching, noticing
nothing;)
young, yet very old, worn, marching, noticing
nothing;)
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—Give me the shores and the wharves heavy-fringed
with the black ships!
with the black ships!
O such for me! O an intense life! O full to repletion,
and varied!
and varied!
The life of the theatre, bar-room, huge hotel, for me!
The saloon of the steamer! the crowded excursion for
me! the torch-light procession!
me! the torch-light procession!
The dense brigade, bound for the war, with high piled
military wagons following;
military wagons following;
People, endless, streaming, with strong voices, passions,
pageants;
pageants;
Manhattan streets, with their powerful throbs, with the
beating drums, as now;
beating drums, as now;
The endless and noisy chorus, the rustle and clank of
muskets, (even the sight of the wounded;)
muskets, (even the sight of the wounded;)
Manhattan crowds, with their turbulent musical chorus
—with varied chorus, and light of the sparkling
eyes;
—with varied chorus, and light of the sparkling
eyes;
Manhattan faces and eyes forever for me.