The Walt Whitman Archive
Published Works
Books by Whitman
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [begin page 218] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TO THE STATES,
To Identify the 16th, 17th, or 18th Presidentiad.
WHY reclining, interrogating? why myself and all drowsing?
What deepening twilight—scum floating atop of the waters,
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Who are they as bats and night-dogs askant in the capitol?
What a filthy Presidentiad! (O South, your torrid suns! O North,
your arctic freezings!)
your arctic freezings!)
Are those really Congressmen? are those the great Judges? is that
the President?
the President?
Then I will sleep awhile yet, for I see that these States sleep, for
reasons;
reasons;
(With gathering murk, with muttering thunder and lambent shoots
we all duly awake,
we all duly awake,
South, North, East, West, inland and seaboard, we will surely
awake.)
awake.)