John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
Walt Whitman 1819-1892 John Bartlett
1 | |
I will write the evangel-poem of comrades and of love. | |
Starting from Paumanok. 6. | |
2 | |
I say the whole earth and all the stars in the sky are for religion’s sake. | |
Starting from Paumanok. 7. | |
3 | |
None has begun to think how divine he himself is and how certain the future is. | |
Starting from Paumanok. 7. | |
4 | |
I say the real and permanent grandeur of these States must be their religion. | |
Starting from Paumanok. 7. | |
5 | |
Nothing can happen more beautiful than death. | |
Starting from Paumanok. 12. | |
6 | |
I loafe and invite my soul. | |
Song of Myself. 1. | |
7 | |
I have no mockings or arguments; I witness and wait. | |
Song of Myself. 4. | |
8 | |
In the faces of men and women I see God. | |
Song of Myself. 48. | |
9 | |
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. | |
Song of Myself. 52. | |
10 | |
I see Hermes, unsuspected, dying, well-beloved, saying to the people, “Do not weep for me, This is not my true country, I have lived banished from my true country—I now go back there, I return to the celestial sphere where every one goes in his turn.” | |
Salut au Monde. 6. | |
11 | |
Each of us inevitable; Each of us limitless—each of us with his or her right upon the earth. | |
Salut au Monde. 11. | |
12 | |
The great city is that which has the greatest man or woman. | |
Song of the Broad-Axe. | |
13 | |
In this broad earth of ours, Amid the measureless grossness and the slag, Enclosed and safe within its central heart, Nestles the seed perfection. | |
Song of the Universal. 1. | |
14 | |
All, all for immortality, Love like the light silently wrapping all. | |
Song of the Universal. 4. | |
15 | |
Youth, large, lusty, loving—Youth, full of grace, force, fascination! Do you know that Old Age may come after you, with equal grace, force, fascination? | |
Youth, Day, Old Age and Night. | |
16 | |
Roaming in thought over the Universe, I saw the little that is Good steadily hastening towards immortality, And the vast that is evil I saw hastening to merge itself and become lost and dead. | |
Roaming in Thought. 1 | |
17 | |
Thunder on! Stride on! Democracy. Strike with vengeful stroke! | |
Drum-Taps. Rise O Days from your fathomless Deep. 3. | |
18 | |
O Banner! Not houses of peace are you, nor any nor all of their prosperity; if need be you shall have every one of those houses to destroy them; You thought not to destroy those valuable houses, standing fast, full of comfort, built with money; May they stand fast then? Not an hour, unless you, above them and all, stand fast. | |
Drum-Taps. Song of the Banner at Daybreak. | |
19 | |
Over all the sky—the sky! far, far out of reach, studded with the eternal stars. | |
Drum-Taps. Bivouac on a Mountain-side. | |
20 | |
Give me the splendid silent sun, with all his beams full-dazzling! | |
Drum-Taps. Give me the splendid Silent Sun. | |
21 | |
Lo! the moon ascending! Up from the East, the silvery round moon; Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon; Immense and silent moon. | |
Drum-Taps. Dirge for Two Veterans. | |
22 | |
Beautiful that war and all its deeds of carnage, must in time be utterly lost; That the hands of the sisters Death and Night incessantly softly wash again and ever again, this soiled world. | |
Drum-Taps. Reconciliation. | |
23 | |
When lilacs last in the door-yard bloomed, And the great star early drooped in the western sky in the night, I mourned, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring. | |
Memories of President Lincoln. 1. | |
24 | |
Come lovely and soothing death, Undulate round the world, serenely arriving, arriving, In the day, in the night, to all, to each, Sooner or later, delicate death. | |
Memories of President Lincoln. 14. | |
25 | |
Praised be the fathomless universe For life and joy and for objects and knowledge curious; And for love, sweet love—But praise! O praise and praise For the sure-enwinding arms of cool-enfolding Death. | |
Memories of President Lincoln. 14. | |
26 | |
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done! The ship has weathered every wrack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting. | |
Memories of President Lincoln. O Captain! my Captain! | |
27 | |
Liberty is to be subserved, whatever occurs. | |
To a Foiled European Revolutionaire. | |
28 | |
Peace is always beautiful. | |
The Sleepers. 7. | |
29 | |
What do you suppose will satisfy the soul except to walk free and own no superior? | |
Laws for Creations. | |
30 | |
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. | |
Miracles. | |
31 | |
I was thinking the day most splendid, till I saw what the not-day exhibited; I was thinking this globe enough, till there sprang out so noiseless around me myriads of other globes. | |
Night on the Prairies. | |
32 | |
I see that I am to wait for what will be exhibited by death. | |
Night on the Prairies. | |
33 | |
I swear I think there is nothing but immortality! | |
To think of Time. 9. | |
34 | |
The paths to the house I seek to make, But leave to those to come the house itself. | |
Thou Mother with thy Equal Brood. 1. | |
35 | |
Society waits unformed and is between things ended and things begun. | |
Thoughts. 1. | |
36 | |
Now obey thy cherished secret wish, Embrace thy friends—leave all in order; To port and hawser’s tie no more returning, Depart upon thy endless cruise, old Sailor! | |
Now Finalè to the Shore. (To Tennyson). | |
37 | |
I announce the great individual, fluid as Nature, chaste, affectionate, compassionate, fully armed; I announce a life that shall be copious, vehement, spiritual, bold, And I announce an end that shall lightly and joyfully meet its translation. | |
So Long! |
Note 1. See Herbert Spencer, page 773. [back] |