Whitman: Poems

by Walt Whitman, Peter Washington (Editor)

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 1994

About the author

Walter Whitman Jr. was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature. Whitman incorporated both transcendentalism and realism in his writings and is often called the father of free verse. His work was controversial in his time, particularly his 1855 poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described by some as obscene for its overt sensuality.
Whitman was born in Huntington on Long Island, and lived in Brooklyn as a child and through much of his career. At the age of 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. He worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. Whitman's major poetry collection, Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855, was financed with his own money and became well known. The work was an attempt to reach out to the common person with an American epic. Whitman continued expanding and revising Leaves of Grass until his death in 1892.
During the American Civil War, he went to Washington, D.C., and worked in hospitals caring for the wounded. His poetry often focused on both loss and healing. On the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, whom Whitman greatly admired, he authored two poems, "O Captain! My Captain!" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", and gave a series of lectures on Lincoln. After suffering a stroke towards the end of his life, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at the age of 72, his funeral was a public event.
Whitman's influence on poetry remains strong. Art historian Mary Berenson wrote, "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass... He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him." Modernist poet Ezra Pound called Whitman "America's poet... He is America."

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think Whitman's not my bag... too much unending stream of consciousness for me. But, it's cool that he was a gay Civil War nurse. I didn't know that.

[Kathleen]

Beautiful book, exquisite prose, just not for me. I leafed through it, and really didn't read it. Maybe another time for it :)

[Annie Neugebauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a strange love/hate with Whitman.

[Troy Farlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song of Myself. One of the best things I've ever read. EVER. E>V>E>R. E.V.E.R.

Everrrrrrrrrr.

[Ahn Hundt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this collection of poetry around the end of last summer, and it took me over half a year to finish, but that was because I liked lingering with it for a long time and taking the book with me; these great little pocket poet books from the Everyman Library are perfect companions for travel and just reading something wherever you want at any time, and that is very fitting for Whitman. I read his long poem 'Song of Myself' first and already wrote an entire review of it on here, so that's where you can get a better insight into my love for Whitman's poetry, but I read the rest of the collection scattered throughout the last 7 months under one strict condition: I must read it in nature.

So I read it every time I felt like the natural world around me harmonized with the poetry's voice, whether it was clear sunshine, rain, snow or anything in between. It suits Walt Whitman well to read his work in a setting of natural environment because his poetry itself really embodies a similar power that nature has; he feels sublime, overwhelming, colorful, emotionally tempestuous, free and utterly beautiful. It's rare for me to connect to poetry that is as loose as him; the free verse mixed with pretty much no distinct formal or stylistic traits raises the question to the reader if there's even any reason for it to be poetry and not just prose, but Whitman is the rare exception for me where his mind and sentiment are so brilliant and powerful that I don't need anything else.

I was hesitant at first, because the free style was a little off-putting and the things that he expresses can come off as some hippy transcendentalist bullshit, but again, he's a total exception in my opinion. I get if somebody doesn't like him, there's nothing about him that's objectively well crafted in comparison to the other writers that we consider as the great poets, but I cannot deny to myself what impact he leaves on me. I get quite sentimental just thinking about him. Whitman is a man of magnificent beauty, a beauty that is matched by very few. He feels like a friend, he talks to the reader in a direct manner, he reaches his hand towards the core of your soul and tries to help you in your life, and it really feels as though that's achieved when reading him. There are many fantastic poems in here, but the 'Song of Myself' is an obvious standout; I might consider it my favorite poem of all time, and it is one of the view that I can safely proclaim to be one that has changed my life in a meaningful way. It's hard to put into words, but the immediate, nearly spiritual connection that I have to his words is one of a kind, and that can never be ripped from me. It's nearly erotic in the way he gets so intimate with the reader, it's as if he knows that people in the future would still hold on to his heart after 200 years. The manner in which he presents death, eternity, love, nature, time and so many different themes is always under a light in which it affirms life; no matter how negative something may be, he always find a way to twist it into something incomprehensibly gorgeous and moving.

It's so gentle, touching, close, expressive, emotional, personal, universal, powerful, and grand... his writing is some of the most impactful and live-changing experiences I've ever had with literature. When reading this, it feels like Walt Whitman is the only person who ever figured out what life is, and yet, just like my favorite poet Rainer Maria Rilke, he is also saying that he really can't guide you and that you have to do it all by yourself. I don't think I've ever read poetry that is this precise and focused on trying to encompass living, and trying to be about everything. His intent seems to have been to crate an oeuvre that captures a kaleidoscope of life, and whatever you may search for, you will find it here. Life, death, love, hate, nature, industry, happiness, sadness, comedy, tragedy, age, eternity, nothingness, singularity, universality, wisdom, ignorance, men, women, race, work, literature, day, night, sex, purity, brightness, darkness, quietness, loudness, I could go on forever, probably. It's poetry about being. 'Being' is what it's all about, and it's so plump about it that me talking about his writing won't do it any justice. He may not be subtle, but I cannot lie to you: it moved and touched me deeply, and it has become a great comfort of mine. I teared up a bit during the end of 'Song of Myself' too, and that has never happened before to me.

I immediately ordered the complete poems after I finished it. These 250 pages will not suffice, I want more of this man, I want him to be a constant companion throughout my life, because he was some of the most amazing experiences I've had with art in the past few months.

Favorite Poems: 'When I Heard at the Close of the Day', 'To a Stranger', 'Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night', 'Reconciliation', 'As I Lay with my Head in your Lap Camerado', 'Crossing Brooklyn Ferry', 'Song Of Myself', 'Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking'

[paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m glad reading these reviews and seeing people feel the same way about the whole “stream of consciousness” style. It was in my opinion very boring.

[Kilgore Trout · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cured my spiral into dejection and hopelessness. But it was missing my favourite Whitman poem

[Ray Quirolgico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting the classics in this collection felt like carrying a world of souls in my chest pocket: informing my emotions with different nuanced perspectives and inspiring me to move about my day with a refreshed sense of wonder.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Walt Whitman's poetry is in simple, non-rhyming language and at first glance seems rather mundane. He also has some very long, very repetitious poems about life. But the further I went into the book, the more gems of description and clever turn of phrase I could find. If you don't mind wading through the rhapsodies about the landscape and the people in the city, there's some interesting stuff. Not my favorite poet, I think, but still definitely worth a read. (My cats enjoyed it.)

[Azfar · Rating 4 out of 5]

It will take me a couple more readings before I get at the meanings of Song of Myself and his other longer pieces, but I really love reading Whitman's poems out loud. The rhythm is so beautiful and hypnotic.

[Sarah]

Whitman: Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) by Walt Whitman (1994)

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess this was ok, i like to read peotry so i gave it a try

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the selection. It didn't flow well as a collection.

[Jim Samsel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this for a couple of bucks plus shipping from Amazon. I'm taking the Whitman MOOC on Whitman with edx starting on January. I'll read this and Leaves of Grass ahead of time...

[Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very good poems in this collection! But man. Walt Whitman can really write. And sometimes that is great and sometimes you read Song of Myself for 60 pages and it starts to lose its magic.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stream of consciousness style of this collection isn't really my thing.

[Alexis Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whitman's a weird guy but great poet lol