From
Leaves of Grass, by
Walt Whitman:
On
journeys through the
States we start,
(Ay through the
world, urged by these
songs,
Sailing henceforth to every land, to every
sea,)
We willing learners of all, teachers of all, and lovers of all.
We have watch'd the
seasons dispensing themselves and passing on,
And have said, Why should not a man or woman do as much as the seasons, and effuse as much?
We dwell a while in every
city and town,
We pass through
Kanada, the North-east, the vast
valley of the
Mississippi, and the Southern States,
We confer on
equal terms with each of the States,
We make trial of ourselves and invite men and women to hear,
We say to ourselves, Remember,
fear not, be candid, promulge the body and the
soul,
Dwell a while and pass on, be
copious, temperate, chaste,
magnetic,
And what you effuse amy then return as the seasons return,
And may be just as much as the seasons.