Whitman on Democracy

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - this is episode 278 - Whitman on Democracy - and This is the final episode - for now - about Walt Whitman.

Walt Whitman wrote many lengthy poems about democracy - in fact I found a great poem about Democracy that would take almost two hours to read — but I am going to try and confine the poems in this episode to some of those on the shorter side - starting with the three-line poem - To Foreign Lands.  Here he simply states that he heard other countries want to know what the New World was and what America was, so he is giving them his poetry so they can find out exactly what his country is.

Transcript

Welcome to Celebrate Poe - this is episode 278 - Whitman on Democracy - and This is the final episode - for now - about Walt Whitman.

Walt Whitman wrote many lengthy poems about democracy - in fact I found a great poem about Democracy that would take almost two hours to read — but I am going to try and confine the poems in this episode to some of those on the shorter side - starting with the three-line poem - To Foreign Lands.  Here he simply states that he heard other countries want to know what the New World was and what America was, so he is giving them his poetry so they can find out exactly what it is.

TO FOREIGN LANDS
I heard that you ask’d for something to prove this puzzle the New World,
And to define America, her athletic Democracy,
Therefore I send you my poems that you behold in them what you
wanted.

Yes, believe it or not, that is the entire the poem.
  
Now Whitman’s poem, TO THEE OLD CAUSE, is a bit longer - and I think it speaks for itself.

To thee old cause!
Thou peerless, passionate, good cause,
Thou stern, remorseless, sweet idea,
Deathless throughout the ages, races, lands,
After a strange sad war, great war for thee
(I think all war through time was really fought, and ever will be really
fought, for thee),
These chants for thee, the eternal march of thee.
(A war O soldiers not for itself alone,
Far, far more stood silently waiting behind, now to advance in this
book.)
Thou orb of many orbs!
Thou seething principle! thou well-kept, latent germ! thou centre! Around the idea of thee the war revolving,
With all its angry and vehement play of causes
(With vast results to come for thrice a thousand years),
These recitatives for thee,—my book and the war are one, Merged in its spirit I and mine, as the contest hinged on thee,
As a wheel on its axis turns, this book unwitting to itself,
Around the idea of thee.

In the first line of For You O Democracy, the word indissoluble refers to the inability to be broken up, and ma femme in the final line is French for my wife or my better half.
  
FOR YOU O DEMOCRACY
Come, I will make the continent indissoluble,
I will make the most splendid race the sun ever shone upon, I will make divine magnetic lands,
With the love of comrades,
With the life-long love of comrades.
I will plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America, and along the shores of the great lakes, and all over the prairies, I will make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks,
By the love of comrades,
By the manly love of comrades.
For you these from me, O Democracy, to serve you ma femme! For you, for you I am trilling these songs.

What Best I See in Thee reflects the optimism and patriotism that characterized mid-19th century in America. The nation was rapidly expanding westward, and there was a sense of boundless possibility and opportunity. Whitman's poem captures this spirit of exploration and celebrates the diversity and strength of the American people.
  
WHAT BEST I SEE IN THEE
To U. S. G. return’d from his World’s Tour.

By the way, U.S.G. are the initials of Ulysses S. Grant - a man Whitman greatly admired. Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States and a celebrated Union general during the American Civil War. Whitman wrote this poem in response to Grant's return from a world tour he undertook after his presidency.  You see, Whitman  held Grant in high esteem, appreciating several aspects of his character.

Whitman admired Grant’s plain dress and unassuming manner, seeing him as the "typical Western man" who was unimpressed by appearances.
The poet also praised Grant's strength and resolve, describing him as "one of the inevitables" who "always arrived".

Despite Grant's lack of poetic or artistic qualities, Whitman saw him as "the greatest hero" whose practical sense and ability to act made him a figure that "transcends Plutarch.” In this poem, Whitman celebrates Grant's character and achievements, seeing in him a model for future generations. The poet's admiration for Grant extended beyond his military and political accomplishments, focusing on the essential qualities of his character that Whitman believed would stand the test of time.  And now, after an introduction that is longer than the poem itself, What Beat I See in Thee -

What best I see in thee
Is not that where thou mov’st down history’s great highways, Ever undimm’d by time shoots warlike victory’s dazzle,
Or that thou sat’st where Washington sat, ruling the land in peace, Or thou the man whom feudal Europe fêted, venerable Asia swarm’d upon
Who walk’d with kings with even pace the round world’s promenade; But that in foreign lands, in all thy walks with kings,
Those prairie sovereigns of the West, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois,
Ohio’s, Indiana’s millions, comrades, farmers, soldiers, all to the front, Invisibly with thee walking with kings with even pace the round world’s
promenade, Were all so justified.

The following poem by Whitman - As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days -  is one of my favorites - Here Whitman mentions freedom to every person on the face of the earth", emphasizing his commitment to democratic ideals and universal freedom. He also refers to "the rapt promises and luminè of seers, the spiritual world", suggesting a transcendent dimension to his vision for America. In essence, "As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days" is Whitman's meditation on the tension between America's material progress and its spiritual potential. He argues for the importance of poetic vision in guiding the nation towards a more profound realization of its democratic ideals, beyond mere physical reconstruction and development.
  
AS I WALK THESE BROAD MAJESTIC DAYS
As I walk these broad majestic days of peace
(For the war, the struggle of blood finish’d, wherein, O terrific Ideal, Against vast odds erewhile having gloriously won,
Now thou stridest on, yet perhaps in time toward denser wars, Perhaps to engage in time in still more dreadful contests, dangers, Longer campaigns and crises, labours beyond all others),
Around me I hear the world, politics, produce,
The announcements of recognized things, science,
The approved growth of cities and the spread of inventions.
I see the ships (they will last a few years),
The vast factories with their foremen and workmen, And hear the indorsement of all, and do not object to it.
But I too announce solid things,
Science, ships, politics, cities, factories, are not nothing, Like a grand procession to music of distant bugles pouring,
triumphantly moving, and grander heaving in sight, They stand for realities—all is as it should be.
Then my realities;
What else is so real as mine?
Libertad and the divine average, freedom to every slave on the face of
the earth,
The rapt promises and luminè of seers, the spiritual world, these
centuries-lasting songs,
And our visions, the visions of poets, the most solid announcements of
any.

By the way, the word lumina is considered an obsolete verb meaning "to illumine" or "to provide light”  In the context of poetry, particularly in Walt Whitman's work, it symbolizes enlightenment and inspiration, often associated with the insights and visions of seers or poets. Thus, "lumine" conveys a sense of spiritual illumination and deeper understanding.
  
THE UNITED STATES TO OLD WORLD CRITICS is another great example of a relatively brief poem where Whitman shows off his blank verse style - poetry resembling the style that people speak when they are talking to each other - except slightly more elevated. And Whitman has a habit of cataloguing subjects - where the names of objects are listed one right after another - often in ascending order.

THE UNITED STATES TO OLD WORLD CRITICS
Here first the duties of to-day, the lessons of the concrete, Wealth, order, travel, shelter, products, plenty;
As of the building of some varied, vast, perpetual edifice, Whence to arise inevitable in time, the towering roofs, the lamps, The solid-planted spires tall shooting to the stars.

The following poem, "Years of the Modern,” is a powerful reflection on the rapid changes and potential of the modern era, particularly in the context of post-Civil War America. The poem encapsulates Whitman's visionary outlook and his ability to sense the momentous shifts occurring in society.
Whitman opens with a striking juxtaposition of "the modern" and "the unperform'd," immediately setting up a tension between the present and the future. The rising horizon he describes symbolizes expanding possibilities and the dawn of a new era. The poet's vision extends beyond America to encompass other nations, highlighting a growing sense of global interconnectedness. This reflects the increasing international awareness of the late 19th century.

Whitman then alludes to "tremendous entrances and exits" and "new combinations," suggesting significant social and political upheavals. His mention of the "solidarity of races" is particularly noteworthy, possibly referencing the aftermath of the Civil War and the ongoing struggle for racial equality.

The poem uses a variety of poetic techniques.  For example, The poem adopts a prophetic stance or tone, with Whitman positioning himself as a seer of future events. This is evident in lines like "No one knows what will happen next" and "Years prophetical!”.

Whitman also employs dynamic imagery to convey the sense of rapid change and progress. Phrases like "incredible rush and heat" and "strange ecstatic fever of dreams" create a feeling of urgency and excitement. The poem concludes with a powerful contrast between the "perform'd America and Europe" fading into the background and the "unperform'd, more gigantic than ever" advancing. This reinforces Whitman's focus on the potential of the future rather than the achievements of the past.

Written in 1865, near the end of the Civil War, the poem reflects Whitman's optimism for the future despite the recent national trauma. It embodies the spirit of Reconstruction and the rapid industrialization and modernization of the late 19th century.

In conclusion, "Years of the Modern" showcases Whitman's role as a visionary poet, capturing the zeitgeist of his era while looking forward to an uncertain but potentially grand future. The poem's themes of progress, global awareness, and social change continue to resonate with readers today, making it a timeless reflection on the nature of modernity and human potential. 

By the say, Zeitgeist is a German term that translates to "spirit of the time." It refers to the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate or mood of a particular era. The concept encompasses the prevailing ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that characterize a specific period in history, often reflected in art, literature, and social movements.  And now for Whitman’s poem - Years of the Modern.
  
YEARS OF THE MODERN
Years of the modern! years of the unperform’d!
Your horizon rises, I see it parting away for more august dramas, I see not America only, not only Liberty’s nation but other nations
preparing,
I see tremendous entrances and exits, new combinations, the solidarity
of races,
The earth, restive, confronts a new era, perhaps a general divine war, No one knows what will happen next, such portents fill the days and
nights;
Years prophetical! the space ahead as I walk, as I vainly try to pierce it,
is full of phantoms,
Unborn deeds, things soon to be, project their shapes around me, This incredible rush and heat, this strange ecstatic fever of dreams O
years!
Your dreams O years, how they penetrate through me! (I know not
whether I sleep or wake.)
The perform’d America and Europe grow dim, retiring in shadow
behind me,
The unperform’d, more gigantic than ever, advance, advance upon me.

In the final poem of the episode - simply titled Thoughts - Whitman portrays America's progress as a difficult but natural process, likening it to childbirth:
The phrase "convuls'd pains, as through parturitions" compares the nation's development to the intense pain of childbirth. This suggests that America's growth, while challenging, is a necessary and ultimately productive process. Whitman then outlines America's life stages - "birth, muscular youth, the promise, the sure fulfilment, the absolute success". This progression implies a sense of inevitability in America's rise and success.
Whitman also acknowledges both the positive and negative aspects of American society: By stating that America "illustrates evil as well as good," Whitman presents a balanced view of the nation's character. He recognizes that America embodies both virtues and vices.

This poem was written in the post-Civil War era and reflects Whitman's complex understanding of America's journey. For example, the birth imagery may allude to America's rebirth after the Civil War, emerging from the conflict as a changed nation. And despite acknowledging the pain and evil, Whitman maintains a fundamentally optimistic view of America's future and potential. Whitman's perspective in these lines showcases his ability to hold seemingly contradictory ideas simultaneously - celebrating America's promise while acknowledging its imperfections. This nuanced view of national identity continues to resonate in discussions of American character and destiny.

But before I end with this poem, I want to address how Whitman’s poetry - especially the work Thoughts shows how the author’s imagery of birth and youth in his poetry powerfully reflects key American ideals and the nation's self-conception, particularly in the 19th century. For example, the imagery of birth and youth evokes a sense of unlimited potential, mirroring the American ideal of boundless opportunity. Just as a child has their whole life ahead of them, Whitman portrays America as a young nation full of promise and possibility. Whitman often uses birth imagery to suggest national renewal, especially in the post-Civil War era. This reflects the American ideal of continual reinvention and the ability to overcome challenges.
Whitman’s descriptions of youth and "muscular youth" represent the vitality and dynamism associated with the American spirit. This connects to ideals of American exceptionalism and the nation's perceived unique energy.
And the progression from birth to youth symbolizes America's rapid growth and development, reflecting ideals of progress and the nation's trajectory towards greatness.

By employing these images, Whitman creates a poetic vision that embodies core American ideals of potential, renewal, vigor, optimism, progress, and independence. His work both reflects and helps shape the national self-image of America as a young, vibrant nation with a unique destiny.
  
THOUGHTS 1
Of these years I sing,
How they pass and have pass’d through convuls’d pains, as through
parturitions,
How America illustrates birth, muscular youth, the promise, the sure
fulfilment, the absolute success, despite of people—illustrates
evil as well as good,
The vehement struggle so fierce for unity in one’s-self;
How many hold despairingly yet to the models departed, caste, myths,
obedience, compulsion, and to infidelity,
How few see the arrived models, the athletes, the Western States, or see
freedom or spirituality, or hold any faith in results
(But I see the athletes, and I see the results of the war glorious and
inevitable, and they again leading to other results).
How the great cities appear—how the Democratic masses, turbulent, wilful, as I love them,
How the whirl, the contest, the wrestle of evil with good, the sound and resounding, keep on and on,
How society waits unform’d, and is for a while between things ended and things begun,
How America is the continent of glories, and of the triumph of freedom and of the Democracies, and of the fruits of society, and of all that is begun,
And how the States are complete in themselves—and how all triumphs and glories are complete in themselves, to lead onward,
And how these of mine and of the States will in turn be convuls’d, and
serve other parturitions and transitions,
And how all people, sights, combinations, the Democratic masses too,
serve—and how every fact, and war itself, with all its horrors,
serves,
And how now or at any time each serves the exquisite transition of
death.

2
Of seeds dropping into the ground, of births,
Of the steady concentration of America, inland, upward, to impregnable
and swarming places,
Of what Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, and the rest, are to be,
Of what a few years will show there in Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada,
and the rest
(Or afar, mounting the Northern Pacific to Sitka or Aliaska),
Of what the foliage of America is the preparation for—and of what all
sights, North, South, East and West, are,
Of this Union welded in blood, of the solemn price paid, of the unnamed
lost ever present in my mind;
Of the temporary use of materials for identity’s sake,
Of the present, passing, departing—of the growth of completer men
than any yet,
Of all sloping down there where the fresh free giver the mother, the
Mississippi flows,
Of mighty inland cities yet unsurvey’d and unsuspected,
Of the new and good names, of the modern developments, of inalienable
homesteads,
Of a free and original life there, of simple diet and clean and sweet
blood,
Of these songs, well understood there (being made for that area),
Of the native scorn of grossness and gain there
(O it lurks in me night and day—what is gain after all to savageness and
freedom?).

Join Celebrate Poe for episode 279 as we enter the twentieth century for more great writings and political speeches that a delve into - in the words of writer John Meachum - The Soul of a Nation.
Sources include The Complete Poems of Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

Thank you for listening to Celebrate Poe.