Voices
Walt Whitman 1819 (West Hills) – 1892 (Camden)
NOW I make a leaf of Voices--for I have found nothing mightier than
they are,
And I have found that no word spoken, but is beautiful, in its place.
O what is it in me that makes me tremble so at voices?
Surely, whoever speaks to me in the right voice, him or her I shall
follow,
As the water follows the moon, silently, with fluid steps, anywhere
around the globe.
All waits for the right voices;
Where is the practis'd and perfect organ? Where is the develop'd
Soul?
For I see every word utter'd thence, has deeper, sweeter, new sounds,
impossible on less terms.
I see brains and lips closed--tympans and temples unstruck,
Until that comes which has the quality to strike and to unclose, 10
Until that comes which has the quality to bring forth what lies
slumbering, forever ready, in all words.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 115 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XXA BXXXX BXXXX XAXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 877 |
Words | 147 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 5, 5, 4 |
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"Voices" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/38235/voices>.
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