Whitman's contemporary, the equally influential poet Emily Dickinson, wrote about Whitman in one her letters, saying: 'You speak of Mr. The poem's frank depictions of sexuality and eroticism earned it a somewhat scandalous reputation. He famously wrote Whitman a letter that began, 'I greet you at the beginning of a great career.'īut 'Song of Myself' wasn't without its controversies. No surprise, then, that when Emerson read the first edition of Leaves of Grass, he became one of Whitman's biggest fans. Whitman, and this poem especially, embody the ideal of ' self-reliance.' This principle was famously described by the American Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson and is marked by a nonconformist spirit and a belief that the best way to do things is to go your own way. He didn't go to fancy schools, and he taught himself writing by soaking up Shakespeare and other classics on his own. Before becoming a published poet, Whitman had worked as schoolteacher and a journalist. The 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass was Whitman's first published book of poems, and he kept revising and adding to this book throughout his life. It might help to remember that the poem was written only a few years before the outbreak of the Civil War, and Whitman viewed friendship as the last hope to save a fractured union. As you read 'Song of Myself, you might wonder why Whitman is so eager to be friends with, literally, every single person he has ever met. It is a 'democratic' poem that draws all different kinds of people and places into itself and tries to forge them into a unity. The poem has also helped shape the idea of what it means to be an American. Few poems are as fun to read aloud as this one. His lines are highly rhythmic, and they have a mesmerizing chant-like quality. Whitman wrote his verses without a regular form, meter, or rhythm. For one thing, it represents a huge break from the formal traditions of the past. It takes guts to write a long epic poem about yourself, and Whitman was nothing if not gutsy.įirst published in 1855, without a title, as part of his collection Leaves of Grass, the work we now call 'Song of Myself' just might be the most important and influential American poem out there. In the first line, American poet Walt Whitman kindly informs us that he is going to celebrate himself, and throughout 52 glorious sections, he does just that. ' Song of Myself' might be the most egotistical poem ever written: it's all about me, myself, and I.

Leaves of grass poem text